The episodic releases of Resident Evil Revelations 2 have come to a close with the delivery of Episode 4: Metamorphosis. After being wowed by the opening three chapters, can Revelations 2 end on even more of a high?
I have to admit to being bowled over by how good Resident Evil Revelations 2 is. After having to endure a torrid time with the recent HD remake of the original Resident Evil, I was somewhat apprehensive about what Capcom could do with Revelations 2. I shouldn’t have been worried though because it’s been a pleasure to play through from the very first minute right up to the very last.
That’s not to say Episode 4 is perfect. It doesn’t quite live up to the highs found in the excellent Episode 3, but is thankfully easily on a par with what came before that. Of course, if you’re one of those who has grabbed the whole series as part of a full retail package, then that is quite possibly the way to go, as I’m still not sure what the staggered episodic releases have proved.
By now we should all be fully up-to-date with the story of Resi veteran Claire Redfield, her friend Moira, fan favourite Barry Burton and the young newcomer, Natalia as they attempt to escape from an island filled with the Afflicted and controlled by the all seeing eye of the Overseer. I’m obviously not going to spoil any storyline in here, but you’ll have to believe me when I say it’s one of the best Resi tales of recent times. Split into the usual Claire/Moira section and followed by the flip side seeing the action from the eyes of Barry and the increasingly disturbed Natalia, Metamorphosis throws the final few rolls of the die superbly, answering the many questions we previously had perfectly.
It is however rather strange to see Claire and Moiras story ending rather quickly. What could initially be drawn out a fair bit, you’ll have this side of things completed in fifteen minutes flat with very little need to put either your shooting or puzzle skills to much of a test. Claire and Moira have only one thing in mind, that of escape from the tower, and it’s all over fairly swiftly.
Thankfully, both Barry and Natalia manage to draw things out a little longer and depending on your shooting skills, dodging skills and heart condition, should find this side of things pushing all other chapters for length. The mutant Afflicted play a massive role in the end of the story (as you’d expect really) and you’ll be needing to stock up on bullets and explosive bottles galore as Barry attempts to shield young Natalia from the horrors ahead of them. After finding out the fate of his daughter, he obviously needs someone new to care for.
Little does he know that Natalia probably doesn’t need shielding!
Metamorphosis brings the whole story to a close well, giving the two storylines the chance to collide with the most awesome of power. Yet again though, if you really want to experience it in the very best of ways, then grab a cooperative friend and play through it together. You’ll become much more emotionally involved and won’t have to put up with the slight hassle involved with the constant character switching. Co-op is also the way to go with the Raid mode and once you’ve completed the full main narration, you should find that Raid brings you many more hours of gameplay, especially if you’re obsessed with 100% completion rates.
If you’re even thinking about checking out Episode 4, then odds are you’ve taken in the vast majority of the story already via the previous chapters. With that in mind, there is no reason to not get involved once again as Resident Evil Revelations 2 finishes on a high.
It has finished hasn’t it?
