VIDEO GAME REVIEW: Resident Evil Revelations 3D

Last Updated on July 23, 2021

Published by: Capcom
Developed by: Capcom

Release Date: February 7, 2012
Available on: Nintendo 3DS

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INTRO: Folks, I’m an admitted Resident Evil
mark. I’ve reviewed a bunch of the games in the series here on the
website, and I’m always excited when a new title comes in. I’m of the
belief that the newer games in the series haven’t quite hit the high
water mark set by RE4, but there have been some good efforts out there.

Now, we’ve got a new Resident Evil game for the 3DS and I was pumped to
get my claws dirty. You start out as STARS/BSAA operative Jill
Valentine. You’re working with teammate Parker Luciani and looking for
Chris Redfield. This time you’re on the Mediterranean sea, floating
about in a tugboat. Yes, the story gets silly and there are some
annoying characters with foolish plot twists, but hell- it’s Resident
Evil!

GAMEPLAY:

This game is sorted into brief, chaptered segments that allows you to
pick it up and play it in short bursts (a-la Alan Wake). I’m a big fan,
so I barely put the damn thing down but I’m happy to say I sunk almost
ten hours into this title, which is pretty beefy for a little handheld
game.

Controls will immediately feel familiar to those fans of the Resident
Evil series. If you want to walk, press the circle pad. If you want to
run, simply press the pad all the way in. You shoot by holding down the
right shoulder button for the iron sights (3rd person aiming is also an
option). Y will fire the weapon, while B reloads. The left shoulder
button strafes and X will allow you to melee. Weapons are thankfully
switched on the fly with the D-Pad, Y picks items up, B gives us the
popular quick 180 and A will use herbs to heal you. Phew, got it? I
know it doesn’t sound that complicated- it’s simply a more refined
version of what’s familiar. And yes, you can shoot and move!

You can upgrade your stuff too (using Custom Parts), and this game
allows you to switch your upgrades between weapons, which is really
cool (although it makes little sense).

If you’re one of the lucky ones who own a Circle Pad Pro, I’m told it
makes controlling the game a dream. I can’t really comment on this,
since I’m but a starving artist who can’t afford such luxuries, hah!

This one certainly plays a bit more towards the action side than the
creepy, scary survival horror side. There are moments of both genres,
but the action side tends to win out more often than not. You’ll play
as different characters throughout the game. When you play as Jill
(which is most of the time), you are usually doing a lot of blasting.
There’s plenty of ammo to go around, which will either thrill or
disappoint you, depending on how you like your experience to go.

As I mentioned, there are a few survival horror elements to this game.
Yeah, you have to go key hunting and the old push-pull thing is back.
Unfortunately, the puzzles aren’t exactly head scratchers and seem
really straightforward and unfortunately a bit tacked on.

As far as enemy variety, there’s a bit. You’ll see familiar faces from
old games and the new guys are the Ooze, a really handsome group of
monsters. They’l literally eat your face off if they get the chance and
try to slice you to pieces with their bladed arms. There are chainsaw
dudes too, and they’ll employ massive traps that’ll tear you to pieces.
This doesn’t even take into accout the underwater beasts you must
dispatch! Boss fights are often memorable too, with huge beasts that
are fun to take out, save for one or two really cheap ones.

A really fun addition to the game is Raid Mode, where you’ll likely
spend a lot of time. It’s reminiscent of Mercenaries mode. You choose
your weapons, take out the dudes and earn yourself some upgrades. You
can team up with a friend to do this, and it’s super fun. I found
myself sinking hours into it. Be warned though, it gets really hard as
it goes along. If you love stat tracking, rewards, upgrades and playing
with friends, you’re going to love this mode.

Gameplay: 8/10

GRAPHICS:

This is arguably the greatest looking game I’ve seen on the 3DS.
Mercenaries looked nice, but this one has such great 3D effects. This
is one of the only games where I feel like the 3D is truly used to
great potential. This one feels like a home console game and is packed
with style. Character models and environments are rich and
detail-laden. The only real problem is a bit of slowdown while loading
some of the new areas.

Graphics: 9/10

AUDIO:

Audio is also an unquestionable winner. Weapon effects are great,
monster sounds are great, music is appropriate and spikes at the right
time. Sometimes the voice acting is lame, but that’s to be expected.
Listen to this game with headphones for the best experience.

Audio: 8.5/10

FINAL VERDICT:

This is a winning title that is technically impressive and fun to
play. I didn’t find it really scary, but it’s loaded with creepy
moments without a doubt. I don’t own a lot of 3DS games, but I can
certainly say that this is my favorite one so far. Pick it up!

Final Score: 8.5/10

GET THIS GAME HERE