‘Resident Evil: Revelations 2’ Review: A Solid Episodic Adventure That Returns to Its Series Roots

Game: Resident Evil: Revelations 2 – Episode 1
Consoles: PC, Xbox One (Reviewed), PS4, Xbox 360, PS3, PS Vita
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom

Note: We’ll be reviewing each episode during this game’s weekly release schedule. Make sure you check out each proceeding page to get our final thoughts on Episodes one, two, three, four and five.

Capcom is doing a good job refurbishing the tainted image of Resident Evil. The HD release of the Gamecube remaster introduced fans to the title that started it all. And now, the Revelations sub-series has made its way over from the 3DS to home consoles. Resident Evil: Revelations 2 is a welcome return to form that keeps up the momentum for the series return to its former glory. The plot places Claire Redfield back into the dangers involved with bio-terrorism, which is something longtime fans will be pleased to see. Claire is forced to relive the harrowing days she experienced in Code: Veronica, as she gets kidnapped and placed on a new mysterious island. She isn’t alone though, since she works to escape alongside Barry Burton’s daughter Moira Burton.

Claire and Moira’s section of the 1st episode is a tense affair. You’ll have to navigate through the dirty, cavernous tunnels of an underground prison. This new location lends itself well to the series long history of creepy locales. Bloody bodies are strewn around and strange noises pop up from time to time to raise your heard beat rate. Claire is the more offensive member of this duo, thanks to her use of firearms, while Moira aids her ally through the use of a flashlight and crowbar. As expected, teamwork makes the dream work since both characters have to work together to survive during several instances. The fun derived from this playable chapter involves fending off rabid attackers that have been horribly tortured and figuring out what methods will help both ladies escape from their current predicament.

Once you help Claire and Moira make their way out of that horrific prison, fan favorite character Barry Burton returns as a playable character during his mission to come retrieve his daughter. When he arrives at the mysterious island, Barry comes into contact with a strange little girl named Natalia Korda. Barry comes equipped with a powerful arsenal, while Natalia has the power to sense enemies and point out items in the distance. This section is more of an action packed affair with some stealth mechanics thrown in for good measure. The forest section provides some brief moments of horror, but the majority of this portion of Episode 1 focuses on action packed encounters. The dynamic between Barry and Natalia is just as fun as Claire’s and Moira’s, which makes this initial episode offering a nice introduction to the overall story.

The newly upgraded Raid Mode provides an infinitely entertaining Horde Mode like romp. There are several characters to employ, hilarious taunts to tag them with and upgradeable stats to focus on building up. The addictive nature tied to completing the wide variety of missions in this mode will keep you playing this first episode until the 2nd main campaign episode arrives. You’ll get a ton of value out of this package, thanks to the feature filled Raid Mode. This 1st episode is a great effort, but there are a few issues that bring this product down a bit. The graphics don’t shine as much as expected for a former portable game that’s been ported to consoles. And the few scares that exist in both parts of the campaign don’t compare to the old scares of series past. There’s a lot of fun to be had here, though. You’ll just wish there was more of a reason to be just as scared as your onscreen avatars while you’re in the midst of controlling them.

Bottom Line

The 1st episode of Resident Evil: Revelations 2 is a solid effort that makes us hopeful for the next episodes. The returning cast of characters will please any Resident Evil fan, plus the two newest allies they arrive with provide fun co-op mechanics. The new and improved Raid Mode is also an awesome addition to this debut episode as well. While we lament the disappointing visuals and lack of scary moments that stick with you long after playing, we still enjoyed our time in this new Resident Evil adventure. We can’t wait for Episode 2.

Score: 8/10

Pros:

• Fun return to the series survival horror roots
• The return of Claire Redfield and Barry Burton is quite welcome
• Raid Mode is incredibly entertaining

Cons:

• Graphics don’t impress much on past and current-gen consoles
• A few jump scares here and there, but both parts of this 1st episode are far from overly scary

Buy Resident Evil: Revelations 2 here.

Heavy, Inc. is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon. Our product recommendations are guided solely by our editors. We have no relationship with manufacturers.

Head to the next page for our review of Episode 2.

Game: Resident Evil: Revelations 2 – Episode 2
Consoles: PC, Xbox One (Reviewed), PS4, Xbox 360, PS3, PS Vita
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom

The arrival of Episode 2 for this new adventure through the new horrors of Resident Evil: Revelations 2 thankfully improves things. The sense of fear absent in the the 1st episode is readily apparent here, thanks to the more interesting main campaign half featuring Claire and Moira. This time around, both women discover a new locale by the open sea. They also come into contact with more members of their bio-terrorism task force. These new characters provide more personalities to care about and engage with during your newest mission – attempt to fix a potential ride off the island. Of course, things go south real fast and you’ll have to stay alive during some supremely intense moments.

Claire and Moira’s newest harrowing situation showcases the improvements seen in this episode. Frightening bosses invade your space, packs of wild Infected baddies increase your paranoia and the last-minute saves you experience will make you feel like a badass. The new range of disgusting baddies and entertaining skirmishes with waves of enemies makes this portion of the game a fun ride. The only thing that sours this 1st half is the unreliable new characters who can’t seem to handle any enemies coming your way. Once you move Claire and Moira along with a familiar little lady, you’re transported months ahead to her time with Barry. For this 2nd half of Episode 2, you trek through the same location but under the guise of a foggy forecast. This seems to be the path you should come to expect in every episode being released.

Moving through this section is a little less enjoyable than their last outing. The more stealthy section that take place within the forest area and abandoned building are a nice change of pace. But the newly added invisible enemies are a chore to deal with. These floating bugs can only be spotted by Natalia, so it’s a must that you have an live player nearby to help you deal with them. Listening to Natalia scream out these invisible baddies’ location and wasting valuable ammo on them is pretty frustrating. But Barry’s mission picks up once you get to the finish line. The boss fight that caps off this episode is a tough encounter, but the accomplished feeling from besting him is an incredible feeling. It harkens back to the fun boss fights of Resident Evil lore.

Raid Mode is still as fun as ever. New maps and a throwback stage pop up, as well as two new playable characters with supremely useful special abilities. The addictive stage playthroughs, character/weapon upgrades and Daily Mission structure will bring you back into the fold once again.

Bottom Line

The 2nd episode of Resident Evil: Revelations 2 ups the ante and quality of this episodic foray into the series. Claire and Moira’s plot plays out in a much scarier and nail biting affair than before, thanks to a more interesting location and a huge boss to deal with. Barry and Natalia’s portion of the campaign may be hampered by the use of invisible enemies, but the final boss encounter and engaging cliffhanger for Episode 3 makes it all worth the frustration.

Score: 8.25/10

Pros:

• Tough but immensely tense and fun boss encounters
• Claire and Moira’s portion of the campaign is much improved over the last one
• Awesome cliffhanger for Episode 3

Cons:

• Annoying addition of invisible enemies
• New characters aren’t very reliable A.I. partners

Buy Resident Evil: Revelations 2 here.

Heavy, Inc. is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon. Our product recommendations are guided solely by our editors. We have no relationship with manufacturers.

Head to the next page for our review of Episode 3.

Game: Resident Evil: Revelations 2 – Episode 3
Consoles: PC, Xbox One (Reviewed), PS4, Xbox 360, PS3, PS Vita
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom

Claire, Moira, Barry and Natalia have been through hell and back. They’ve had to keep their composure as they venture through the worst horrors imaginable on a dangerous island. We have now arrived at the 3rd chapter for the episodic series that is Resident Evil: Revelations 2. Claire and Moira head into their part of this new installment with something new to contend with – actual puzzle scenarios. Both of these tough ladies find themselves in a situation ripped straight from the original Resident Evil and a tense stroll through laser beams. The presence of minor brain teasers is a welcome change that keeps your experience fresh.

Along with the addition of puzzles comes a host of more heart racing encounters. Claire and Moira run into situations that throw more enemies than usual their way. In one instance, they are forced to escape a huge room that’s nearing its end. This timed event and its final moments will raise your blood pressure, but keep you enthralled due to its co-op mechanics. After making your way through this ordeal, you’ll eventually run into the biggest boss this game has sported thus far. The methods needed to down this transformed creature is simple to discover, but it takes a long time to bring it to its knees. This boss encounter is entertaining, but you’ll die several times before you see its end. This section may prove to be an annoyance for some.

Once you’ve helped Claire and Moira reach their 3rd chapter conclusion, you’ll take on the reigns of Barry and Natalia once again. Like before, you’ll make your way through a repeated portion of Claire and Moira’s settings. This isn’t a bad thing this time though, as the use of a fresh co-op ordeal makes this backtracking segment enjoyable. There’s a horde of baddies to contend with, but the new weapons thrown your way helps even the odds. Once outside of the dingy tunnels, Barry and Natalia must make their way up with the use of a battery for a massive elevator. Another fresh puzzle sequence follows that involves the use of conveyor belts and switches.

As any Resident Evil fan should know, making your way to your final goal won’t be such a simple task. There’s an uber powerful creature that makes this section more of a headache than anything else. Dealing with this afflicted creature is a tough task, but its use of cheap one-hit kills can prove infuriating. At the end of it all though, a bunch of shocking revelations do come to pass. A familiar enemy’s last name pops up, a trusted comrade is none other than a turncoat and much more are revealed. This awesome 3rd chapter has us highly anticipating the final chapter in our four comrades’ nightmare.

Bottom Line

With this 3rd episode for Resident Evil: Revelations 2 comes a more intense affair for everyone involved. Claire and Moira’s portion freshens up the formula with brain teasers, but maintains its action packed feel with intense moments. As for Barry and Natalia, their escape from the underground sewer tunnels and their ride to the the top of a safe haven is just as fun. For some players, the major bosses that rear their ugly heads in both campaigns can be quite a chore to vanquish. But you’ll still enjoy your time with this chapter as it heads into the conclusion we’ve all be waiting for.

Score: 8.75/10

Pros:

• Claire and Moira’s section is full of nail biting moments and fresh puzzle segments
• More powerful weapons are available for your growing arsenal
• Barry and Natalia’s section offers an interesting bit of co-op puzzle solving

Cons:

• Claire and Moira’s final boss encounter may prove to challenging for some
• A major enemy present in Barry and Moira’s section is capable of annoying one-hit kills

Buy Resident Evil: Revelations 2 here.

Heavy, Inc. is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon. Our product recommendations are guided solely by our editors. We have no relationship with manufacturers.

Head to the next page for our review of Episode 4.

Game: Resident Evil: Revelations 2 – Episode 4
Consoles: PC, Xbox One (Reviewed), PS4, Xbox 360, PS3, PS Vita
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom

We have finally arrived the final chapter in the fear inducing trials of Claire, Moira, Barry and Natalia. If you’ve made it up until this point, you know the island’s overseer is none other than Alex Wesker. After going through all the trouble to reach her place of hiding, Claire and Moira are thrown into a timed sequence that is full of tension and worry. This portion of their gameplay acts as a final escape sequence, which is carried well by huge explosions, hidden monsters and mini-puzzles that run while you’re on the timer. This harrowing escape in entertaining, but far too short. Having been spoiled by the pair’s longer chapters in past episodes may have spoiled us, but we’re sure all of you would expect a longer last chapter here.

Once Claire and Moira’s storyline wraps up, it’s off to Barry and Natalia’s final predicament. Their chapter starts out well enough, as you run into a co-op situation atop a broken down crane. Figuring out the proper ways to push your characters forward via a movable platform and navigating them all the way to a far off hill is pretty fun. This brain teasing sequence is a calmer change of pace from the last chapter that we appreciated. However, that’s the best part of Barry and Natalia’s final romp through true terror. Afterwards, their chapter gets bogged down by a repeated boss fight, ho-hum cart moving and an overly long last boss. To say this 4th chapter was a bit of a letdown is an understatement. But the endings wrap up everything quite well and give us the teaser for the next game that we’re eager to see.

What makes this entry in the episodic game better than average is its fully unlocked suite of options for Raid Mode. Every character and stage is now available at your disposal, as well as single-player changes like new costumes and film filters. The two extra playable chapters for Moira and Natalia provide some fresh challenges as well. These side stories fills in the gaps for both young women and are nice selections of bonus material to play.

Bottom Line

The final episode of Resident Evil: Revelations 2 starts off a high note, but ends on a low one. Clare and Moira’s chapter is an exciting getaway that ends with an unexpected shock, but it’s short playtime is disappointing. As for Barry and Natalia’s final slog through their dangerous slog through their final area, it pails in comparison to the fun of their past chapters. The whole of this finale is decent at best, but the bonus episodes and mysterious ending will make your play through all worth the trouble.

Score: 7.5/10

Pros:

• Claire & Moira’s chapter is a tense escape sequence
• Cryptic ending gives us hope for another entry in the Revelations series
• Bonus episode offer fresh instances of single-player gameplay

Cons:

• Barry & Natalia’s section falls a bit flat
• Final boss encounter falters and ends the whole series on kind of a lackluster note

Buy Resident Evil: Revelations 2 here.

Heavy, Inc. is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon. Our product recommendations are guided solely by our editors. We have no relationship with manufacturers.

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