Resident Evil: Revelations 2 - Episode 1

The first episode of Resident Evil: Revelations 2 starts things off in an adequate way, but falls short due to poor dialogue and boring missions. What saves Revelations from true boredom is the plot, mystery surrounding the island keeps the story from falling apart by delivering some doses of answers and interesting questions. Capcom does a great job of delivering a tense story that encourages players to download episode 2 by setting the stage for what could be a great installment in the Resident Evil franchise.

Revelations starts with a familiar face, Claire Redfield, as she attends a lavish party with her co-worker, Moira Burton. It isn’t long before everything takes a turn for the worst as the duo are kidnapped at gunpoint and shipped to a penal colony on a remote island. Claire wakes up in a locked dirty cell that automatically unlocks after she wakes up, only to find herself placed into new nightmare. It isn’t long before she finds Moira and encounters the nightmarish creatures that haunt the halls of the barren facility she must now escape.

Claire isn’t the only familiar face as Moira’s father, Barry Burton, makes a return and attempts to rescue both his daughter and Claire from the island. Aided by a young companion named Natalia, he searches the prison while facing against a new breed of enemies that behave similarity to classic Resident Evil zombies. Claire and Moira, on the other hand, have other adversaries to face that act with a higher level of difficulty due to their increase resistance to damage and speed.

Working together is necessary for both parties, mainly because it’s forced. Regardless of which team you take control of, players can switch between the two playable characters at will, oftentimes to solve puzzles. Moira can use her flashlight to uncover hidden items and key necessities while Natalia, who can also highlight important items by pointing, can navigate through small environmental hazards and reveal enemy locations. Both Claire and Barry act as the solider, handling the weaponry.

Unlike Natalia, Moira is more of a forced companion. Her tools and skills are nothing special. Her primary use is shining a flashlight to highlight objects and blind enemies. Outside from puzzles, Moira’s combat abilities are lacking. Due to a tragic event with guns, she’s unable to wield one. Instead she defends herself with melee weapons that can be used for opening doors. Natalia abilities are unique and useful. Not only can she do everything that Moria does, but can also locate enemies by crouching, making sneaking much more manageable, hurl bricks at enemies and crawl through tight environmental hazards. Most importantly since Natalia is a child don’t expect her to get in the way while in battle, as oppose to Moira obviously took lessons in team efficiently from Resident Evil 5’s Sheva Alomar. Be prepare to yell at Moira for constantly standing in your way while shooting.

Barry and Natalia are the best part of episode one. Due to her small size, Natalia is unable to defend herself and must rely on stealth, throwing items and Barry to stay alive. This coupled with eerie environments, such as a dark forest and abandoned lumber yard, and horrific creatures is exactly what survival-horror fans clamor for. However, don’t expect at stellar graphics.

Playing on the Xbox One, the game ran smoothly at 60 frames per second. It’s issue come from the facial expressions. I would hear the vexation of Moria’s attempt to fathom what was happening, but looking at her face I saw nothing but a blank expression.

The campaign can be played alone or with friends. Teaming up is an effective means of getting through the short campaign quickly. However, if you’re looking for the genuine survival-horror experience then solo is the best option. Regardless of who you choose to control each character mostly plays well. Shooting and running all feel precise and accurate. The only issue is melee attacks, specifically with  Moira. Swinging a crowbar around feels weighted and weak, I rarely felt I was doing any damage until the enemy finally died.

Like past installments expect simple puzzles. Most of them give you the answer right away making the whole process more tedious. For example finding some situations require you to use Moira’s flashlight to locate a key, attempting to justify the need for a partner and their tools.

If you wish there are hidden collectables, documents that flesh out the story, weapon upgrades and skill points, called BP, to earn. By completing specific tasks players will earn BP point which can be used to upgrade your characters.

If you still want to test your shooting skills after completing the first episode Capcom has included an option mode called raid mode. This arcade mode has you facing against small armies of enemies in various environments from the main campaign. The more enemies you kill in an efficient manner the better your rewards. These rewards range from skill points to cosmetic upgrades such as gestures. Those who enjoyed the Mercenaries Mode from past Resident Evil games will find raid mode easily accessible, especially if you love electric dance music.

While the first episode of Resident Evil: Revelations does fumble due to tawdry puzzles and poor dialogue it successfully entices with enough questions to encourage purchasing the next episode. It picks at your curiosity just enough without wearing you down and replicas the experience that so many fans loved about the first Revelations. With a combination of both modern and classic Resident Evil mechanics Revelations 2 has something for everyone.

Episode Two Review

Adam Siddiqui, NoobFeed
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