When it first came out for the 3DS, Resident Evil: Revelations was a very well received game. Many Resident Evil fans saw it as a return to the roots of the series. This is due to the fact that the game features tight corridors, low lighting, tank controls, and a very creepy atmosphere. Many of us were very excited to hear Capcom was porting the game to the major consoles as well as PC. This hype is also due to the fact that Capcom has been producing excellent ports lately, particularly with their PC ports of Resident Evil 6 and Devil May Cry.
The impressions that will be given for the purposes of this post are all from the PC review version of the game. PC gamers will be pleased to know the system requirements are quite modest, and you will definitely get the most bang for your system with Revelations. On my modest five year old rig I was able to max the game and maintain 60 FPS without a single hiccup. The world of Revelations, while not jaw dropping, is noticeble improvement from the 3DS version. There are some basic options for adjusting the graphics to best optimize it for your particular system as well.
Functionally, Revelations is the same game as the 3DS version. The missions are the same, and it appears that all of the original content is intact. Raid Mode, a cooperative time and mission based free mode, is also intact. While I was not able to try with a friend because I was playing on a pre-release review build, I went solo and enjoyed what I played. Basically, the idea is to clear stages in order to get points that can be used in a store to purchase weapons and upgrades. It was fun on the 3DS, and I imagine when you are actually able to play with someone else it will be an entertaining cooperative mode.
There are a number of gameplay options which make the PC edition of Revelations a smooth gameplay experience. Like in Resident Evil 6, there are a host of options to fine tune your crosshairs and aiming reticle. The default speed for the crosshairs is pretty fast, so you may want to tailor the settings to what you are comfortable with. Subtitles and tutorials can also be toggled on and off in the options. The camera can be tweaked, and the controls can be inverted as well. Finally, Revelations fully supports the gamepad for the Xbox 360, so if you have one and prefer to use that, it also works great.
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For all intents and purposes, the port of Revelations is relatively perfect. It is precisely for this reason that the game falls a bit short. Portable games are created with gameplay nuances specific to the limitations of gaming on a handheld. When you take these elements and transport them to the console, or PC, you lose some of the challenge associated with the original game. There is no doubt the PC version of Revelations handles like a dream with a keyboard and mouse. Yet this takes some of the original atmosphere away. Enemies are no longer a real threat anymore, because you are so well-equipped to handle them. The tension is lost. It is a bit like driving a four wheel drive truck down a dirt road, when originally you made the drive in a front wheel sedan. The obstacles are the same, but the challenges are gone. It seems like certain elements of tension which were present in the 3DS version of the game are absent in the port. The guns also lack any real oomph factor, and the oozes that you fight for most of the game do not react like zombies do when you shot them in various parts of the body. Little elements like this persist in the port, and really cast it in a negative light.
Overall, Revelations is a bit of a mixed bag. It succeeds on being a successful port of the original game. It provides all of the gaming amenities needed, and even adds some options to turn it into a great experience. However, by not expanding on or altering the gameplay of the original to mold it to the console and PC platforms, it falls short as an engrossing experience. Is it worth it in the end? It is most definitely worth a play through at some point if you never got to play the original. If you did play the 3DS version, you can rest easy knowing you played a great version of the game. Sadly, I can’t speak for the cooperative portion of the port, although it looks promising.