what an endearing game! the roughness of its movement, a sublimely dreadful atmosphere, its unforgiving combat and puzzles. The Evil Within (TEW) seriously has the fixings for a fantastic survival horror game. a survival horror og, shinji mikami (Resident Evil (1996), Resident Evil (2002), AND Resident Evil 4) thought that the grime and dream logic of Silent Hill looked cool but also reminisced about RE4's action but then also thought TLOU's basic ass stealth would be a neat addition. thats TEW almost summed up. You move between locations that are impossible to connect in reality: a disgusting tiled mental hospital basement to a lakeside village, all while youre pulled into liminal industrial rooms at a moment's notice. TEW wants to let you know it's in control and youre a little worm writhing in its hands.
best to fight back then. the gameplay is one of tew's strengths. you're constantly on a fight for resources. this game is a glimpse into a frugalist's life. constantly on zero ammo for one or two weapons, all while keeping an eye out for lifesaving heals and ammo-saving matches. i was never fully out of ammo but i felt as if i was and thats how it should be in a game where its horrifying tensity stems from the gameplay just as much as its visuals and audio. gunplay is damn close to satisfying too. the audio isn't incredible nor is it terrible, it's alright for the most part but the visual feedback is cathartic. especially with headshots, it's almost on the level of Left 4 Dead with how you can shoot holes or chunks out of the heads of enemies. making me invested into blowing the heads off these dudes through the visceral gunplay is great since the enemies are ruthless. when youre grabbed, stunned, or knocked to the ground, you are STILL vulnerable to enemy attacks. i dont think i have to explain how brutal that is. ive died so many times at certain parts because of this and grew strong disdain for those enemies repeatedly killing me. though that doesn't mean the game isn't respectful of the player. most of the time when i considered unorthodox methods of attacking enemies, the game obliged and it felt rewarding. here's an example: you can throw bottles to stagger enemies when the bottle is only shown as a way to lure enemies with sound. also, like RE4, you can trip running enemies by shooting their leg or shoot the lit dynamite in an enemy's hand to make it explode. there's also boss fight where lit lanterns hang above where the boss runs which you can shoot for extra damage if it lands on the boss!! these give the impression of a detail-oriented game where serious thought and love were exerted into its design. stealth is also an option but like what its seemingly inspired by, its very simple. the stealth is tlou stealth. enemy sees you, they attack. enemy doesnt see you, you crouch by them or silently stab their head with the "stealth only knife." seriously it bugs me that the knife is only for stealth kills, the melee button is essentially a shove button. the stealth mechanic doesnt feel refined but it also isnt half assed, it just exists as a tool in a toolbox. this is disappointing but not as glaring of an issue like in tlou where the stealth is barebones to the point of making me rather cave in a survivor's head because i could not stand sneaking for 1 more second. on the other hand of the gameplay, puzzles are pretty good. honestly, the can get as good as the survival horror classics. most of them are never too obtuse to solve but also not too easy to make my eyes roll. there is one instance where the puzzle was practically on autopilot (the fuses elevator), but it's pretty excusable since it's there to basically start a boss fight. the level design, however, is close to what AAA games were and almost still are. long hallways with set dressing. it's not as bad as tlou or gow (2018) or uncharted, it's definitely more open and free. having just finished dead space 2 recently, tew feels close to home for my resident evil (2002) fanboy mind. tew has a lot of hallways and a considerable amount of scripted moments where you have to run in one direction, but it also has instances of exploring decrepit buildings or approaching an arena at the player's own discretion. it's nice, made me feel smart when i executed a plan or scared when i went through a location i had no idea was the right way. so if there's anything bad about the gameplay, it'd be either the movement or boss fights. the movement is going to be divisive i think. it feels janky, the inputs are relevant to where sebastian, the playable character, is facing. this can lead to frustration among some players as ive died to it a couple of times. then again, theres a reason i dont fully hate it. it may be unintentional, but i do have a soft spot for it because it's an added layer of tensity similar to the tank controls of classic survival horror games. the bosses are more glaring of a nitpick to me. some of them are straight up easy, while others are great puzzles. laura's fight is a good one, learning how to use the environment to kill her is fun and tense. heresy's boss fight is kinda lame since all you do is unload bullets into it and hope to not die to its worms or the enemies between phases. the final boss fight may be the worst, i had saved magnum ammo for it but to not spoil anything let me just say i was disappointed afterward.
aside from jank and nitpicks, the story is what i think disappoints most people. it's the definition of dream logic. a stew of memories and fantastical illusions portrayed to be believed as reality. to call it convoluted is almost insulting because of its negative connotation but admittedly justified. i cannot tell you what certainly happened. i have an idea, a pseudo-gist, a picture drawn by a toddler of what happened in this game's story. there are some concrete points such as the beginning, but there are many more instances of confusion held together by intrigue and presentation. the note pickups help to keep me invested and sometimes even gain a believable understanding of what was happening. but even then, a second playthrough or a wikipedia dive is warranted to truly understand what this game is about. thematically i assume it's about guilt and vengeance but the plotline and some characters make me think otherwise. i respect the crypticness, its refusal of spoonfeeding story. however, when it becomes this mysterious, this deep into the ocean of dreams, where a lot of things are illogical and eliciting what looks like has meaning but doesn't is when the mystery can become unfruitful and disatisfying. at least you get the sense of progression through upgrading your weapons and stats. now that isn't to say i hated the story, i actually liked it but only wished i could understand what it was trying to accomplish. the characters are pretty good, in a way they remind me of resident evil. maybe it's their line deliveries, but it's certainly their camaraderie and dedication to good or evil. take the raimi b-movie jank but filter it through the fat wallet of a publisher like bethesda is a way of describing it. oh man id love for bruce campbell to voice a character in a survival horror game in the vein of resident evil. the man is art incarnate: passion to the craft.
tew is dated visually, textures pop in and of course have low resolutions by today's standards. however, it is a visual feast. the art direction is impeccable. sinew, flesh, and blood adorn the walls of abandoned medical facilities, industrial zones, subways, cityscapes, and once-idyllic countryside villages. Even when otherworldly viscera isn't glued to surfaces, the game has a sense of grit and despair emanating from its walls. enemies growl and gurgle, winds taunt you, the soundtrack makes sure to let you know youre in a world of hurt. not sure if its worth going into depth as much in this section since the gameplay is what i loved most, but i will add that the enemy designs are fantastic. kudos to art and sound teams!!
overall its a lovely trip of horror for the senses. youve got nail-biting gameplay and atmosphere hampered by a near lame story. its ambition weighs down its accomplishments but its passion and dread wills me to not rate it lower than a 3.5 while tempting me to give it a 4. there's certainly better games out there, resident evil and silent hill are obvious contenders, but it also seems hard to find a game that's like the evil within. it's clunky and fogs up its intent, but its violent combat and enigma of a story charmed me into seeing the whole thing through. its got the influence from the classics but the bombastic exaggeration of story beats found in blockbuster titles. the og horror atmosphere with a modern twist in plot and certain gameplay elements (simple stealth and a skill tree). tew2 from what i hear is amazing and an overall improvement so i cant wait to get into that. though playing the first game already shows promise into the world and mythos of the evil within so even if there was no sequel i would have been happy with playing it and still disappointed by its shortcomings.
best to fight back then. the gameplay is one of tew's strengths. you're constantly on a fight for resources. this game is a glimpse into a frugalist's life. constantly on zero ammo for one or two weapons, all while keeping an eye out for lifesaving heals and ammo-saving matches. i was never fully out of ammo but i felt as if i was and thats how it should be in a game where its horrifying tensity stems from the gameplay just as much as its visuals and audio. gunplay is damn close to satisfying too. the audio isn't incredible nor is it terrible, it's alright for the most part but the visual feedback is cathartic. especially with headshots, it's almost on the level of Left 4 Dead with how you can shoot holes or chunks out of the heads of enemies. making me invested into blowing the heads off these dudes through the visceral gunplay is great since the enemies are ruthless. when youre grabbed, stunned, or knocked to the ground, you are STILL vulnerable to enemy attacks. i dont think i have to explain how brutal that is. ive died so many times at certain parts because of this and grew strong disdain for those enemies repeatedly killing me. though that doesn't mean the game isn't respectful of the player. most of the time when i considered unorthodox methods of attacking enemies, the game obliged and it felt rewarding. here's an example: you can throw bottles to stagger enemies when the bottle is only shown as a way to lure enemies with sound. also, like RE4, you can trip running enemies by shooting their leg or shoot the lit dynamite in an enemy's hand to make it explode. there's also boss fight where lit lanterns hang above where the boss runs which you can shoot for extra damage if it lands on the boss!! these give the impression of a detail-oriented game where serious thought and love were exerted into its design. stealth is also an option but like what its seemingly inspired by, its very simple. the stealth is tlou stealth. enemy sees you, they attack. enemy doesnt see you, you crouch by them or silently stab their head with the "stealth only knife." seriously it bugs me that the knife is only for stealth kills, the melee button is essentially a shove button. the stealth mechanic doesnt feel refined but it also isnt half assed, it just exists as a tool in a toolbox. this is disappointing but not as glaring of an issue like in tlou where the stealth is barebones to the point of making me rather cave in a survivor's head because i could not stand sneaking for 1 more second. on the other hand of the gameplay, puzzles are pretty good. honestly, the can get as good as the survival horror classics. most of them are never too obtuse to solve but also not too easy to make my eyes roll. there is one instance where the puzzle was practically on autopilot (the fuses elevator), but it's pretty excusable since it's there to basically start a boss fight. the level design, however, is close to what AAA games were and almost still are. long hallways with set dressing. it's not as bad as tlou or gow (2018) or uncharted, it's definitely more open and free. having just finished dead space 2 recently, tew feels close to home for my resident evil (2002) fanboy mind. tew has a lot of hallways and a considerable amount of scripted moments where you have to run in one direction, but it also has instances of exploring decrepit buildings or approaching an arena at the player's own discretion. it's nice, made me feel smart when i executed a plan or scared when i went through a location i had no idea was the right way. so if there's anything bad about the gameplay, it'd be either the movement or boss fights. the movement is going to be divisive i think. it feels janky, the inputs are relevant to where sebastian, the playable character, is facing. this can lead to frustration among some players as ive died to it a couple of times. then again, theres a reason i dont fully hate it. it may be unintentional, but i do have a soft spot for it because it's an added layer of tensity similar to the tank controls of classic survival horror games. the bosses are more glaring of a nitpick to me. some of them are straight up easy, while others are great puzzles. laura's fight is a good one, learning how to use the environment to kill her is fun and tense. heresy's boss fight is kinda lame since all you do is unload bullets into it and hope to not die to its worms or the enemies between phases. the final boss fight may be the worst, i had saved magnum ammo for it but to not spoil anything let me just say i was disappointed afterward.
aside from jank and nitpicks, the story is what i think disappoints most people. it's the definition of dream logic. a stew of memories and fantastical illusions portrayed to be believed as reality. to call it convoluted is almost insulting because of its negative connotation but admittedly justified. i cannot tell you what certainly happened. i have an idea, a pseudo-gist, a picture drawn by a toddler of what happened in this game's story. there are some concrete points such as the beginning, but there are many more instances of confusion held together by intrigue and presentation. the note pickups help to keep me invested and sometimes even gain a believable understanding of what was happening. but even then, a second playthrough or a wikipedia dive is warranted to truly understand what this game is about. thematically i assume it's about guilt and vengeance but the plotline and some characters make me think otherwise. i respect the crypticness, its refusal of spoonfeeding story. however, when it becomes this mysterious, this deep into the ocean of dreams, where a lot of things are illogical and eliciting what looks like has meaning but doesn't is when the mystery can become unfruitful and disatisfying. at least you get the sense of progression through upgrading your weapons and stats. now that isn't to say i hated the story, i actually liked it but only wished i could understand what it was trying to accomplish. the characters are pretty good, in a way they remind me of resident evil. maybe it's their line deliveries, but it's certainly their camaraderie and dedication to good or evil. take the raimi b-movie jank but filter it through the fat wallet of a publisher like bethesda is a way of describing it. oh man id love for bruce campbell to voice a character in a survival horror game in the vein of resident evil. the man is art incarnate: passion to the craft.
tew is dated visually, textures pop in and of course have low resolutions by today's standards. however, it is a visual feast. the art direction is impeccable. sinew, flesh, and blood adorn the walls of abandoned medical facilities, industrial zones, subways, cityscapes, and once-idyllic countryside villages. Even when otherworldly viscera isn't glued to surfaces, the game has a sense of grit and despair emanating from its walls. enemies growl and gurgle, winds taunt you, the soundtrack makes sure to let you know youre in a world of hurt. not sure if its worth going into depth as much in this section since the gameplay is what i loved most, but i will add that the enemy designs are fantastic. kudos to art and sound teams!!
overall its a lovely trip of horror for the senses. youve got nail-biting gameplay and atmosphere hampered by a near lame story. its ambition weighs down its accomplishments but its passion and dread wills me to not rate it lower than a 3.5 while tempting me to give it a 4. there's certainly better games out there, resident evil and silent hill are obvious contenders, but it also seems hard to find a game that's like the evil within. it's clunky and fogs up its intent, but its violent combat and enigma of a story charmed me into seeing the whole thing through. its got the influence from the classics but the bombastic exaggeration of story beats found in blockbuster titles. the og horror atmosphere with a modern twist in plot and certain gameplay elements (simple stealth and a skill tree). tew2 from what i hear is amazing and an overall improvement so i cant wait to get into that. though playing the first game already shows promise into the world and mythos of the evil within so even if there was no sequel i would have been happy with playing it and still disappointed by its shortcomings.