Resident Evil Revelations 2

Resident Evil Revelations 2 follows on from the first Revelations and, like it, returns to the slower, more exploration-focused pace of survival horror after the main numbered series had leaned toward pure action. The game was released episodically – four episodes released weekly, followed later by a complete package containing all episodes at once – and follows two pairs of characters: Claire Redfield and Moira Burton, trapped in a mysterious island facility, and, a little later, Barry Burton, who is searching for his daughter Moira on the same island six months later.

A key element is the asymmetrical cooperation between the two characters in each pair – one has weapons, the other serves more as support with a flashlight, unlocking locks, or detecting invisible enemies, which sets the game apart from the classic scheme of two equal heroes with the same equipment and the same role in combat. The game supports co-op for a second player, as well as offline play where the second character is controlled by AI, and it blends enclosed horror locations of the prison with short outdoor sections featuring survival and crafting elements. After completing the story, the popular side mode Raid Mode also awaits, in which players clear smaller arenas and collect weapon and ability upgrades outside the main storyline, similar to the first Revelations.

Revelations 2 thus returned closer to the atmosphere and pace that fans of the main series had missed after the more action-oriented entries, without being a nostalgic remake – it is a new, standalone chapter with its own story and episodic release structure, which also differs from the numbered entries of the series in the pacing of its plot reveals.

Why play it: Revelations 2 is for fans of the series' more classic survival horror who will appreciate the slower pace and asymmetrical cooperation, as well as for those who want to experience Claire and Moira's story in a confined prison setting full of experiments, with its own episodic narrative structure.