Resident Evil Revelations Demo Impressions

Today Nintendo released the demo for their highly anticipated new 3DS exclusive, Resident Evil Revelations. If you remember back when Nintendo released a video reel of upcoming games for the 3DS, RER was the one that really made our jaws drop (RER can be seen at 1:18). The graphics blew us away.

Now that I've gotten my hands on the demo itself, I shall give my impressions on the game. Did the graphics live up to the video? How are the controls? These questions and more will be answered below.

It should be noted that before I talk about the game at all, Nintendo has put a play limit on how many times you can launch the RER demo. The game will launch a total of 30 times, then I assume it'll just be locked out. This isn't really a big deal because I don't plan on playing a demo 30 times. Usually after the third or fourth time I have a general idea if I want to buy the game or not. I don't have any gripes about this at all, but I thought it should be disclosed anyway.

Not a big deal, but if you can't decide if you want it after 30 tries...

Onto the game! This isn't the first Resident Evil game to be released on the 3DS. If you recall, RE Mercenaries came out last year to some mixed reviews. Even though development of RER began before REM, Capcom has stated that REM was really to test the graphics of the 3DS and learn the architecture of the system better.

Which brings us to one of the most impressive aspects, the graphics. They are amazing! I was really blown away by what my little 3DS was showing me. It is incredible. I did some research and the tech engine that Capcom is using is a revision of the MT Framework graphics engine. This engine was used in an earlier Capcom game, Lost Planet 2. Let that sink in for a moment.

Jun Takeuchi, head of technical research and development at Capcom, said:

"The images since the game's E3 unveiling have all been real time rendered on the 3DS development hardware. It seems as though people didn't believe us at first, but we'd like you to know that the 3DS is capable of this level of expressive power."

This fact that the 3DS is able to produce such amazing visuals makes me giddy for what developers might bring us in the future.

The 3d is just as great. Walking through a mist covered dining room was made all the creepier because of the effect. But if you don't like playing with the 3d, then good news! Certain aspects, such as anti-aliasing, are disabled when the 3d is turned on. Meaning, you'll get an even better picture (slightly, but it is there) if you choose to play 3d-less.

The sound is another major plus. The music especially shocked me. I guess it's just because I've been playing GameBoys for almost 15 years now, but hearing an orchestrated score was... wow... I was so impressed. Not just because it was orchestrated, but how clear it was. Usually little speakers like these muffle the full range of sound, but not here. And having such clear sound only added to the spooky atmosphere of the game. Major thumbs up!

But looking and sounding great is cool and all, but how does it play? Well there are two major styles of play: with the Circle Pad Pro and without. Obviously, because it hasn't been released yet, I didn't play with the Circle Pad Pro and therefore cannot give you a thumbs up or down on whether it works or not (I will review the CPP once it is released). To move you use the main circle pad, firing your equipped weapon consists of holding R and pressing Y, secondary is R and X and the majority of everything else takes place on the touch screen. Because your HUD and inventory take place on the second screen, the top screen gives a very cinematic experience. I liked this a lot and it happens to be one of the main reasons why I'm pumped for the Wii U later this year.

Having the inventory open at all times makes performing quick actions, like changing weapons, extremely easy.

Aside from your inventory, the bottom screen is used to solve puzzles. The first one I encountered was as soon as I woke up. I attempted to leave the room but the door was electronically locked. I needed to find a screwdriver to open the panel and force the door open. After scouring the room, I locate one at the bottom of the bathtub. When I returned to the door, I unscrewed the panel and had to rewire the circuits. It was smooth and the overall mechanics of the puzzle worked great. I'm looking forward to what other puzzles are in the game.

Dammit! I don't have a Phillips stylus!

As the demo was ending I ran into my partner, Parker. From what other journalists have been saying, RER will have you teamed up with a partner most of the time. Thankfully, Capcom has fixed the AI so your partner won't be a bumbling meat-target who takes all your herbs like in RE 5.

Overall, the demo was short, but so sweet. It gave a fantastic glimpse of what we can expect next month when RER is officially released. Go to the Nintendo eShop and check out the demo for yourself!