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| Prepare to get covered in strawberry jam. |
Story
The Evil Within is definitely a traditional tale of madness and monsters, with its focus on Detective Castellanos as he investigates the scene of a grisly massacre at Beacon Mental Hospital. Once he arrives on the scene he finds a lone survivor muttering the name of the game's central antagonist, Ruvik. After checking a live feed and watching helplessly as three police officers are stabbed to death, Castellanos suddenly finds himself face-to-face with the enigmatic Ruvik. You wake up hanging upside down and dangling next to several mutilated corpses that are in the same position as you, then the Sadist steps into view. This is an apt name for this enemy, as he carries around a huge chainsaw and dissects various bodies as he leaves you to contemplate when he's going to come for you next. If you think that the game will adopt a Saw or Hostel type atmosphere from here on out then you are in for a few grisly surprises. Almost every chapter sets you in a radically different location from the area you just traversed, making the chapters feel more like random sections of a prolonged nightmare than a real, physical world. Each chapter reveals a little more of the demented, troubling story as you push through the hordes of shambling abominations in your mission to find answers to what exactly is going on around you. Is it all just a terrible nightmare? Is reality being manipulated and corrupted by a madman? These questions will linger even after you beat the game's lengthy 15 hour campaign, as the final cutscene is very vague as to what exactly will happen next. The Evil Within is a thematically diverse game, seeming to borrow from many great horror movies and games over the last few decades to weave together a creepy narrative and piece together the grotesque creatures you will face. The stories of H.P. Lovecraft frequently popped into my mind throughout various points in the game, and I couldn't help but smile and nod as the game kept introducing monsters and locations that seemed inspired by the material he wrote. The story's greatest strength is its ability to continually surprise the player as they progress through a warped reality, keeping a consistent cast of characters throughout and avoiding the typical narrative overkill that other triple A titles seem unable to avoid. The Evil Within's plot and conclusion are not for the faint of heart, this is a game that flaunts it's Mature rating every possibility it can. It is a darker, grimmer Resident Evil 4 that's story never quite reaches Amnesia levels of scary, but does instill the player with a sense of revulsion and unease that sticks with them until the end.
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| Do not let this chick touch you. She's not right for you. |
Graphics
The Evil Within is a visually diverse title with many different striking environments and enemies to behold. Levels are packed with detail and debris, along with copious amounts of vital fluids staining most surfaces. Each chapter has its own unique feel, so levels never become boring or too graphically repetitive before the next chapter rolls around. Most light sources in the environment generate dynamic shadows, adding another creepy layer to the atmosphere when you see the shadow of a monster cast upon a nearby wall or floor before you can even lay eyes on the beast itself.
Enemies run the gamut of disgusting and unnerving, though the human-like fodder becomes a bit mundane to fight as the game progresses. From chainsaw-wielding psychopaths, a giant mutated hound, multi-limbed monstrosities and even water-bound beasts; EW will throw creeps inspired by decades of horror culture at you and see how you scramble desperately to survive.
For all of its grisly environments and disturbingly detailed monsters; EW has a host of performance and visual issues. One would expect a game running on the id Tech 5 engine to achieve a near constant 60 fps without problem but this is sadly not the case. Performance issues plagued my entire playthrough, though thankfully never dropped below a solid 30 fps while I had the framerate uncapped. It seems that it simply is not possible to get EW to run at a constant 60 fps on any hardware configuration, as other websites have tried exactly just that with disappointing results.
Coupled with performance issues are the annoying black bars that take up roughly 30% of the total screen space, touted by the developers as being an artistic choice while remaining confounding to anyone actually playing the game. The zoomed in field of view doesn't help matters either, it only worsens the headache you'll likely get from staring at the back of Castellano's head for the entirety of the game. Aiming with weapons zooms this in to a near unplayable level and leads to me feeling as if I have to aim through a damn sniper scope for every snap shot I try to make at a rushing horror. This is not how you should try and make your game harder, the gameplay and encounters should prove challenging, not the mere act of aiming your damn weapon or moving around. Artistic liberties can lead to some amazing games, however this can also lead to sheer frustration as the devs try and force the player to advance through the game as they intended, instead of how the player wishes to proceed. Forcing your audience to experience your product with features that should be entirely optional is not fair, we want to play the game our own way. We shouldn't be forced to suffer through those big black eyesores taking up the bottom and top portions of the screen, we need those spaces visible. I was able to get around most of these issues by installing a third party screenfix program called Flawless Widescreen, and I heavily recommend that anyone playing the EW use this to fix some of the more obnoxious visual issues.
Visually this is a well-executed game, with plenty of sights and scares to offer, but the technical and performance issues are simply inexcusable for a game in this day and age. Players shouldn't have to download a third party program just to properly and comfortably experience a game, the devs themselves need to ensure that their target audience can have a good time. If this cannot be achieved then maybe the game isn't ready to be sold yet.
Enemies run the gamut of disgusting and unnerving, though the human-like fodder becomes a bit mundane to fight as the game progresses. From chainsaw-wielding psychopaths, a giant mutated hound, multi-limbed monstrosities and even water-bound beasts; EW will throw creeps inspired by decades of horror culture at you and see how you scramble desperately to survive.
For all of its grisly environments and disturbingly detailed monsters; EW has a host of performance and visual issues. One would expect a game running on the id Tech 5 engine to achieve a near constant 60 fps without problem but this is sadly not the case. Performance issues plagued my entire playthrough, though thankfully never dropped below a solid 30 fps while I had the framerate uncapped. It seems that it simply is not possible to get EW to run at a constant 60 fps on any hardware configuration, as other websites have tried exactly just that with disappointing results.
Coupled with performance issues are the annoying black bars that take up roughly 30% of the total screen space, touted by the developers as being an artistic choice while remaining confounding to anyone actually playing the game. The zoomed in field of view doesn't help matters either, it only worsens the headache you'll likely get from staring at the back of Castellano's head for the entirety of the game. Aiming with weapons zooms this in to a near unplayable level and leads to me feeling as if I have to aim through a damn sniper scope for every snap shot I try to make at a rushing horror. This is not how you should try and make your game harder, the gameplay and encounters should prove challenging, not the mere act of aiming your damn weapon or moving around. Artistic liberties can lead to some amazing games, however this can also lead to sheer frustration as the devs try and force the player to advance through the game as they intended, instead of how the player wishes to proceed. Forcing your audience to experience your product with features that should be entirely optional is not fair, we want to play the game our own way. We shouldn't be forced to suffer through those big black eyesores taking up the bottom and top portions of the screen, we need those spaces visible. I was able to get around most of these issues by installing a third party screenfix program called Flawless Widescreen, and I heavily recommend that anyone playing the EW use this to fix some of the more obnoxious visual issues.
Visually this is a well-executed game, with plenty of sights and scares to offer, but the technical and performance issues are simply inexcusable for a game in this day and age. Players shouldn't have to download a third party program just to properly and comfortably experience a game, the devs themselves need to ensure that their target audience can have a good time. If this cannot be achieved then maybe the game isn't ready to be sold yet.
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| NOPENOPENOPENOPE. |
Sound
The horrorscapes of the Evil Within are brought to life by a genuinely unnerving soundtrack that serves to increase feelings of paranoia and dread. Nothing seems out of place and the sound design works flawlessly with no notable audio glitches during my entire playthrough, showing that the dev team did a much better job fine-tuning the sound design than they did optimizing the engine. Voice acting is convincing with just enough of that odd-dialogue that Japanese horror games are known for, making the game almost feel like its poking fun of its premise at times. Weapons are appropriately loud and sound almost antique as you put them through the killing ropes, lending believability to EW's more antiquated locations.
Enemies themselves have a range of gruesome sound effects and blood-curdling screams that they employ to make you as uncomfortable as possible, proving once again that sound can truly help bring a horrid beast to life on your screen instead of just showcasing detailed character models with poor sound effects. This area of EW stands a head above the graphics design; it simply works perfectly with the premise in a way that the engine performance simply cannot hope to match. Its such a shame the game wasn't optimized and tweaked better, we could have had a completely stable horror game with near-perfect levels of immersion.
Enemies themselves have a range of gruesome sound effects and blood-curdling screams that they employ to make you as uncomfortable as possible, proving once again that sound can truly help bring a horrid beast to life on your screen instead of just showcasing detailed character models with poor sound effects. This area of EW stands a head above the graphics design; it simply works perfectly with the premise in a way that the engine performance simply cannot hope to match. Its such a shame the game wasn't optimized and tweaked better, we could have had a completely stable horror game with near-perfect levels of immersion.
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| You really don't want to find yourself in this particular situation. |
Gameplay
Resident Evil 4 is very much an inspiration for the many gameplay mechanics you'll find in EW, in fact I'd say EW has obsessively copied them almost identically. This isn't really a complaint, the two games are very similar and have the same creative director attached, so it makes sense that they would have obvious similarities. Luckily I can say that the player is not rooted to the spot like they've dropped anchor whenever they so much as raise their firearm, which was a rather absurd movement penalty in RE4 that I never quite understood the place of rather than to make the game more challenging. Yes, detective Castellanos is free to move around to his heart's content whilst blasting away at the hordes of mutilated baddies that come his way, though the zoomed in field of view creates the perception that you are almost aiming down a scope, making Castellanos' head obstruct a large portion of your field of view in the process. I suppose this is to increase the tension caused by not being fully aware of your surroundings, but its honestly a lazy way of achieving that effect.
An interesting addition to this game is the ability to burn bodies, though this mechanic loses much of its value once you start pouring upgrade points into your weapons, more on that later. Basically, enemies may or may not be dead when they hit the floor, so its up to the player's discretion whether they feel lighting up the corpse is worth expending a match. Its easy to tell whether an enemy requires an extra tap in the noggin or a fresh cremation as truly dead enemies will ragdoll while stunned foes will simply fall down and twitch. Turning a downed foe into a squealing roman candle is a surefire way of achieving a hassle-free kill and conserving your scarce ammunition supplies. An added bonus is that multiple bodies can be burnt if they are in close proximity, meaning with a few well-aimed shots to the legs you can cripple a mob before making a bonfire of them.
Now back to those upgrades I mentioned; EW contains a rather interesting upgrade system that literally has you collecting green goo from breakable objects and dead enemies in order to develop your skills further. Everything you can purchase is a passive upgrade, however that fits right at home in a survival horror game such as this. To upgrade you must enter these glowing mirrors that are scattered throughout levels, which will take you to the game's hub area where you can save your progress, unlock safes with collected keys, and plop down in the most horrific upgrade device I've ever seen in a game. A series of needles will slide into your skull and inject you with various chemicals as you spend your hard earned fluids. That's right, you literally torture your character into becoming a badass. Eeesh, talk about making the player uncomfortable. I've found the most effective upgrades to be the ammo increases and critical hit chance multipliers. If you can get a maxed out critical chance upgrade on a particular weapon, then you can kiss matches goodbye and simply pop heads like exploding grapes. Keep in mind that it is generally a good rule of thumb to upgrade your health first in any survival horror game, and that proves true here as well. You will die a lot, mainly due to traps and bosses, but I've been picked off several times by enemies who got in a lucky swing and dealt massive damage. Be sure to upgrade your sprint meter too, you are going to be doing an unusual amount of backpedaling in many areas to stay alive.
Stealth is a big focus for EW on your very first playthrough, becoming much more unnecessary when you begin the game again with all your weapons and unlocked upgrades. Sneaking around is easy enough, there is even a handy animated eye icon at the top of the screen to let you know if you've been spotted. Lesser enemies can be grabbed and killed quietly by sneaking up behind them, but the greater threats are best dealt with using guerrilla tactics. Don't worry too much if you are spotted, just run away and hide in a dark corner or room for a minute or so and the enemies will resume their usual patrol routes.
New Game+ is a welcome feature in TEW, as it lets you begin the game again using all of your purchased upgrades and weapons. This transforms the experience into a game that plays very similarly to RE5, with the player able to run-and-gun instead of having to slink around in the shadows. A heavy-hitting LMG and a rocket launcher also unlock after your first playthrough on Normal, while other weapons become available after finding all the corresponding collectibles. These additions to the core gameplay can make additional playthroughs enjoyable and even fresh, vastly changing the pace at which you can progress depending on difficulty.
Lastly, I wanted to discuss the daunting boss battles that await you within TEW. These rare, yet grueling encounters will test you in ways other shooters haven't, often requiring trial-and-error play and a great sense of timing to even stand a chance at surviving. While these fights may seem incredibly unfair at first, they are not badly designed, and merely ask you to look at your surroundings a bit more carefully before heading into almost certain death. You will need to be quick on your feet and use sound to your advantage, as you can hide in many of these dreadful battles. One fight early in the campaign has you scurrying away from a long-haired, multi-limbed blood siren as she chases you down corridors and around large, circular rooms. Unloading my weapons into her was not cutting it, and after dying a few times I knew that I was missing something. I won't spoil what I did, but needless to say it had been presented to me from the start, but I was just so used to how other games handle boss fights that I simply hadn't noticed it. This attention to detail is where TEW's boss fights really come into their own, forcing you to think about the options presented to you and your surrounding environment.
An interesting addition to this game is the ability to burn bodies, though this mechanic loses much of its value once you start pouring upgrade points into your weapons, more on that later. Basically, enemies may or may not be dead when they hit the floor, so its up to the player's discretion whether they feel lighting up the corpse is worth expending a match. Its easy to tell whether an enemy requires an extra tap in the noggin or a fresh cremation as truly dead enemies will ragdoll while stunned foes will simply fall down and twitch. Turning a downed foe into a squealing roman candle is a surefire way of achieving a hassle-free kill and conserving your scarce ammunition supplies. An added bonus is that multiple bodies can be burnt if they are in close proximity, meaning with a few well-aimed shots to the legs you can cripple a mob before making a bonfire of them.
Now back to those upgrades I mentioned; EW contains a rather interesting upgrade system that literally has you collecting green goo from breakable objects and dead enemies in order to develop your skills further. Everything you can purchase is a passive upgrade, however that fits right at home in a survival horror game such as this. To upgrade you must enter these glowing mirrors that are scattered throughout levels, which will take you to the game's hub area where you can save your progress, unlock safes with collected keys, and plop down in the most horrific upgrade device I've ever seen in a game. A series of needles will slide into your skull and inject you with various chemicals as you spend your hard earned fluids. That's right, you literally torture your character into becoming a badass. Eeesh, talk about making the player uncomfortable. I've found the most effective upgrades to be the ammo increases and critical hit chance multipliers. If you can get a maxed out critical chance upgrade on a particular weapon, then you can kiss matches goodbye and simply pop heads like exploding grapes. Keep in mind that it is generally a good rule of thumb to upgrade your health first in any survival horror game, and that proves true here as well. You will die a lot, mainly due to traps and bosses, but I've been picked off several times by enemies who got in a lucky swing and dealt massive damage. Be sure to upgrade your sprint meter too, you are going to be doing an unusual amount of backpedaling in many areas to stay alive.
Stealth is a big focus for EW on your very first playthrough, becoming much more unnecessary when you begin the game again with all your weapons and unlocked upgrades. Sneaking around is easy enough, there is even a handy animated eye icon at the top of the screen to let you know if you've been spotted. Lesser enemies can be grabbed and killed quietly by sneaking up behind them, but the greater threats are best dealt with using guerrilla tactics. Don't worry too much if you are spotted, just run away and hide in a dark corner or room for a minute or so and the enemies will resume their usual patrol routes.
New Game+ is a welcome feature in TEW, as it lets you begin the game again using all of your purchased upgrades and weapons. This transforms the experience into a game that plays very similarly to RE5, with the player able to run-and-gun instead of having to slink around in the shadows. A heavy-hitting LMG and a rocket launcher also unlock after your first playthrough on Normal, while other weapons become available after finding all the corresponding collectibles. These additions to the core gameplay can make additional playthroughs enjoyable and even fresh, vastly changing the pace at which you can progress depending on difficulty.
Lastly, I wanted to discuss the daunting boss battles that await you within TEW. These rare, yet grueling encounters will test you in ways other shooters haven't, often requiring trial-and-error play and a great sense of timing to even stand a chance at surviving. While these fights may seem incredibly unfair at first, they are not badly designed, and merely ask you to look at your surroundings a bit more carefully before heading into almost certain death. You will need to be quick on your feet and use sound to your advantage, as you can hide in many of these dreadful battles. One fight early in the campaign has you scurrying away from a long-haired, multi-limbed blood siren as she chases you down corridors and around large, circular rooms. Unloading my weapons into her was not cutting it, and after dying a few times I knew that I was missing something. I won't spoil what I did, but needless to say it had been presented to me from the start, but I was just so used to how other games handle boss fights that I simply hadn't noticed it. This attention to detail is where TEW's boss fights really come into their own, forcing you to think about the options presented to you and your surrounding environment.
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| Might need to pack a few towels, just in case. |
Conclusion
The mastermind behind one of the greatest survival horror games of all time has released a worthy spiritual successor to that title. While TEW may suffer for its over-familiarity, what it offers in scares and sheer disturbing content is more than worth the price of admission. This is a horror game that gets the difficulty just right, punishing you hard for screwing up, while encouraging you to redouble your failed efforts. The two major flaws with TEW are its absolutely unreliable performance and its bizarre aspect ratio that I simply had to change to play the game comfortably. The latter issue was solved by Flawless Widescreen, but a solid 60 fps could not be maintained for any reasonable length of time.
If TEW gets a sequel, the dev team must make damned sure that it is more polished than their debut for this new and horrific IP; too many games are coming out of the gates either technically broken or severely under-optimized. While this certainly isn't broken, a bit more time and polish in development couldn't have hurt the final product. Should you buy TEW in its current state? That depends on exactly what kind of experience you are expecting. Are you wanting a rock-solid survival-horror adventure with tons of gore and a wild story? Go out and buy this now if so. Are you looking for a technically polished game with few glitches or graphical bugs? You may want to wait a little while longer for a few patches. Regardless of what category of buyer you fall into; TEW stands as one of the most engaging horror titles I've played in quite some time and I highly recommend it. (PC version reviewed)
8/10
