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The Evil Within (Video Game Review)

The Evil Within is a new title in a series developed by famed Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami. We first got our hands on the game when we previewed it at this year's E3 (read more on that here). The game gets backs to true survival horror roots and forces players to often choose to run from enemies rather than fighting their way through hordes of enemies that fall to an absurd amount of weapons and ammunition. The game's protagonist is clearly vulnerable throughout the game, and items found throughout the come few and far between. To make matters even worse, these enemies don't die until they've been fallen and burned with matches, which are also a rare item in the game. A few pacing issues in the game's narrative might keep The Evil Within from achieving game of the year nominations, but it's still a really enjoyable game that all fans of horror games should try for themselves.

The story featured in The Evil Within introduces players to police detective Sebastian Castellanos. The aged cop isn't your typical action star stuck inside of a horror game, and players will really feel as though they are fighting tooth and nail for their life throughout the main campaign of The Evil Within. Officer Castellanos finds himself stuck in a living nightmare after a dangerous supernatural force ambushes him and his fellow officers while leaving Castellanos stranded in the middle of a ghost town full of plenty frightening creatures. The narrative featured in The Evil Within is a bit predictable at times and bogs down towards the middle of the campaign, but a strong ending redeems the title and makes it a good storyline for the survival horror genre.

Gameplay in The Evil Within is comparable with the classic Silent Hill and Resident Evil series. Longtime fans of the survival horror genre will be overjoyed with the game's commitment to horror and forcing players to simply outlast the enemy hordes while moving through the main storyline. Enemies are dangerous and don't simply die from being shot in the head a few times. Fallen enemies can get back up and attack players when left long enough. To get around immortal enemies, players only need to light the enemy bodies on fire with matches, but good luck finding the items needed to get rid of enemies for good.



The Evil Within doesn't equip players with tons of weapons to take down enemies. There are a wide range of weapons from melee weapons to pistols and shotguns. The game also introduces a weapon called the Agony Crossbow that uses different types of ammo including freeze bolts and explosive tip arrows, similar to Resident Evil's grenade launcher. Additional arrows can be crafted in the game, but players will need to scavenge ammo, matches and scrap parts to keep a large enough inventory to defend themselves when escape is not an option.

The Evil Within presents puzzles and mini-games for players to explore and uncover while playing through the game as well. The player will need to find a strange goo hidden around levels that can later be used to upgrade the game's main character to gain new abilities such as increased health or quicker reloads. Players have plenty of ways to die in the game including smart enemies that swarm with all sorts of weapons. Players will be tasked with disarming bombs during the game as well in a fun mini-game that helps mix up the gameplay just enough to keep players immersed in the experience without losing any of the induced feelings of horror.

The Evil Within works hard to create a frightening game for players. The title includes plenty of brutal imagery and horrific abominations to fight. Players will feel uneasy while playing through the game, and the scarce resources and hardy enemies makes it nearly impossible not to often run away from encounters rather than blasting away each time an enemy appears. The game also includes varied scenery that seems directly inspired from the Resident Evil series including haunted hospitals, creepy mansions and more. The different environment and variety of enemies keeps players guessing what awaits beyond each door, and makes each chapter of the game feel incredibly unique and fun to play through multiple times. The Evil Within is a tantalizing masterpiece that manages to pack a terrific storyline in between its explicit amount of blood, guts and gore.



Next generation versions of The Evil Within look fantastic. The game plays at a smooth and consistent frame rate across all versions, and the high quality character models are matched with scary environments and fantastic lighting that makes each level even more intense to explore. A solid soundtrack and plenty of creepy sound effects makes the game a truly frightening experience. Good controls and a consistent third-person camera view rounds out a very strong presentation for The Evil Within.

The Evil Within is a terror filled adventure that fans of the survival horror genre can't go without playing. The next generation title has plenty of exciting scares and reduced action sequences that is rarely seen in the industry in 2014. We have been playing The Evil Within for over a week, and it literally made us jump out of our seat while playing, yet the game features exciting gameplay and enough puzzles to make the game more than just a handful of scary situations placed back to back. Shinji Mikami has created another great series for horror fans, and we can't wait to see where The Evil Within storyline goes from here. If you are looking for the scariest, most spine-chilling game this year then look no further then The Evil Within which is now in stores nationwide.

The Evil Within is now available for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 & PC and can be purchased for $59.99. The Evil Within is rated M by the ESRB for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence & Strong Language. For more information on the game, check out the official The Evil Within website.

Game Features:
  • Single Player
  • Developed by Resident Evil Creator Shinji Mikami
  • Survival Horror Goes Next Gen
  • DLC Support
  • Trophy/Achievement Support

Game Information:
Developer: Tango Gameworks
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Platforms: PlayStation 4 (reviewed), PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 & PC
Release Date: October 14, 2014

Score: 9.5 out of 10

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