The Evil Within (PS4) Review

Everything Counts

 Shinji Mikami, creator of the Resident Evil series (back when it used to be scary) and regarded as the father of Survival Horror games, comes The Evil Within, also called Psycho Break in Japan (which sounds cool). Taking gameplay elements from his previous works while introducing new ones, does Mikami and his new development team, Tango Gameworks, succeed in terrifying us?

STORY- Krimson City Police detective Sebastian Castellanos, along with his partners, Juli Kidman and Joesph Oda, are sent to investigate a hospital mass murder scene.
However, things turn for the worse when Sebastian is ambushed by a man wearing a white hood with supernatural abilities named Ruvik. After regaining consciousness, Sebastian escapes from the deranged hospital and must reunite with his colleagues. Throughout the games' chapters, Sebastian is often being followed by Ruvik. The story itself is unpredictable at times and will leave you with questions at the end, though it provides a somewhat good narrative.  

Despite a nonsensical story, Sebastian 
is an interesting protagonist. 

GAMEPLAY- In terms of gameplay, The Evil Within is reminiscent to Resident Evil 4, its a third-person perspective survival horror game, which is very Shinji Mikami. Scavenging and adaptability are key to survival; medical kits can obviously heal you, though some may have side effects, and using the environment to distract enemies or sneak up on them can save ammo and makes things less complicated. Melee combat is defensive rather than offensive, sneaking up on enemies can provide an instant kill. However, some enemies can reanimate, thus requiring to lit them on fire, with a supply of matches, when they are down.

 Your first weapon, a revolver, and later a shotgun, a sniper rifle, etc. are great; but the Agony Crossbow is probably the most helpful weapon in the game, especially during boss fights. The Agony Crossbow's bolts can freeze, poison, shock, incinerate, and explode enemies. Also, each type of bolt can be crafted by disarming various traps. Furthermore, weapons can be upgraded using Green Gel, which is the game's currency. Upgraded materials include weapons, stock materials, and abilities; and it's done while being strapped on a torture chair.

Combat is similar to RE4, with
its own improvements.

 The best aspect of The Evil Within are the surreal boss fights, which are tense, brutal, and are guaranteed to dry up your ammunition. For example, The Keeper boss has you closing off three valves steam valves before suffocating and trying to avoid his attacks. Another boss, multi-legged Laura, provides intense moments in one of the game's longest chapter. Mikami does a great job handling the boss fights

Sometimes running is the best option.

 PRESENTATION- The development team did a fine job with the environments; from the mental asylum to abandoned subways, its full of detail and secrets. Also, the cutscenes are interesting to watch, though expect some texture issues. The voice cast is impressive with great performances from Anson Mount (AMC's Hell on Wheels) as Sebastian and Yuri Lowenthal (Persona 4's Yoske) as Joesph. All of the cast provide an enormous effort, though the dialogue falls short. The sound effects are nice with the zombie-like creatures' growling as well as minor sound effects such checkpoint indicators. 

Tango Gameworks did a good job
with the game's presentation.

 OVERALL- Personally, with over 63 deaths in 16 hours, I enjoyed my time with The Evil Within. Despite the questionable and open-ended story and ending, there is much to be enjoyed for survival horror fans. Though it doesn't live to the greatness of Resident Evil 4 and its predecessors, Shinji Mikami makes a great return to the Survival Horror genre. 

IMPRESSIVE