By Omar (@siegarettes)

Resident Evil Revelations 2 is a mess. Not an interesting mess born of risk taking and failed execution, but one that feels as if it was created backwards. As if it took ideas and worked in reverse to justify them within the framework, instead of building a framework around them. 

This is a game that cribs both from the series’ history and outside games without understanding anything about what made those elements work. I’m going to run them down, but let’s start with the big ones: co-op and episodic structure:

An episodic structure works best with a story that both fits as a larger piece and contains its own fulfilling dramatic arc. While it is to be seen whether it fits well into a larger picture, I can already tell you its fails to feel compelling on its own. The first episode feels less like a compelling pilot, and more like an incomplete story. This also compounds other problems in the game, such as the upgrade system (more on that later). 

Co-op suffers from the same shortsightedness. It feels like a late production addition, with the second player doing little but providing support. Moira is crippled by an inability to use a gun and can simply stun an enemy, or follow up an attack. Natalia can well…point to stuff. I’m being reductive, but when a second player’s main functions can be boiled down to “point things out” and “get me out of a hold” that doesn’t sound like an interesting use of co-operative play. 

The game is riddled with design decisions like these. The spaces aren’t large enough to require you to the do the exploration and scavenging that would make crafting and obtaining upgrades rewarding (the episodic structure further devalues it). The generic third person shooter controls fail to take into account what made combat in previous games tense, complete with a crouch button that is wholly unnecessary in the context of the game. To complement that, there’s a dodge button that feels more like a compromise for your lack of options than an integral part of the game. (There’s also an upgrade that decreases your chance of getting hit when you use it. What?) Your good old “strawberry jam smear” marker for damage shows up to obstruct your view where a simple limping animation and slowed walk speed would suffice. That’s compounded when you put into a bleeding state, which further obscures your vision with what looks like stock photo blood splatter.

The puzzles involve things such as getting a gear in plain sight, or lifting up a partner so they can go around and point out a ladder in another room that’s already down (seriously). A lockpicking minigame with poor player feedback is triggered when you try to open certain boxes, whether it’s by crowbar or by tiny hand. There’s a distracting and inconsistent fade to black upon opening doors (likely to mask your moving your AI partner behind you or the like) that distracts from the tension. There’s a tacked on stealth kill mechanic that you’ll likely never use outside the first time, and the experience points system adds unlocks situational nonsense like “do more damage while crouching” or “the first shot after you switch weapons does more damage”. Notes left around the compound are written with an amateur hand, lacking both character and dramatic flair.

Jumping off on that, there are numerous quotes and tidbits from author Franz Kafka, both during interludes and within the game, most notably The Trial. Kafka’s work frequently explored a sense of absurd horror, feeling almost existential. The Trial notably is about a man put on trial for a crime that neither him nor the audience is privy to. Resident Evil Revelations 2 references his work without the slightest understanding of it, attempting to tie it to its vague overarching theme to it as if quoting it will elevate the game to a similar level. It has a college freshman’s understanding of themes, philosophy and concepts, cribbing from it in an attempt at “cool”.

Alongside that Resident Evil Revelations 2 shows up with played out horror tropes abound (something RJ touched on in his overview). A drab, dreary prison, populated with uninspired zombie designs, splattered with blood and caked in rust. It doesn’t know when to hold back on viscera, nor how to take advantage of it. There’s too much, too fast. There’s no build up. There’s also some vague hints of a violent sadist toying with the characters. When used effectively the trope can add a sense of desperation, mystery and urgency (see: 999, Dangan Ronpa) but here it’s a half baked justification to get the characters to a location. Moira even points out the absurdity of the situation exclaiming “Who the fuck is reciting poetry?” as the villainess  dramatically reads some lines.

Moira herself feels out of place. Her dialogue, clothing and demeanor feel more at place in something like Life is Strange than a horror game, particularly this one. Her dialogue is full of gems such as “Well fuck that place very much” or “Fuck you Hollywood, that wasn’t even close to easy” when she jumps across a gap on a rotting bridge. Basically, her personality boils down to saying “fuck this” every once in a while and making snarky comments about her dad. And Natalia? Well she doesn’t have a personality aside from “little kid”. 

Around its last quarter, however, Resident Evil Revelations 2 does take a step out of dumbfounding mediocrity. There are a few moments controlling Natalia that threaten to be interesting, at least showing that there is a space to explore the sense of vulnerability and caution she introduces. A trip outside the compound and through the forest introduces a shallow field of view with multiple vectors of approach for a new enemy (stealing liberally from RE4’s Doc Salvador and RE5’s Ouroboros ) whose tell-tale sound keeps you on edge during approach. The new enemy even requires different tactics, shooting body parts until its weakspot is revealed. There’s nothing beyond competent here, but it remains the most effective part of the episode. If anything, it proves that there’s nothing wrong with the combination of ideas its trying here, the developers simply don’t have an idea of how to put them together.