Review: Resident Evil Revelations Collection

Resident Evil: Revelations is an interesting game to say the least. It was originally released on the 3DS as an exclusive back in 2012 and still has visuals that hold up and gameplay that is great on the handheld. It eventually got ported just about everywhere over the years and the most recent port has been on the Nintendo Switch. We have come full circle with this and it is fascinating seeing how Nintendo’s handhelds have evolved since then. Resident Evil: Revelations 2 on the other hand began as a current and last generation title which was an episodic follow up to Revelations and Resident Evil 5. Since release, it was ported to PlayStation Vita two years ago and has finally landed on the Nintendo Switch.

In North America and Japan, Resident Evil Revelations Collection has both games in a single physical retail release while both games are available separately digitally. In Europe there is no physical release. The catch with the North American and Japanese releases is Revelations 2 is a download code and it is quite a large download. This collection retails for $40 or the regional equivalent digitally on the Nintendo eShop and I’m impressed with both ports and how much care has gone into these releases from Capcom. If this is the level of attention Capcom is going to put into Switch ports, I am optimistic to see the main numbered Resident Evil titles like 4 and 7 on Nintendo’s hybrid console.

Revelations takes place between Resident Evil 4 and 5. The fast paced combat and survival horror aspects remain great and the only thing that isn’t amazing here is how a dated a bit of the gameplay is in the campaign. Thankfully Raid Mode is still in where you can play through story levels in coop. This itself is worth the asking price for me because it plays great on the handheld and is perfect as a pickup and play mode.

Resident Evil: Revelations 2 as a port is more impressive given its current generation roots. This includes all the episodes, DLC (including some of the great costumes), and patches to Revelations 2. Both games allow for online and offline (through local wireless) Raid Mode. Revelations 2 has co op in the campaign but it is unfortunately limited to offline split screen only. Given that this is the 3rd port since release, I was hoping this mode could be played online.

With these late Switch ports of current and last generation games, it is always fascinating seeing how enhancements are made to use the Switch hardware. In some cases developers just take the easy way out and do nothing extra but in cases like the Revelations Collection, the end result impresses me. The Joy-Con motion control is amazing. Not only does it feel great in game but the control scheme fits this style of gameplay perfectly. Motion control works just like it does in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild if you’d like it that way as well. HD Rumble is also used well both to replace regular vibration and to alert you to certain things.

On the visual side of things, Revelations fairs a lot better than its sequel. Of course this originally began as a 3DS game so having smooth performance and crisp visuals isn’t really surprising. Revelations 2 on the other hand has a few frame rate hiccups when it gets packed but the big offender is the load times. The load times took me back to GTA V on PS3. The image quality on the other hand was impressive in both docked and handheld modes. Coming off playing both of them on the Vita and 3DS, the Switch version is an upgrade in every way.

Overall these are two very good ports of great games. The asking price also isn’t high but the only thing you need to worry about with the Revelations Collection is download size. You’re looking at around 40GB needed for both games together and that will need an SD card. If you do buy third party AAA games on the Switch, you probably already have one. I’ve run out of space on my 128GB card often this month with L.A. Noire, DOOM, and now Resident Evil Revelations. I would like the load times to be improved in future patches for Revelations 2. If you’re a fan of these games and want to replay them on the go or just on the Switch, Capcom has done a great job here with the use of Switch hardware.

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