By bringing back horror without abandoning their action audience, Capcom has created the best Resident Evil in years.
Capcom could have brought horror back by getting rid of staples introduced into the series since Resident Evil 4. Instead, Revelations works as a solid mixture of old and new. The camera is still placed over the shoulder of the characters back, you still have a laser sight aiming system, and you still have a partner following you the entire time.
This time around, however, you're placed in a dark, claustrophobic environment filled with foreboding enemies that take all too much ammunition to kill. The large hordes of angry looking "not-zombies" from 4 and 5 are replaced with creepy, barely human looking monsters that change and mutate over the course of the game. They start out creepy, and as you meet some of the bigger, more mutated variants of this new virus it moves into simply disturbing territory.
Encounters with these enemies can be dealt with in a few ways. You can shoot them, of course, but be warned that ammunition is scarce. There are a few boss fights that require you to fight them, and although there is ammo present during these fights it's better to conserve your ammo prior to be prepared for what's to come. Wasting ammo on a few normal enemies can cost you later on, and this type of survival aspect hasn't been seen in the series for quite some time. If you don't want to waste your precious ammo, then you can use the knife in classic Resident Evil fashion or try and master the reintroduced dodge technique. Fitting, that Jill was the last to use this mechanic in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, here players can use it again. A well timed movement of the analog stick while pressing the B button will have your character dodge incoming attacks. The dodge moves aren't overly flashy and fit the overall tone. The back flips and somersaults of earlier games aren't here. This technique can be difficult to get used to, but once you do it becomes a good way to get passed some annoying enemies.
As mentioned above, you play as series long runner Jill Valentine for most of the game. She finds herself aboard a giant cruise ship as her and her partner, Parker, search for her old partner, other series long runner Chris Redfield. The story takes a few quick turns of events, and soon Jill and Parker find themselves stranded aboard the Queen Zenobia, filled with monsters and villains waiting to finish the job. The story itself is pretty fun and a good addition to the franchise, and exploring the Queen Zenobia comes with a few new mechanics. The first being the Genesis scanner, which allows you to find hidden items and other secrets scattered across the ship. This new introduction helps reinstate the survival aspect into the series, as using it greatly helps your health and ammo supply. You'll also swim later on, a first for the series, and this introduces a new level of claustrophobia to the game.
Tension and fear my seem on the back burner once again since you have an AI partner with you at all times, but Capcom made sure to fix any sort of issues they presented in the past. Here, your partner neither helps nor hinders your progress. If an enemy grabs you, don't expect your partner to shoot it off of you. Luckily, they don't get in your way either. They can't take damage, waste your ammo, there's no item management between partners, and they don't shoot you in the back when engaging an enemy directly in front of you. The characters seemingly exist to advance the dialog and story, and to feature a second character for cooperative play over the internet. Even if you're playing with a friend, the game still splits characters up so you have to survive on your own from time to time.
Due to the AI mostly being a shadow to the player, Capcom found a way to have an extra character during single player while maintaining the horror. Interestingly enough, Capcom didn't abandon fans of the more action oriented Resident Evil titles either.
While most of the game is played as Jill and Parker, there are a few short cutaway segments where you play as Chris and his partner Jessica, and a few other new characters. These segments are usually focused on action. They're quick side story type variants that have the player kill everything on screen to move along. It paces the game rather nicely, and none of these segments really over stay they're welcome. Aside from Parker, the new characters are poorly written, almost caricature like stereotypes. Two other playable characters may of well of been named Scooby Doo and Shaggy. Listening to their idiotic chatter you're just waiting for one of them to say "Ruh roh" to a new enemy. Villains are also largely cartoony and over the top for the series, and that's saying something considering how Wesker was in Resident Evil 5. Parker is a good addition as he follows Jill throughout the Zenobia, and Jessica has a few redeeming qualities, but the best characters here are certainly Jill and Chris by a long shot.
If you do want to play as the new characters more, you can unlock them in the new Raid Mode. Raid Mode has players fighting through various segments of the main campaign while battling monsters with various perks. You may fight a normal monster, or that same monster with a speed boost. You can go at it alone (completely, without an AI partner) or with a friend over the internet. You're awarded points on accuracy, speed, and how much damage you took.
There are 21 levels for Raid Mode, and three different difficulty options for each one. There are also a ton of unlocks, be it by doing assigned Missions or by completing levels. You'll level up, unlock new gun attachments, and of course new guns and costumes. The weapons themselves aren't just unlocked, but you can unlock more powerful variants. You may unlock a level four pump action shotgun, and later unlock a level eight pump action shotgun that functions the same but deals more damage or holds more ammunition. Raid Mode becomes the action focus for the package, and you don't have to finish the game to unlock it. The mode is unlocked shortly after a few levels, and you can begin leveling up your characters from there. You have to complete the game to get access to all the stages, which adds to the content of the overall product. Leveling up your character throughout this game type and working to make a powerful character really adds to the value. The short-but-sweet stages all but entirely overshadow Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D.
Given the excellent campaign, tons of unlockables for said campaign, and an absolutely addictive Raid Mode, Resident Evil Revelations is a great buy for Resident Evil fans. Not only that, but the game looks amazing. This shows off what the 3DS is capable of, and one can only hope that more like it will be released in the future. The claustrophobic design is completed with great sound design as well. The production went all out on delivering and exciting game for handheld audiences. Not only is it an amazing game in its own right, but it is also one of the best Resident Evil games in years.