The Evil Within Reviews
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.
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.
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 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 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
A challenging blend of stealth and action, but relies on gross-out rather than real fear. Poor design choices leads to technical shortcomings.
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.
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.
'The Evil Within' has some rich and interesting imagery, but its story and gameplay are disappointingly derivative.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Creepy, surreal, intense and occasionally very clever indeed, The Evil Within isn't undone by its ludicrous setting – it embraces it to wonderful effect, always ready to add another layer of bizarre hand-stitched horror. But the overall experience is frustrating, never managing to fully escape that narrow field of view, making me feel as boxed in as the game's posterboy.
Superb gameplay, a breakneck pace and terrifying enemies makes The Evil Within a wonderful survival horror experience.
Where BioShock Infinite aggressively tugged on heartstrings, The Evil Within tears them from your chest and crucifies you. It strangles you with your own tendrils and feeds you your own beating heart, mouth locked shut and tied with entrails, forcing you to chew and swallow. But when the last sliver slides down the back of your throat, you'll look up and smile a sadistic smile before asking "more, please".
While The Evil Within never quite terrifies, it has plenty of moments early on where it threatens to wrap you up in its gory world. However, it never really delivers a completely engaging experience and by the end goes totally off the rails.
The Evil Within seems to be a title that tries for too much but falls flat in everything it attempts to do. Jump-scares are still fun in the title, but The Evil Within largely creates an uninteresting gameplay environment that is plagued with issues in it's storyline, mission structure, character development, and as such - fails to achieve itself as a title that lives up to Shinji Mikami's preceding reputation as the former director of Resident Evil 4.
A throwback to survival horror's heyday, The Evil Within's story is daft and convoluted, featuring a mad scientist who might as well be Krieger from Archer. Frustrating and entertaining in equal measure, The Evil Within falls short of offering any proper scares.