In recent years the Resident Evil franchise has suffered from negative feedback from fan bases who’ve felt the series has diverted from its roots. In the last ten years and after the success of Resident Evil 4, the franchise had moved away from engrossing survival horror to an action orientated focus with extreme gunplay and co-op gameplay.
This was fine and actually I appreciated the move in some respects as we were getting the likes of Resident Evil Zero and Code Veronica (I’m not a fan of these titles). Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6 were great fun for its cooperative aspect but missed completely the main reason we loved Resident Evil to begin with. Then in 2012 a spin off title for the DS came along and revitalised our love for Resident Evil’s survival horror roots and set off the events that led us back with Resident Evil 7.
So we thank Resident Evil Revelations for its impact on the franchise and here’s a list of reasons why we love Resident Evil Revelations.
1. Intense Horror elements
Now the set up for Resident Evil Revelations is perfect. Jill and her partner in the BSAA are sent to the middle of the Mediterranean Sea to answer a distress call. They find the cruise ship Queen Zenobia which seems abandoned but once on board, Jill and her partner discover some disturbing revelations.
Now Jill and her partner are alone on the ship for the most part with plenty of tight winded corridors, darkened rooms and tight spaces to explore with all manner of horrors to face. There are plenty of classic elements from older Resident Evil games such as puzzles, resource management and intense survival tactics in play.
Not to mention the moments of isolation and increasing Claustrophobia are nerve wrecking! Plus there are a few key moments in the game which have resonated as some of the best in the series. I will always remember the first boss battle and the screaming cries of “Mayday!” echoing through the hallways.
2. Creature comforts (Horrors)
Along with being stuck in one key location for a majority of the game, there are also plenty of horrors to battle. Resident Evil Revelations took a bold approach to its creature design by implementing elements of aquatic life which were truly horrifying. The monster designs were incredible and varied in great detail for their appearance and behaviours.
3. Big Bosses
Bosses have been a staple in the Resident Evil franchise and in recent memory, there’s been plenty of times we’ve been disappointed. Resident Evil 5 and 6 had a couple of decent fights but never left an impression. Resident Evil Revelations shows us a true throwback to classic Resident Evil bosses. Intensity and brutal tactics are the foundations for these boss fights as they harbour different behaviour patterns and devastating attacks for the player. At times there will be other smaller enemies in the vicinity, but you’ll have backup in most encounters. Still, the boss itself it’s a true antagonising force to be reckoned with.
4. Different perspectives on a single story
Resident Evil normally takes players through a simple journey of survival and battling through some of the worst horrors imaginable. Whether it’s an old mansion, zombie infested city or a Spanish region overrun by parasite controlled cultists.
Revelations main focus for the story is on board a monster infested cruise ship but there are plenty of different aspects to this epic story line. Players will explore different perspectives of this plot from multiple time lines and different locations. This leads to players taking on the role of several characters including Chris Redfield and other new characters who’ll explore different locations, thus building more layers to the story.
5. Sticking to the old while doing something new
Now the main reason Revelations was a fan favourite was due to its approach of tackling the older style of Resident Evil games while introducing new dynamics. From the many secrets you can discover on the cruise ship, fighting off enemies with different methods of attacks and even evasion in some segments of the game. There’s not an overwhelming sense of action for a majority of the game but there are some key events which are more action orientated than horror, which are still well crafted and intense. But the aspects of horror outshine the action portions of the game.
There’s plenty of things to love about Resident Evil Revelations, from its awesome creature designs, classic style of lateral thinking and puzzle solving and it’s intense sense of horror that fans love!
Resident Evil™ Revelations releases 29th August, 2017 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One priced at £15.99/€19.99. A Nintendo Switch release is planned for release Late 2017.
