Resident Evil: Revelations review (3DS)

Revelations also supports the 3DS Circle Pad Pro, bundled with some copies of the game. This add-on enables a more traditional set of shooter controls: the left pad for moving, the right pad for looking, the left trigger for popping into aim mode, and the right trigger for firing. The extra pad is far from essential for enjoying the game, but those players who can't bring themselves to love Resident Evil's idiosyncratic stop-and-pop action will be more comfortable with these conventional move-and-shoot controls, and the freedom to move the camera is a welcome benefit.

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The biggest novelty is the Genesis device: a nifty handheld scanner that, in aim mode, lets you gathers data on enemy creatures in return for healing herbs and manually sweep rooms for hidden ammo caches. The scarcity of ammunition makes the scanner a valuable tool, not a gameplay gimmick to use once and forget, and nicely complements the resource scavenging that underpins your survival. The weapons, of which you can carry only three at a time, can be modified with powerful, collectable weapon upgrades, adding customisable oomph to the usual set of handguns, shotguns, machine guns, and the rest. Exotica such as rocket launchers and zombie-attracting decoy grenades turn up much less frequently but are special treats when they do.

Though most of the action takes place aboard the abandoned ocean liner, it's a diverse and expansive location. New paths and shortcuts are unlocked as you explore, taking in a grisly kitchen, a gloomy dining room, and a ritzy great hall. Later on there are submerged, swimmable sections to mix things up--first with the time pressure of getting from air pocket to air pocket without drowning, and then with a diving apparatus and underwater shock grenades for aquatic beasties. The environments look great, as do the richly detailed character models, especially those of Jill and the various barbed, bony, or bulging zombie creatures. The visuals are among the finest you'll see on a 3DS, and the 3D itself is also excellent; Revelations in 3D has a subtle, convincing solidity that's easy on the eye.

While the story-based campaign is single-player, the score-attacking Raid mode is optionally two-player co-operative (locally or over the Internet) or single-player. Here, you take on portions of levels from the campaign, sweeping areas clear of enemies as quickly as possible. In arcade fashion, enemies have health bars and shed damage numbers with each bullet hit. This fast, more aggressive companion to the main game is focused on loot drops (in the shape of weapon upgrades) and earning experience points to level up. It's a fun sideshow that's as substantial as the entirety of the similarly score-chasing Resident Evil: The Mercenaries. Where Mercenaries was a meagre thing when packaged as a full game, Raid mode is a great extra to round out the Revelations bundle.

With around 10 hours of action in your first playthrough, Revelations is a sizeable adventure. After you complete it, there's a much tougher difficulty mode and the option to replay with all the gear acquired in your first playthrough. That's a suitably chunky offering, for a portable game or otherwise, from a Resident Evil title that holds its own against any other of recent years, in any format. Resident Evil: Revelations is a thoroughly successful crossbreeding of old-school chills and new-school action.