The Evil Within Reviews
The upshot is that The Evil Within will give survival horror purists a rare contemporary pleasure fix. But be warned: if you prize smooth, silky action above all else, it will drive you insane.
The Evil Within is an example of a great idea that lacks execution. There are scares a-plenty and very often, the fear factor is sky-high. The pacing and variety we see in this adventure are worthy of praise as well, and I appreciate how the atmosphere continually drags you into the experience.
Fans of the original Resident Evil will be happy to know that while The Evil Within does have a few kinks the game is as fresh as Resident Evil was all those years ago. Shinji Mikami has proven that he can still weave a captivating story and flesh out an interesting protagonist who just about everyone can relate to.
Shinji Mikami has yet to make a poor game, and The Evil Within does not blemish his record. But neither does the game enchant and disrupt in the way that Vanquish and the others managed. This is Mikami revisiting his past glories and, as such, it's both a delight and a disappointment.
The Evil Within is a fine example of classic survival horror, but it's held back a little by some stiff characterisation and flat story beats.
'The Evil Within' has some rich and interesting imagery, but its story and gameplay are disappointingly derivative.
The Evil Within definitely delivers a survival horror game that will scare the s*** out of you, but some may find a few of the combat mechanics to be a bit more terrifying for the wrong reasons.
Despite The Evil Within's attempts to mimic RE4, it plays like a game that preceded RE4 instead. It has many minor flaws, annoying problems and nagging issues that its spiritual predecessor didn't have. There are times it comes so close to brilliance, and those moments make the game worth playing, but the frustrating portions can easily eclipse the rest of the title. You have to be willing to work with it to see the good within. Many of the design decisions make the player want to give up rather than work past the frustrating elements to reach the fun.
A challenging blend of stealth and action, but relies on gross-out rather than real fear. Poor design choices leads to technical shortcomings.
The Evil Within is, deep down, the work of an old industry master who has achieved a high skill in his art, but who cannot surprise us and catch us like his previous works. It's a cleanly executed game that will certainly give nightmare moments to those who aren't used to the countless series of stereotypes that make up it, but that doesn't bring something really new or memorable to survival horror veterans.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
If you want to experience the crazy fear you're looking for, The Evil Within may disappoint you after a while. But if you're interested in playing a good game, The Evil Within is a quality production that will help you.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
The Evil Within isn't without some glaring shortcomings, but overall, this is survival horror at its most brutally rewarding. A triumphant return for Shinji Mikami.
If you loved Resident Evil 4 and you're looking for more of that style of game, The Evil Within will probably push the right buttons for you. The game is a clear success in a throwback sense to that earlier title, though its lack of innovation, strategic depth, or an engaging story are all marks against it.
In the end The Evil Within has undoubtedly been hand-crafted for survival horror purists, making no concessions to modern day expectations and the new breed of horror epitomised by the likes of Dead Space and Resident Evil 6. If you're going in hoping for a worth successor to Resident Evil 4 then you're most definitely in the right place. The Evil Within never quite succeeds in hitting those heights throughout its 20 hour or so length, but it does a damn good impression and, with Halloween approaching fast, we can't think of many better ways to frighten ourselves witless.
I've been a fan of the horror genre for the majority of my life. From books and comics, to movies, video games, and board games, I'm always on the lookout for something to give me a good scare. However, I've never been a huge fan of the survival horror style of video game. Don't get me wrong, they're good fun, but I've always enjoyed those games that attempt to balance horror and action set pieces more. 'Dead Space 2', in my opinion, is nearly perfect. I was even a fan (albeit, in the minority) of 'Resident Evil 6'. While 'The Evil Within' walks a tightrope that straddles these two types of horror games, it occasionally leans a bit more toward the survival horror side of things. By mixing in some frustratingly difficult boss battles, the games veers off in the other direction. Although both styles of gameplay can be exceptionally fun and exciting, I would have ultimately preferred the game remain exclusively focused on one or the other. The gore and violence reaches a boiling point very early on and people who either take offence or have a weak stomach for such experiences should avoid 'The Evil Within' at all costs. Those looking to test their skills and enjoy an all-out blood bath need look no further.
I don't know how the developers did it, but they have the horror game experience down to a tee. One thing is for certain, no vido game is perfect, but for me this is as close as you can get in the horror genre.
While it's far from flawless or original, The Evil Within is packed full of terrifying scenes and is genuinely fun to play through, giving gamers a lengthy campaign and tons of memorable moments.
The Evil Within is Shinji Mikami's return to the survival horror genre, but that return is muted. Overall, the Evil Within is solid and it definitely has some great moments, but poorly-implemented mechanics and a bland story bring down the overall package. Survival horror fans should pick it up, but others may want to wait until the price drops a bit.
The Evil Within is a captivating return to the glory days of survival horror whose various issues keep it just short of greatness.
Even with its issues The Evil Within is a solid survival horror experience. It brings back the best of what this genre was built on.