Resident Evil: Revelations 2 – Episode 2 (Video Game)
Ted Hentschke
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Developed and published by Capcom
Rated M for Mature
Available on PS4, XB1 (reviewed), PC, PSVita, PS3, Xbox360
I was worried when submitting my review that I had been a bit too hard on Resident Evil: Revelations – Episode 1. 3.5 is by no means a bad score, but the episode was too short to really delve into the gameplay and atmosphere. I felt that with subsequent episodes the gameplay would evolve and give me something interesting to play with. Well, the game is halfway there, building well on the Barry/Natalia duo, but was a bit disappointing during the Claire/Moira campaign.
Similar to the first chapter, Claire and Moira mostly explore around a set area, unlocking new areas through a sequence of puzzle solving to lead to the next setpiece moment. For the duo that is supposed to be more about puzzles, it sure was combat heavy this time. Rather than objectives feeling like unique challenges to puzzle out, it just felt like another arena to go to and fight guys in. This isn’t bad, considering Moira is the companion character with combat applications, but feels out of place given Claire’s comparatively meager arsenal. Yes, I get that there is an element of tension added by making the less combat effective character fight, but it grew tedious when compared to the Barry campaign. I never found combat to be insurmountable, but I have at this point grown tired of the stun/kick/stab combo. There was a refreshing stealth section, but it was eclipsed by the three separate horde defence segments.
Barry, on the other hand, offers what I found to be a far more compelling experience. Since he is experiencing everything 6 months after the events of the first two, you get to see a different side of the now more dilapidated villages and further mutated monsters. There are less puzzles, and Barry spends on much less time in each area, exploring a greater diversity of environments. Barry’s enemies are on average harder, but there is almost always a stealth approach. Combat with Barry feels much more active, since when directly confronted, enemies can only be killed by revealing specific weakpoints. These can either be discovered by just shooting off various fleshy bits until the glowing heart pops up, or can be identified by Natalia. The identification doesn’t carry between characters, so it requires a more calculated approach if you wish to memorize where all the weakspots are before combat.
Going into this game, I dreaded the inevitable inclusion of invisible enemies. Since Natalia can see monster “auras,” I knew at some point it would be necessary to sight targets with her and shoot them with barry. This has in the past proven more annoying than challenging, and was easily the worst part of The Evil Within. And so introduced in this chapter were the invisible enemies, who are more annoying than challenging, blurring your vision and requiring some guesswork in your shots. Still, I did appreciate some real necessity for Natalia, making her feel like more of a part of the team than a tagalong.
Still, even though I considered Barry to be more compelling and better designed, I can certainly see how people would enjoy the Claire/Moira section. The set piece moments are all well done, if not ripped straight out of previous games. You remember how they had that house defense level in Resident Evil 4, and everyone loved it? It has been in every Resident Evil game since in one form or another. So, not one to step out of what works, episode 2 of Revelations 2 finds Claire and Moira defending a bar against a horde of enemies. Since all games since RE4 have just felt like inferior versions of RE4, instead of barricading yourself in, buying time while you fight to hold them off, they just bang on the windows until they can get in. It isn’t as tactical as the previous ones, going for a shooting gallery approach.
And since this game is significantly shorter than other RE titles, we might as well get the unwinnable bossfight out of the way at the same time. If I were a betting man, I would say that with enough bullets you might be able to kill him on a second runthrough, but seeing as how the item he drops is later acquired by Barry, I’m not sure if it follows that particular part of the formula.
Claire and Moira also fight a second boss, a fat dude with a cage on his head that shoots a cannon at you. Resident Evil has always been a silly game, so far be it from me to criticize an enemy for being goofy. You can avoid his shots by dodging behind bookcases that explode, giving you an ever dwindling supply of cover. While certainly a bullet sponge, I managed to take him down in a few tries, so it shouldn’t be too tough to see your way through.
Barry’s single bossfight is significantly more straightforward, with his more robust arsenal proving sufficient to take down the previously unkillable boss. Theres a fun challenge in shooting off all of his outside eyes before he dies, which gives it some flavor. It was a predictable encounter, and a bit less mechanically interesting than the other fights, but it was nice to see the connection between the two plots.
What was most interesting to me was the drive to play through a second time. You get to keep your arsenal in repeated playthroughs, even for previous episodes. Furthermore, items that you acquire find use in previous areas. I don’t know exactly how robust this feature is, but I found at least one drillable wall that could not be accessed on my first playthrough. It give me hope that they might expand on this in future episodes. While I don’t remember anything in the first that could possibly require later tools to open, it will be cool to see what I discover with subsequent playthroughs.
Even though the game isn’t quite what I would like it to be yet, the additions were enough to get me excited. If the first episode was a “meh,” the second is an “alright” with a slight nod. Not a jumping up and down great or a strong recommendation, but fans of the series will definitely be pleased with the direction this game is taking. I still have concerns about the length, but at $25 for all the episodes it is hard to argue with just being 8 hours. As a co-op experience and stand-alone title it is just okay, but as a direction for the franchise I recommend it. At this point, fans should definitely feel comfortable jumping on board.
Look for a review of Episode 3 next week.
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Resident Evil: Revelations 2 - Episode 1
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Resident Evil: Revelations 2 - Episode 2
Categorized:Horror Gaming Reviews
