"Resident Evil Revelations 2 stays strong, but it’s second installment is most certainly the more divisive of the two."
Resident Evil Revelations 2- Episode 2 REVIEW
Written by Tyler Pederson
Revelations 2 started off incredibly strong in my opinion. The first episode encapsulated the best of the combat, atmosphere, and puzzle oriented nature of the series past entries into a well rounded opening chapter. Episode two brings us to the mid-way point in the season, and along with a couple of new enemy types, brings with it a slightly less focused entry with a particularly unnecessary difficulty spike tossed in for good measure.
Once again the episode is divided into two parts. First playing as Claire and later Barry, you’ll explore entirely different areas than the last time, but like the first episode, essentially the same environments in both halves of the adventure. The game definitely ups the ante plot wise, and I’d argue that speaking strictly on that side of things this chapter is far stronger. That said however, between a confused opening and closing curve ball, the game play suffers from being significantly less enjoyable this time around.
Without diving into specifics to avoid spoilers, the episode opens with a particular throwback. You’d do well to recall this throwback in it’s entirety however, because if you assume incorrectly, it could mean a very early bout with frustration. This is thankfully made up for a bit with an encounter that is, if nothing else, memorable. Additionally, during the section with Barry, you’ll encounter an invisible enemy type that requires the partner character to tackle effectively. It’s not a bad idea, but I found it’s implementation and immediate fail state a little less than enjoyable. It does however have the most horrifying kill animation of anything I've seen in ages.
Raid Mode has also seen a bit of added content, including two new characters. You also get access to somewhere around 50 new levels in Raid Mode proper, each with escalating difficulty tiers like before. Having had a weeks time with the mode now, I can definitely that It’s quite enjoyable. The music and style of game play shifts to a fast paced and action heavy one, but none the less, because of the solid base mechanics it all translates quite well. The down side thus far is the plethora of characters. Each are leveled individually, so while I have a super powered Claire Redfield ready to kick ass and take names, anyone else in the roster can’t compete without replaying all the levels already tackled as Claire. It’s there for those who want more time with the mode, but at time of writing we have somewhere around 9, and it’s only growing from there.
Overall, Resident Evil Revelations 2 stays strong, but it’s second installment is most certainly the more divisive of the two. I don’t have any major issues with it, but where the first chapter was so perfectly well rounded and felt like a consistent ramp of difficulty, this installment is less consistent, and it’s starting to show that the choice to release the episodes separately may have been made after the fact, rather than developed with the time-gap in mind. While the plot has really begun to progress, the game play has moved in a more frustrating direction, leaving me with mixed feelings after the credits rolled. I’m still very much looking forward to the rest of the season, but have turned down my expectations just a bit from the high bar set out of the gate.
Resident Evil Revelations 2 Episode 2 gets an 8/10.