This has been a great year for Resident Evil. After years of ostracism due to the fan backlash caused by Resident Evil 6 (a personal guilty pleasure of mine, may I add), the series has finally returned to form thanks to the great Resident Evil VII: Biohazard, one fantastic and much needed reboot that actually managed to make a game in the series, widely known for its B-movie plots and over-the-top settings, scary. If that wasn’t good enough already, Capcom has also decided to re-release both games in the Revelations subseries for the Switch, with this first one being an improved remaster of the original title.

Let me remind you that this game is an improved port of a game originally released on the 3DS. Granted, the original Resident Evil: Relevations was probably the best looking game on the 3DS, with its visuals putting most Playstation 2 titles to shame, but you have to be realistic and understand that it won’t look exactly impressive on a beefier console like the Switch, even with the improvements in texturing and the excellent framerate (constant 60fps). On a TV screen that might look dated, but thankfully the game feels right at home when playing the Switch as a handheld, all thanks to how Revelations was designed in the first place.

Unlike other Resident Evil games, Revelations follows a more episodic style of gameplay. No, that doesn’t mean this is a Telltale title. Those episodes act more like levels; instead of the completely open-ended layout of your typical Resident Evil game, each episode has a beginning and an end. It fits perfectly with the Switch, as it becomes a nice pick up and play experience.

Another thing you need to remember is that this is a game released before Resident Evil VII. You know what that means, right? Revelations is cheesy. Not as cheesy as Resident Evil 6, but still very corny in certain parts. This is not exactly a survival horror game, as items aren’t scarce at all. You can use a special scanning item in order to find hidden items in every room, and that usually results in, at the very least, two entire magazines of ammo and a grenade. Revelations is more of a third-person action game featuring hard-to-kill enemies than a full-fledged horror title. If you go in with the right mindset, however, then you’re in for a treat. Not only is the main game entertaining, but its Raid Mode is also a great pastime, as it’s nothing but a co-op horde mode. Are you ok with that? Because I’m ok with that.

Revelations retains some elements from previous games in the franchise: one good and one bad (though charming). The controls are basically what you already know from Resident Evil 4: the classic over-the-shoulder gameplay that influenced pretty much every single third-person shooter released afterwards. It worked back then, and it still works now. The game also features an option to control your aim with the joycon’s motion sensor, and it actually works well. That’s the closest to a House of the Dead game you’ll have on the Switch, so be sure to enjoy it. The bad element retained from previous iterations, not including VII, is the voice acting. Bad voice acting.

This remastered port of Revelations wouldn’t be very exciting for a full-fledged TV console, but it did fit perfectly with the Switch’s portability. It’s an improved portable version of a portable game after all. Its episodic nature and entertaining raid modes, coupled with the game’s very forgiving pricetag, are a perfect fit for the Switch, if you play it as a portable, that is. If you’re looking for a proper survival horror title for the Switch, this isn’t exactly the best choice. If Resident Evil VII turned out to be too serious for you, however, this is a great opportunity to experience a totally cheesy and over-the-top action iteration of the franchise.

Reviewed on Switch.
Also available on: PS3, PS4, PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, 3DS, Wii U.