Capcom's approach to the release of Resident Evil Revelations 2 is a new one for the series, as it takes an episodic form with new installments weekly. Since the wait between episodes is short, much like a TV show, we decided to provide weekly impressions, leading up to one official review and score. Our review will hit on the release day of the final episode: March 17. The following impressions are to give you an idea of how we think the experience is shaping up week to week.
Resident Evil Revelations 2: Episode 3 - Judgment
Whether it's uncovering the mysteries of the island or our heroes' disturbing pasts, Resident Evil: Revelations 2 has been doing some interesting foreshadowing. The third episode, Judgment, is where the story heats up, getting you closer to the villain and uncovering how demented this island experiment really is. Judgment doubles down on the previous episode's reveals, making it the best narrative so far. Unfortunately, the gameplay doesn't hold the same excitement. The action is slowed down, with tedious puzzles and activities before you can dive into the more thrilling content.
For how much I enjoyed this chapter's narrative progression, it doesn't get off to a great start. Veteran Claire sees a note and instead of being skeptical, she decides to dart to an abandoned factory. Even rookie Moira has the sense to question it, which makes the transition a little jarring. The meat factory is as disturbing as you'd expect. Here the ladies trudge through pools of blood and past butchered meat hanging from the rafters. Both characters discussing their dismay with the smell and horrific sights did a good job of giving me the heebie jeebies.
The scenery is great, but other elements of the episode are tedious. Some of the puzzles reminded me of past games, like Code Veronica, where players must remove an object and quickly replace it with another or be punished. You also get locked in a room to carefully follow footsteps that can only be seen with a flashlight. While that's simple enough, any sudden movement when following these footsteps causes lasers to target and kill you. That means you must walk extremely slowly; this isn't an inventive or exciting sequence - just another mundane task you must complete. In another sequence, you're using various conveyor belts to move a power supply around. None of these puzzles are difficult, but they take time and feel dated. They weren't particularly fun years ago, and that goes double now. These chores slow the whole episode down, which is a shame considering how much action the previous episode had.
Judgment isn't devoid of excitement, though. It does have some shining moments, including an intense escape sequence. During this trial, you swap between Claire and Moira to take out obstacles for each other. Having them separated definitely made me feel more vulnerable - especially since Moira's crowbar isn't as effective as Claire's guns. Barry and Natalia have a similar co-op situation, where Natalia must rush ahead to open gates for Barry. I felt uneasy playing as Natalia, since she can barely fend for herself and you never know when a zombie will get a second wind.
This episode does a good job of making you feel trapped and helpless; finding the wits to survive is a rush. It also has memorable boss fights with gratifying solutions, but I won't spoil them. Also, remember to be patient. If something seems too risky, it probably is; the developers toy with you in some cases. This can cause frustration, but I liked being forced to second-guess certain circumstances. For instance, one puzzle seemed like it came down to luck by picking the correct door. However, after searching around, I found a way to solve it without resorting to trial-and-error.
This episode pushes the story forward to a new and thrilling place. I'm constantly intrigued and every reveal amps the excitement. Judgment brings interesting dilemmas to each character. Moira memorably confronts her past, Barry tries to come to terms with his shortcomings, and Claire finally lets her guard down. Natalia continues to become more interesting, but her motives are still shadowy; guessing where her character is going is part of the fun.
Episode three didn't have as many heart-pumping events, but what it offers in story is fantastic. Revelations 2 still has its hooks in me, and I just hope it all leads up to an interesting place, because everything I've seen so far leaves me anticipating one hell of a finale.
Check out our impressions for the first and second episodes on the next pages...