Evil Within, The (Video Game)
Ted Hentschke
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Available on PC, Playstation 4, Playstation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360
Rated M for Mature
Distributed by Bethesda Softworks
The Evil Within is simultaneously the best Silent Hill and Resident Evil game since the fourth installments of each series. Yeah guys, I liked Silent Hill 4: The Room. Let’s just all accept this and move on now, growing and knowing each other better for it.
To be fair, it doesn’t do The Evil Within justice to stack it up to titles only similar in genre and control scheme, but that’s the nature of how survival horror games are judged. Dead Space, The Last of Us, Bioshock, and every other title with the smell of zombie or monster will always be stacked up against its contemporaries. It is part of the vaunted nature of these games in our hearts, the triumphant and bittersweet memories of titles that both challenged us and compelled us to press on. We cannot help but hold each new title at arms length, demanding it prove itself worthy of sharing space within the halls of the greats.
While inherently biased and foolish to stack up every new horror game to games that simply share the genre, sometimes a game becomes a new milestone. The title will last, standing as a new metric from which to judge future games. After all the scores and YouTube rants have come and gone, This is the greatest honor that can be bestowed on a horror game. The Last of Us was recently inducted into these hallowed halls of horror hall of fame for its unparalleled atmosphere and storytelling. Though only time will tell, I’d wager that such immortality awaits The Evil Within.
Set in the fictional Krimson City, the game follows protagonist Sebastian Castellanos’s journey into the depraved world of a mad serial killer. The game isn’t shy about this, and at no point is it a mystery that the world in which the game takes place is in fact a manifestation of something darker. This isn’t like Silent Hill’s dark world vs light world, this is all dark world. The setting changes frequently, but every environment is overwhelming saturated with the surreal and paranormal. If The Last of Us’s theme was ruin and strife, The Evil Within’s theme is madness and terror.
The combat mechanics are typical survival horror fare. While its possible to run and shoot, it is clear that you are intended to run with your gun down and fire in the dedicated aiming mode. There is a rudimentary stealth system, which allows you to sneak up on enemies for instant silent takedowns. Aside from a few single use melee weapons found in the environment, melee is not really an option, and most fights will revolve around gunplay and traps.
That’s not to say there aren’t interesting combat decisions. Sebastian comes equipped with a supply of matches, replenished by ammo drops like any of your other weapons. Matches serve dual purpose of finishing off downed enemies and creating large infernos which can engulf multiple enemies. If an enemy is close to a body when you light it, they too will catch fire. Burning enemies is an automatic kill, and several points in the game I overcame overwhelming challenges with a few well placed fires. Since enemies can only be lit when they are very close, it is an interesting risk/reward system.
The weapons in the game are all clunky and satisfying. The main game arsenal is sparse, consisting of only a revolver, shotgun, bolt action rifle, magnum, WW2 style grenades, and crossbow. Don’t expect any automatic weapons, at least for your first playthrough. Though this might seem very limited, the focus of the game is on proper weapon usage and ammo conservation, making each gun feel more like a unique tool rather than just another way to kill the bad guys. The revolver is solid, accurate, and strong, but lacks the stopping power of the shotgun. The shotgun is a good up close solution for groups, but the limited ammo and range make it not ideal for prolonged battles or setting off traps. The sniper rifle is an incredibly powerful long range weapon, but its low rate of fire and inability to fire without zooming make it a poor option for up close battles. The Grenades… are grenades.
What really stands out is the “agony” crossbow. With 7 different bolts to choose from, the crossbow is more of a swiss army knife than a gun. Flash bolts stun enemies and allow for quick instant kills, freezing bolts can shatter smaller enemies instantly and render larger enemies vulnerable to small arms fire, shock bolts can stun groups of enemies for a long period, and harpoon bolts can pin enemies to the walls in ways that make me giddy. Most of the bolts can be fired as either traps or area of effect directed weapons, giving the weapon a massive amount of versatility. Bolts can also be made on the fly, using parts as a universal crafting component. Parts are either acquired as normal ammo drop or through disarming traps, presenting another interesting choice. Do you disarm the trap for parts, or try to lure an enemy in for an easy kill?
The Evil Within’s greatest triumph is its gameplay. Shinki Mikami returns to the glory days of his last survival horror title, Resident Evil 4. Bosses are both satisfying and rewarding, combat fun and tense, and difficulty just within the attainable range. The game remains both fun and incredibly nerve wracking from start to finish. Just as you become too powerful, the difficulty increases or gameplay changes up. The game isn’t afraid to knock you on your ass and make you learn to walk again.
Early on, after learning how to properly line up headshots, lure foes into traps, and sneak up for stealth kills, I found myself with an abundance of ammo. I thought to myself, “Well, I figured out the formula, guess I can sit back and enjoy the ride.” This sense of security was quickly shattered, when in the next level I found myself confronting invisible enemies. My stockpiled ammo was quickly expended, and my tactics changed from calculated killing to huddled and desperate defense. As I limped to the next checkpoint, I couldn’t help but smile.
As the game progresses, enemies will evolve to force you to learn new tactics. Getting used to being able to shoot off enemies heads? Well get ready for enemies who have a second head. Oh cool, you figured out which head you have to shoot? Well here are enemies with impenetrable masks. Finally used to dodging melee? Well, here are some enemies with guns. Even close to the end, they introduced an enemy that would litter the room with trap bolts, making me consider every step. The variety doesn’t quite reach the garradors or Regeneradors from RE4, but it beats the “dudes in progressive levels of armor” trend of many modern games.
This variety spills over into the puzzles as well. I won’t speak too much on this out of a fear of spoiling it, but at one point I was shooting two gears to progress. After shooting both, a spiked roof fell on me, killing me. It was my mistake, and if I had looked up I could have seen this coming. What really impressed me is that this segment is actually preparing you for how to solve a puzzle a few chapters later. This is common in the game, so expect there to be many more environmental clues for situations than straight up tutorials or pressing X to focus on the solution.
As a veteran director, Mikami knows that the main challenges aren’t the only thing that make a game memorable. One of the biggest complaints I had about the most recent Resident Evils (which Mikami was not a part of) was that the rewards for killing bosses was minimal. RE5 was the worst of it, often ending boss fights with a cutscene and moving onto the next level. The Evil Within gets it right. Killing bosses rewards you with either green gel (the game’s currency) or treasure. In addition, there are many optional fights that the player can either run away from or engage. This risk/reward system incentivises players to challenge themselves, rather than forcing them to simply overcome an obstacle. In a time before achievements, it was the unlockable rewards of these epic fights that kept us coming back for more. Mikami understands that it takes more than a little pop-up icon and trophy to make a challenge feel rewarding.
Beyond that, the game offers a number of unlockables. Cleverly hidden keys are used to open morgue lockers for extra loot. Assorted documents, map pieces, and audio recordings hidden in the environment help flesh out the story. Alongside the in game collectibles, there is an arsenal of weapons waiting to be unlocked. Beating the game on nightmare will net you a pair of brass knuckles, that punch out smaller enemies in a single hit. As of writing this review I have unlocked both the assault rifle and rocket launcher, rewards for beating the game for the first time. I would be seriously surprised if there were not at least a few more unlockable goodies. Tangible rewards like this for achievements are an excellent way to create replay value, incentivising everyone to search every nook and cranny of a game for all there is to offer.
The Evil Within is not without its flaws, many of which stem from a lack of delivery on the promises of the developers. The game was very heavily touted as a “return to survival horror,” which is absurd. This is only marginally more survival horror than Dead Space. While at times I did find ammo to be tight, at no point in the game did I feel completely in over my head. Theres always adequate ammo, if only just enough, and I think this is largely due to the lack of an adequate melee system. The Last of Us had far less ammo, but was mitigated by frequent companion segments and a melee system that was as large of a part, if not larger, than the gunplay. In The Evil Within, running out of ammo means you dead. With the crossbow bolt crafting system, the game does its best to make sure you are never just completely screwed.
The game’s much touted stealth and hiding systems also come off as vestigial. While it is at points possible to run away from fights or hide and stealth kill everyone, there are many more points where fighting is the only option. Now I am not against forced combat, but since a majority of the stealth segments can also be solved with fighting, the stealth seems more of a way to save bullets for the unavoidable combat segments than a legitimate way to play the game. To be blunt, even Wolfenstein’s stealth option was a much more legitimate option.
Mikami also commits the mortal sin of recycling boss fights. I don’t mind fighting a boss repeatedly for dramatic effect, and I get that that was what he was kind of going for. A repeated villain can be great, especially if they represent something important to the story. For example, Silent Hill 2’s Pyramid Head is one of the most iconic figures in all of gaming. However, The Evil Within’s “The Keeper” is not even close to being a Pyramid Head, and I had to fight that asshole 3 times. 4 if you count the time I fought 2 of him.
As a Japanese game, the story isn’t afraid to just throw wacky shit at you that makes a questionable amount of sense. Once again, I won’t go into a lot of detail for spoiler reasons, but don’t expect a lot of your questions to be answered. The deeper you dig, the more questions you come up with. Its a common trend for Japanese developers to create story elements with more concern for how cool that element will be than how much sense it makes, so its easiest to just not ask too many questions and enjoy the ride. It isn’t exactly bad, but overall the game will leave you with more head scratches than moments of revelation.
It also feels like something was lost in translation. A few of the dialogue segments fall conspicuously flat, and many of the big revelations or character interactions just feel a bit wrong. The voice acting is all bland, and it certainly feels like you are listening to an actor reading lines in a sound booth rather than a character really saying this in that situation. The sole exception comes from the game’s antagonist Ruvik, who is voiced by Jackie Earle Haley, A.K.A. Rorschach. He’s great in this, and brings such menace and depth to the part that I wasn’t sure if I should be rooting for him or not.
Warts and all, The Evil Within is an incredibly and ultimately very enjoyable experience. The first play through will draw you in with its aura of mystery, unpredictable settings, and tense atmosphere. The gameplay will keep you coming back. It is an experience that evolves, and at every stage of your enjoyment is just as interesting and exciting as it was before, but in new ways. It is a masterpiece truly worthy of the title “survival horror,” and is a testament to the skill and craftsmanship of Shinji Mikami. If not for the last two subpar Resident Evils, it might have seemed as though the series just sold itself. The Evil Within proves that Mikami had a significant impact on the quality of the series, and cements him as a true auteur, among the ranks of Hideo Kojima, Suda 51, and Tim Schafer. Play this game. It is very good.
Game Features
- Single Player Only
- DLC Supported
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The Game
Categorized:Horror Gaming Reviews
