Released in 2012 on Nintendo 3DS, Resident Evil Revelations was an emphatic shift back to the classic survival horror paradigm of Capcom’s venerable zombie-slaying franchise. Set between the events of the more action-oriented fourth and fifth outings in the series, Revelations weaves a surprisingly intricate storyline that bobs and weaves between multiple protagonists, including ex. S.T.A.R.S. agents Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield. Having been re-released on PS3 a few years back, Revelations is the latest title to see a high-definition update for current-generation hardware on the back of the series’ 20th anniversary celebrations.
Revelations immediately sets the tone with its primary location, the infested, spooky cruise ship known as the Queen Zenobia. Aesthetically, it’s easy to draw comparison of the ship’s interior to that of the Spencer Mansion, with its grand dining room, sumptuously-decorated cabins, and tight corridors lending it a palpably familiar atmosphere. This works in the game’s favor too, cultivating a sense of familiarity that’s both nostalgic and refreshing at the same time; the Zenobia actually plays with this sense of familiarity early on, before opening up into something that’s far more grand and unique as you penetrate deeper into the bowels of the vessel.
Don’t expect any zombies to suddenly burst out of a closet here, either. Revelations eschews our lurching undead friends in favor of the Ooze; a new humanoid adversary that can be pretty spry on their feet, can shoot projectiles, and are generally more aggressive than their decomposing predecessors. Fortunately, you can now move and shoot simultaneously, which makes combat situation all the more smoother and less frustrating than being rooted to the spot. Still, the Ooze are generally hit and miss; their design is pretty uninspired, and the standard canon fodder of their ranks can prove monotonous to battle against. Revelations fortunately does bring back some classic foes such as the Hunters though, and scraps with these clawed nightmares rank as some of the best encounters in the game, as do the superbly-crafted boss battles.
What Revelations does best is strike a perfect balance between old and new. The bigger emphasis on puzzle-solving lends the game a cerebral edge that had been missing up to the game’s release, and you’ll soon settle in a satisfying rhythm of unlocking new parts of the ship, battling foes, and conserving ammo by picking your fights where possible. Furthermore, the new Genesis scanner gives you incentive to explore every nook and cranny of each location, probing the environment for hidden ammo and health caches. It’s a solid marriage of what Resi has become up to this point, and is certainly a more cohesive experience than the Frankenstein’s Monster that was the sixth mainline game, Resident Evil 6.
As mentioned previously, you’ll explore other locations outside of the Zenobia, including a frozen mountainous region and an abandoned enemy installation. In particular, it’s here that Revelations falters somewhat; particularly in the latter locale, where the game devolves into a mindless run-and-gun experience anchored by perhaps two of the most weakest characters in the series thus far. Still, these scenarios are short lived, with the bulk of the action shared between Jill and Chris alongside their respective partners, Parker and Jessica. Sadly, there’s no co-op mode available, though your AI buddy does a decent job of covering you and providing backup in the middle of a gun fight.
Outside of the main campaign, Revelations offers some tasteful side antics in the form of the returning Raid mode which PS4 players first witnessed in Resident Evil Revelations 2 nearly two and a half years ago. Functioning similar to The Mercenaries, you progress through various stages, capping enemies and unlocking new gear along the way. With multiple characters on offer and heaps of different weapons loadouts, there’s more than enough incentive to keep folks plugging away against the increasingly difficult hordes of lumbering beasts. Plus, you have all the extra characters and gear DLC to tuck into as part of the package.
The game performs solidly on PS4 with a silky-smooth frame rate, although the five-year-old visuals are starting to show more than a few wrinkles, particularly where some of the texture work is concerned. Still, it’s not a bad effort considering its origins as a Nintendo 3DS title.
Overall, if you’ve not played Resident Evil Revelations yet and are on the market for something more aligned with the classic games, then you can’t really go wrong with this PS4 conversion. Whether you’re a Resi aficionado or not, Resident Evil Revelations is a great action-horror romp and one of the better offerings the series has offered up in the past decade. For a more detailed analysis on the game, be sure to read our PS3 Resident Evil Revelations review.