Resident Evil: Revelations Demo Impressions

Resident Evil: Revelations represents a huge step for the 3DS. The handheld has seen some AAA titles released over the last few months, but they’ve all been classic Nintendo IP. While this is certainly not a bad thing, Nintendo is obviously looking to expand upon the company's existing fan base by introducing some more mature and hardcore games to its lineup, and Resident Evil: Revelations certainly fits the bill. A demo for the game was recently released: if you’re curious to see my impressions of it, read on.

The demo itself isn’t very long, only taking about 15-20 minutes or so to get through. Despite its rather short playtime, it does showcase a number of the game’s features and mechanics, which I’ll soon discuss. One thing I did notice immediately was that the demo appears to only have 30 uses; I assume that after 30 playthroughs, you’re done. This is kind of a strange feature, as I’m not sure who would want to replay the same linear piece of the game that many times, but who knows? In any case, on to my impressions of the Resident Evil: Revelations demo.

The demo starts out the player as Jill Valentine. She awakens in a strange bed, in a stately yet run-down bedroom. Immediately her partner rings up and asks where she is. Disoriented, Jill doesn’t know how to reply; though she isn’t sure where she is, she remarks that it appears to be some sort of mansion. Well, you happen to be on a cruise ship, and the remainder of the demo is spent trying to reunite Jill with her partner on the bridge.

One of the first things I really noticed about the game was that the graphics were exceedingly well done. Up until now we’ve seen some graphically impressive games, such as Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7, but they haven’t been titles that attempted any sort of realism. Revelations, on the other hands, strives for something more tangible. Characters and environments are surprisingly detailed and the 3D effect works well within the context of a more traditional Resident Evil title. The demo shows off a bit of a cut scene as well, which looked very clean. Overall, just playing through the demo a few times made me think twice about the power of Nintendo’s little handheld.

One thing that any iconic survival-horror game should feature is top-notch sound effects and music. If the demo was any indication of the rest of the game, then Revelations has excelled in this category. The sound effects and music were quite atmospheric, and I found myself impressed by the aural abilities of 3DS’s little speakers. In fact, I actually found myself jumping slightly at the sound of enemies crawling from beneath tables and popping out of the ceiling. The music itself, with its orchestral swells and sudden discordant bursts, was equally well done and certainly added to an overall sense of tension and mild fear.

So you’re probably wondering how the game plays: how does it feel? Well, it actually plays wonderfully. In part the control scheme felt like a blend between some of the newer mechanics that Resident 4 and 5 have implemented and the classic, methodical controls of the earlier games in the franchise. The movement was surprisingly fluid and had very natural feel. I was also playing the demo without the use of a Circle Pad Pro, yet it still handled fine. Without the peripheral the touch screen is used to change perspective, but I honestly felt little need to do so. The set camera angles functioned fine, and I found that playing without changing perspective so much gave the game a much more retro feel, while also making it a bit more frightening.

Unlike other Resident Evil titles, Revelations doesn’t feature a stationary shooting mechanic, and the player is able to strafe when aiming down their sights. This time around, when you aim to fire your weapon, the screen enters a sort of first-person perspective. It was a little strange at first, but most should quickly get used to it. Plus, given the size of the 3DS’s screen, it actually works out alright when trying for headshots.

The touch screen itself apparently serves a number of functions for the game. For one, it displays the map of the current floor the player is on. In addition, it also allows for item and weapon management. Alternately, the d-pad can be used to switch between guns and certain items. One interesting feature the demo showed off was the use of the touch screen for solving puzzles. Early on, Jill encounters a locked door with a fuse box next to it; surprise, surprise, the player has to pop open the fuse box and rearrange the fuses in order to unlock the door, all using the touch pad. Opening the box involves using the stylus to unscrew the cover at four points, and once open the player has to slide the fuses along a grid, organizing them so that they line up perfectly with the live electrical connections. Overall, I found this to be an innovative twist on the puzzle-solving aspect of the Resident Evil titles and a perfectly natural integration of the touch screen's capabilities.

In the end, I must say that I really enjoyed the little bit of Resident Evil: Revelations that I played. It felt more claustrophobic than some of the other more recent entries in the franchise, lending the title more of an old-school Resident Evil vibe. Visually, the game was pretty impressive, from its character modeling to its attention to detail and even its use of 3D. The bottom line is that the game looked great, handled very well and felt like a true Resident Evil title, even without the use of the Circle Pad Pro. It’s safe to say that I’m now looking forward to Revelations very much. In fact, it’s already been pre-ordered. 

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