Revelations and Revelations 2 in particular are outliers of the series. The first game was released in-between 5 and 6, and strangely enough isn’t too similar to either of those titles. Originally built for mobile platforms, Revelations plays more like Resident Evil 4 than anything else; it’s got some clunky mechanics, somewhat tanky controls and an utterly silly storyline – but also focuses more on tense atmosphere and exploration than 5 ever did. Due to players finding less ammo all in all, gameplay quickly transforms from that of a shooter into a survival game of sorts, where you have portion your supplies properly for you to be able to take the world’s challenges on. Although limited in scope and exposition, Revelations was more than a sold entry to the series, as well as being a quirky mobile offshoot for those who wanted something different than, say, Africa and weren’t all that happy with the direction the series was undertaking.
The meat of the game, interestingly, for the first time did not lie in its story mode, but in a specialized challenge mode where players hoarded weaponry, items and ammunition to take on small, segregated levels where a specific goal is designated. Here, enemies were separated by levels, as well as your equipment, and Revelations played almost like a proper RPG at times. Thematically questionable, this addition was a game-changer for Revelations and solidified its place in the history of Resident Evil.
A couple of months after its original release on mobile platforms, Revelations was also released on consoles and PC, where it enjoyed a significant following as well. Despite being a straight, poorly optimized port, its bite-sized content offerings resonated with players, which got Capcom thinking about the future of the franchise in terms of this unassuming subsidiary.
Fast-forward a couple of years and we’re nearing the release of Revelations 2. This was looking to be a troubled release because Capcom was taking chances with the series once more. Instead of releasing the entirety of the game immediately, Capcom chose to go episodic with Revelations 2, to the dismay of fans everywhere. I’ll be the first to admit that I doubted this approach would work, yet somehow, everything fell into place. Having reviewed each chapter myself, I can attest to the numerous technical issues the game had upon release. Awful performance, bugs – you name it, chances are, Revelations 2 suffered from it. Thankfully, this all got fixed after the last episode was released, making the game a highly enjoyable romp through a surprisingly large amount of content.
Indeed, whereas Revelations was limited to a single environ, its successor pulled no punches by featuring forests, dilapitated cities, military complexes and a whole lot more. The protagonists were now Barry and Claire, as well as their respective companions, and the game was as fresh as this ancient franchise could possibly offer at that point. Building upon the foundations of both its direct predecessor as well as the original games in the series, Revelations 2 features so much stuff to do it’s not even funny. The storyline itself will easily take you 18-20 hours to wrap it all up on the lowest difficulty, and is still very tense despite the relative ease with which you may well finish it. Ammo is very scarce, bosses are terrifying and the enemies resemble the worst nightmares you may well have from time to time. Better yet, due to the episodic release, the game reached a very wide audience since it was featured on numerous game review sites a couple of weeks in row – including MNJ!
Whereas the campaign definitely was the star of the show upon release, the upgraded and improved Raid mode is where you’ll find the majority of the content, though. Following the philosophy displayed in Revelations, Revelations 2 features hundreds upon hundreds of different levels from virtually all major releases in the series’ history. Here you’ll fight powerful mutants in Africa or even China as you chase high scores and the next loot drop. Truly, Revelations 2 may well offer the most content out of any Resident Evil game ever released, as it’s been keeping people busy up until the day of writing this feature, and will likely do so in the future as well. Capcom holding special events with weapon upgrades and rare drops every once in a while helps as well, and it is my personal opinion that the theoretical Resident Evil 7 should follow this model as well. If you’re yearning for some good ol’ Resident Evil right now – Revelations 2 is your best bet.