Intro:
Back in 2005 when Resident Evil 4 introduced me to a chainsaw wielding maniac who wanted nothing more than to erase me from his villages history, it was clear that director Shinji Mikami and the talented guys and girls over at Capcom had created something truly special. By the time you've reached the credits of Resident Evil 4 it was very clear you had just finished a masterpiece.
-Unfortunately the same cannot be said about Shinji Mikami's The Evil Within but that doesn't mean it wasn't one hell of a return to old school survival horror.
Story:
You assume the role of Detective Sebastian Castellanos investigating an insane asylum where a mass murder of the staff and presumably all the patients has just went down. The story of The Evil Within is by far it's weakest link. Between the nonsensical story and poor voice acting (even if I enjoy the cheesy nature of it), it's hard to get behind whats going on for a large majority of the game. On the bright side there is a small portion (specifically between chapters 9 and 11) that actually does become fairly interesting. It involves the main antagonist Ruvik (voiced by Jackie Earle Haley) who is by far the only interesting character in the game due to the team making him feel like the only character that seemed to actually have a script written before the voice actors were hired.
-Apart from the story that makes little to no sense the game does keep up an amazing pace.
You never feel like you're doing the same thing for too long before the environment changes or some disturbing new creature springs out of a new hidden closet you didn't see.
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| We are going to need a bigger door! |
-Presentation wise The Evil Within excels in areas while feeling very dated in others.
Artistically it's a horror fans dream game. From dark Gothic castles to gross 80's inspired environments that can only be described as "very 80's," the environment and creatures are really the stars of The Evil Within. As beautiful (or disgusting) as the environment and ghouls are designed, the game can suffer some really serious frame rate and texture pop in issues when the action really gets going. Luckily none of these issues were ever enough to ruin the game for me. Unfortunately as they did make their appearance from time to time, it is worth noting for those that are sensitive to them.
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| Tasty! |
-As far as gameplay is concerned, The Evil Within is very solid in that it plays similar to Resident Evil 4.
Not to say it is identical but there are definitely a few new gameplay mechanics along with some returning features from Mikamis past work. As you'd expect from a real survival horror game you'll be running dangerously low on ammo with way more enemies then you can handle as well as segments of stealth. A Feature such as the ability to crouch in order to hide is a welcome tactic from Tango Gameworks. The stealth mechanics also include typical stealth take downs and the ability to flee and hide when situations become too much to handle.
While the early parts of the game heavily encourage stealth it doesn't take too long before the sneaking takes a back seat for a long portion of the game. A core mechanic to the game is "The Agony Bow". A sadistic looking crossbow that serves the same combat purpose as the grenade launcher from Resident Evil 5. You can collect "Parts" from traps in the environment (disarming traps) to craft different arrow types ranging from harpoon bolts to electric rods. Apart from arrows that can be crafted from items found in the environment, there are also 151 collectibles and 45 locker keys which unlock extra ammo or "Green Gel". Green Gel serves as your currency to unlock upgrades both for Sebastian and his weapons.
Side Comments:
Even if the story is totally convoluted by the constant environmental changes, it serves the gameplay brilliantly; keeping the pace moving at a near flawless speed. This is traditional Mikami survival horror making it's return. With resources running low and disgusting creatures swarming you, your only hope is to run away, get your bearings, and hope you'll have just enough ammo to pull off that satisfying head shot on the last enemy. After that, if you're still up for it, you can continue on and solve the strange puzzle that obstructs you from doing it all over again. I mean that in the best possible way of course.
Verdict:
If you're a fan of classic survival horror games (if you haven't already bought it) then "The Evil Within" is the game you've been waiting for since "Dead Space 2." The Evil Within feels like the sequel to Resident Evil 4 we were meant to get without having the Resident Evil stigma attached.
Let us know if you think The Evil Within is a welcome return to the survival horror genre. Sound off in the comments below.
Pick up a copy for yourself in our store or below!
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