Trent Haaga Discusses His Role as Writer on The Evil Within 2
One of the most ambitious and celebrated survival horror games in recent memory is 2014’s The Evil Within, which was developed by Tango Gameworks and designed by survival horror icon Shinji Mikami (Resident Evil). Generally loved by critics, the game created a legion of dedicated fans who have been clamoring for a sequel. This previous June, not only was the sequel announced BUT it was revealed that it would be coming out this October, giving fans a short wait before being able to dive back into the world of Detective Sebastian Castellanos.
Since the game is coming so soon, marketing is going at full blitz and new information is being released basically every day. In that spirit, a new interview has popped up over with our friends at Gamestop, who got to speak with Mikami, game director John Johanas, and lead writer Trent Haaga, whose name might seem very familiar as he’s the filmmaker behind such titles as Deadgirl and 68 Kill!
I found Haaga’s answers to be the most fascinating as he was the fish out of water in this process, a filmmaker in the land of video game developers. That being said, it was precisely this disconnect that I believe will make the sequel that much more interesting and exciting!
When asked how he felt coming aboard the project, he stated, “…it was a great opportunity to be a part of the game this time around. I have to confess, I’m not much of a gamer, I’m a filmmaker. And I tend to look at things in a way that’s more about the characters and the dialog–like where are they emotionally at this point, type space. When I think of Sebastian, I never really think of him as me, he’s not me and he’s not the player, it’s a guy that I still look at as a passive moviemaker perspective. Like when we give Sebastian a moment of breathing room here, let him have a moment to talk about this event, or talk with other characters. Sebastian has a lot to do emotionally in this game than in the first. In the first game, he felt a little lost–simultaneously with the player–while trying to figure out what to do and how to accomplish his goals. But in this game, he enters into it willingly, and therefore, he’s got more of an emotional arc this time around.”
Aware that the sequel will be expected to be bigger and better, Haaga explains, “…it’s always important to amp it up. Like in the first game, you were in the mind of a killer, but for this game, it’s a bit different. It’s not really much of a secret, but there might be more than one antagonist, that’s all we can say. The idea is that once you think you’ve gotten things figured out, things are likely gonna shift around in a completely different direction that is unpredictable. And that’s the key to keeping things interesting for a sequel like this.”
“Just being able to work on a video game was super exciting. Working with non-movie people in a non-movie environment on a project, just being able to help find the voices of iconic, and hopefully more iconic, characters in this game. Certainly Sebastian existed, but just to bring out this guy’s voice and to bring him out a bit more and find who he is,” Haaga states excitedly. He continues, revealing a little bit more about the game by saying, “In particular, we have this character Stefano, one of the bad guys in there and he’s got this great patter, and it was just so much fun to be able to get there and just sit there with the typewriter and you see the design, and there he is–and then you write and hear the voices, and you realize “Oh, I kind of helped three-dimensionalize this character”. And that was a lot of fun for me.”
I highly recommend reading the full interview at the link above as the other developers have wonderful things to say of their own.
The Evil Within 2 comes out Friday, October 13th for Xbox One, Playstation 4, and PC.
Synopsis:
You are Detective Sebastian Castellanos and at your lowest point. But when given a chance to save your daughter, you must enter a world filled with nightmares and discover the dark origins of a once-idyllic town to bring her back. Horrifying threats emerge from every corner as the world twists and warps around you. Will you face adversity head on with weapons and traps, or sneak through the shadows to survive? This is your one chance at redemption, and the only way out is in.
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