The Evil Within

 PlayStation 4
User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2497 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,894 out of 2497
  2. Mixed: 337 out of 2497
  3. Negative: 266 out of 2497
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  1. Jellybean15
    Feb 28, 2015
    7
    After leaving past projects behind, Shinji Mikami creates his own team and strives to make another great installment in the survival horror genre, and what we get is a good but flawed experience that doesn't live up to the expectations many fans had. However, that doesn't mean that the Evil Within is not an enjoyable experience.

    The Evil Within stars Detective Sebastian Castellanos and    After leaving past projects behind, Shinji Mikami creates his own team and strives to make another great installment in the survival horror genre, and what we get is a good but flawed experience that doesn't live up to the expectations many fans had. However, that doesn't mean that the Evil Within is not an enjoyable experience.

    The Evil Within stars Detective Sebastian Castellanos and his colleagues, Joseph and Kidman, who arrive on the scene of a massacre at Beacon Mental Hospital. Very quickly, everything goes to hell and Seb is forced to survive in a new twisted reality. Ultimately, the story is the weakest part of this whole game, by far. Seb’s bland reactions, lack of common sense and weak responses hardly do anything to make the story compelling, and while the voice acting is good across the board, dialogue is not. Seb is transported from area to area and he brushes it off without a second thought. Events happen where people try to kill each other, causing mistrust and drama, only for said events to be completely forgotten the next time these characters meet. There’s not even any semblance of plot until the game’s ninth chapter, but at that point, the story becomes so complicated just for the sake of being complicated, only for you to reach the end with so many questions unanswered. The subplot that builds up concerning Seb’s family ultimately builds up to nothing, and the story ultimately doesn't make much sense by the end.

    Overall, the story is a complete fail, so it’s up to the rest of the game to hold it up, and it succeeds in that regard. Inventory management in a world with limited resources is key to surviving, and it’s up to you to be smart and tactical to get through the journey, relying more on stealth and conserving ammo rather than go guns blazing. It’s a sure fire way to get killed. Aside from this, there’s also some light crafting and even an upgrade system, allowing you to upgrade your health, sprint, and even your firearms.

    The combat is a mixed bag. As fun as it is, it’s no secret that the aiming isn't very good. It zooms in too close and feels stiff, and the crosshair doesn't accurately represent a bullet’s trajectory. It can make scoring a headshot more difficult than it should be, especially with the pistol. Luckily, there’s a good variety of weapons; shotguns, sniper rifles, and my favorite, the crossbow, which has multiple types of bolts, letting you freeze enemies, set them on fire, and even electrocute them. The crossbow is that weapon you’ll rely on when you're cornered and need an out.

    Another new mechanic is using matches to burn bodies, instantly killing prone enemies and possibly burning adjacent enemies as well. It’s always satisfying to burn a body just as an enemy runs at you, but it’s also just as frustrating when it fails to work. Although fun, the inconsistency with the matches actually working makes it a fun, useful, but ultimately an unreliable mechanic at best.

    The game’s number one strength is the vast amount of different level designs. Along with the sections that are centered on horror, there are plenty of small puzzles, action sections, and even a few stealth sections. The vast and varied amount of levels are impressive, and I often marveled at the different obstacles and boss fights the game threw at me. There are a few cheap bosses here and there, but for the most part, they're fun.

    There are a few small complaints like the bad AI for your partner Joseph, but the game’s worst sin is easily when an enemy attacks you. Never have I found a game that actually immobilizes you just to watch an enemy hit you with their weapon. It’s completely asinine because it prevents you from defending yourself and opens you up to all enemy attacks around you. It’s easily the most frustrating mechanic of the game, by far.

    Nowhere are the game’s flaws more prominent than in Nightmare mode. Essentially hard mode, all the mechanics and flaws in the game’s design become even more noticeable, constantly hitting you with cheap, unfair shots. The epic boss fight against Laura becomes a frustrating bullet sponge that one shots you and the game spams bear traps during the action sequences which is the absolute worst decision because you can’t keep an eye on bear traps and your enemies at the same time. A true testament to the difficulty is the game’s death counter. On my first playthrough on Normal I died 17 times, but on my first run on Nightmare, I died a record 64, not including the deaths that caused me to quit out of frustration.

    Despite the game’s many frustrations, the Evil Within is a game I look back at fondly, with memories of the boss fights and many of the awesome level designs I loved to play through. If you’re expecting a terrifying scare fest, the lack of horror sections might turn you off, but the game is ultimately a good survival horror game. Just don’t play on Nightmare, or your experience might be ruined.    … Expand
  2. dugazoid
    Oct 3, 2016
    7
    This could have been a masterpiece, a 10. Buuuut, the overall performance and graphics are quite poor.

    A shame, because the story, gameplay and characters are quite good.

    Anyway, I enjoyed playing it a lot.
  3. Ramiro1992
    Sep 5, 2017
    7
    This game is kind of a dissapointment, since the lack of emotional moments, to the uninspired characters ever, sometimes is not scary at all, the team that made the first resident evil games is not working in this game, Mikami was not the only person who made the old resident evil games, there was a team of designers and creators that made the old resident evil games a masterpiece, i haveThis game is kind of a dissapointment, since the lack of emotional moments, to the uninspired characters ever, sometimes is not scary at all, the team that made the first resident evil games is not working in this game, Mikami was not the only person who made the old resident evil games, there was a team of designers and creators that made the old resident evil games a masterpiece, i have several doubts about this title, all that i see is very far to even look like an old survival horror game. I really don't understand what they have made with the argument, one of the worst and weird plots ever made. The game, technically, deserves a 4, but i am giving it an extra point just for Mikami. Another failed attempt to bring back the survival horror, this game fails just like Deadly Premonition, most uninspired characters ever, the main character has no personality whatsoever, he did not react to the enviroment, buildings falling and other things, what the hell is going on? Too much fantasy in an "horror" game. So yes, like i said, this game is very far to even look like a survival horror game, it's too repetitive and boring. One of the worst things is the stealth system, man, one of the worst IA i saw, the enemies are incredibly stupid! i think the enemies in Resident Evil 4 are most clever than this one, ENEMIES NEVER SEE YOU, AND THE GAME BECOMES TOO EASY. there's no challenge at all, the difficulty in this game is way too easy. The RPG elements ruin the whole experience (SINCE WHEN THE "HORROR" GAMES HAVE RPG AND STEALTH ELEMENTS), **** no. There's nothing new about this game, there's nothing fresh, no innovations, they took the elements from previous resident evil games, the open door mechanics from RE 4, burn the bodies, from RE 1 remake, the general mechanics, from the awful deadly premonition, and the general rpg elements and traps disarming from Last of us.

    Positive(+):
    - The attempt (failed) to bring survival horror back, what a shame this game is not a good one.
    - Some interesting moments
    - Horror atmosphere and eerie feeling (but still action focused)
    - Rewarded exploration
    - Good variety of weapons and objects

    Negative(-):
    - This game is focused in action, not in exploration or puzzle solving.
    - The characters are very uninspired, their lack of personality is the worst thing i noticed.
    - The graphics are very outdated, it looks like a ps2 or an early ps3 game.
    - The music is not good or memorable.
    - The game is too easy, not challenge at all.
    - No new ideas, nothing fresh, this game took elements of previous games, like trap disarming from last of us, burn bodies from resident evil remake, some details like kick doors, or the knife use from Resident evil 4, there's nothing new in this title, every aspect is recycled from other games.
    - The melee combat system is mediocre, no strategy when facing enemies unarmed.
    - The stealth system just idoes not work, the executions are all the same and the enemy AI seems very dumb.
    - The lack of personality in the characters! They have no special personality, take resident evil 2 for example (a good game), Leon is an amateur cop, a very ambicious man, a very protective one, he is confident and well prepared. In evil within, all characters have the same boring personality.

    Greetings to real gamers.    … Expand
  4. The_Game_Doctor
    Mar 24, 2015
    7
    The Evil Within was a Roller Coaster of a game for me. Initially, I was really uninspired by it. The first few hours were spent getting used to the game's unusually dark settings (literally dark, not thematically). After the first main box, the game really started to grow into its own and show its true colors.

    Survival horror at its core, it reminded my a lot of the original Dead Space.    The Evil Within was a Roller Coaster of a game for me. Initially, I was really uninspired by it. The first few hours were spent getting used to the game's unusually dark settings (literally dark, not thematically). After the first main box, the game really started to grow into its own and show its true colors.

    Survival horror at its core, it reminded my a lot of the original Dead Space. The feeling of helplessness is nearly tangible. After a few attempts at running blindly to get from point A to point B, and quickly learning that was a very bad idea, the game become much more about stealth and cunning rather than brute force. A few of the mechanisms are lost as the game progresses. Hiding from your enemies, while effective, seemed to become a less common practice about halfway through.

    The world the game is set in is the main focus. The protagonist himself is undeniable forgettable. His storyline is revealed through little journal entries preceding save points as the game progresses, making it even more forgettable for those who refuse to read for story depth.

    There are a few mechanical flaws that carry over due to the console base. Framerate drops, while not common, are expected. There are two black bars along the top and bottom of the screens to simulate a wider scope of view. While these were not game-breakers for me, many people were extremely agitated by their presence.

    Despite its flaws, I was drawn into the world. The game is not overly long, but the atmosphere is infectious! For any survival horror fan, this is a must play. Same goes for horror/gore nuts. For those just looking for the next game, would not recommend picking it up without playtesting first.    … Expand
  5. casualad
    Dec 29, 2014
    7
    The Evil Within is a survival horror brought to you by Shinji Mikami, the same man who brought the survival horror to a brighter light through his work on Resident Evil. In the Evil Within you play as Sebastian Castellanos, a detective whom is called to the scene of a crime at Beacon Mental hospital, by his side is his fellow officers Juli Kidman and Joseph Oda. Once at the hospital, anThe Evil Within is a survival horror brought to you by Shinji Mikami, the same man who brought the survival horror to a brighter light through his work on Resident Evil. In the Evil Within you play as Sebastian Castellanos, a detective whom is called to the scene of a crime at Beacon Mental hospital, by his side is his fellow officers Juli Kidman and Joseph Oda. Once at the hospital, an assailant (Ruvic) is seen killing police, which then turns his attention to Castellanos. From here Castellanos must piece together what has been happening and ultimately find out what Ruvic is doing to put a stop to this nightmare. To begin with the game took me around 13 hours on the hardest difficulty called survival difficulty. This was me taking my time with the game but not getting all the possible collectibles.

    The Evil Within does do a good job of being a good survival horror for the first half of the game. What helps the experience dramatically is the atmosphere. The atmosphere and feel that is presented here is brilliant. The world that you venture in is a nightmare filled with grotesque creatures and unnerving scenery. All these culminates to a really horrific experience due to these elements being combined. The best presented experience was the hub world where you can save and can upgrade Castellanos’ attributes and weapons. This hub world was the place I found the most unsettling, the atmosphere here has been nailed causing this supposed safe place to become a nightmare in itself. The upgrades that are available are pretty standard; bigger stocks, bigger inventory, more health recovery, and increasing damage of weapons. One weapon in particular is a nice addition, being the ‘agony crossbow’. This crossbow is extremely useful when you have no ammo for your other weapons. Throughout the game you’ll encounter traps that can be deactivated which will reward you with parts, these parts can be used to craft ammo for the crossbow into varied types; explosive bolts, electro bolts, and standard bolts. This can be very useful when no ammo is available for your normal handgun, shotgun etc. A huge positive with the game is the essence of dying. Specific enemies will take huge portions of life from you or instantly kill you on the spot if they are within reach. Within the game you will die numerous amounts of time, some might find this frustrating but I have found it as a way to reinstate what type of game this is. The Evil Within strives of the player dying reconfirming that your there to survive with whatever items you have, adding to the tense atmosphere and improving the overall experience.

    On the other hand The Evil Within does have some weaknesses about itself which may deter players from the full experience. It can be very easy to lose the story altogether and may resort into some internet searches to fully understand what’s going on especially towards the end of the game. For those looking for puzzles, there are next to none present here so there isn’t a break from the horror gunplay. There are some segments that don’t do the atmosphere any good, mainly towards the end of the game. During these they seem to be more run and gun rather than saving ammunition and calculating the best move. These parts turn down the atmosphere greatly, decreasing the tense aspect of the game. Speaking of the ending, the final boss fight is very poor and increases the action side aspect rather than the horror side. I feel like this is a missed opportunity and feel a lot more could have been done to change the gameplay for the final battle to make it more memorable rather than having a cop out big action battle.

    The Evil Within is a game of two halves. The first half is great at reinstating the survival horror with a brilliant atmosphere brought together by the environments you visit, the enemies you encounter, and the danger of the antagonist that can one touch kill you. This all reinstates the survival horror aspect. The second half starts becoming more of an action game with ammo to spare and the enemies rushing towards you knowing where you already are. By doing this the tension drops and the survival aspect becomes less important. In all the The Evil Within does do some justice to the survival horror game and I was fully immersed within this dank world, however later levels can seem to be more action rather than survival. It is worth a purchase when it is at a lower price.    … Expand
  6. DirtyBird13
    Nov 13, 2014
    7
    It is definitely true to the Survival Horror genre. Th ammo doesn't come by easily and the boss fight require intellect. It heavily reminds of Resident Evil 4 with the gritty atmosphere and some what similar enemies. The game wasn't really scary, but it was an intense feeling almost throughout the whole game.

    Pros: The game play is great. The shooting is a little challenging at first,    It is definitely true to the Survival Horror genre. Th ammo doesn't come by easily and the boss fight require intellect. It heavily reminds of Resident Evil 4 with the gritty atmosphere and some what similar enemies. The game wasn't really scary, but it was an intense feeling almost throughout the whole game.

    Pros: The game play is great. The shooting is a little challenging at first, but an average gamer will get used to it. The beginning of the game is intense and one to remember.

    Cons: The biggest problem I had was the story. The story is almost incoherent for the first 7 chapters. You will be confused. It does start making sense later, but I seemed to lose interest because I really didn't know what the hell was going on. I was basically trying to just survive not knowing why in the hell these things were happening. I know people are probably going to call me dumb, but I would consider myself an expert gamer. As for me, this game was more confusing then a damn silent hill game....and that's saying a lot! Other than that, the graphics still looked like they were for the last generation. These weren't really a big deal for me, but I had to be honest.

    Overall, the game was good and was worth the buy.    … Expand
  7. Andynokills
    Nov 28, 2014
    7
    This game has some interesting levels, fun action and a cool level-up system so it should score relatively high but the story makes no sense and the graphics are like a ps2 or xbox. Graphics are so bad its funny and the protagonist is like one of the characters in an Expendables movie. Terrible one-liners. Very very cliché. Its also super gory without being scary which comes off as weak.
  8. Donor
    Oct 15, 2014
    7
    This game is FAR away from being a masterpiece. The users who gave this game a 10/10 probably haven't played a lot of "old school" survival horror games in their life. It’s the typical 15-20 year old naive kid who fell for the Shinji Mikami hype obviously. Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed playing but...

    This game is published by Bethesda, which explains the clunky gameplay. It’s almost    This game is FAR away from being a masterpiece. The users who gave this game a 10/10 probably haven't played a lot of "old school" survival horror games in their life. It’s the typical 15-20 year old naive kid who fell for the Shinji Mikami hype obviously. Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed playing but...

    This game is published by Bethesda, which explains the clunky gameplay. It’s almost like hybrid copy/paste of The Elder Scrolls movement and Resident Evil 4 shooting. The constant crouching for stealth is retarded (especially the animation that just look plain stupid), they even carried over the same Elder Scrolls "detection eye" into this game. It fails on its own standard when it comes to stealth gameplay. The shooting is AWFUL. Its under par with Resident Evil 4, WHICH IS 9 YEARS OLD! Come on!

    The story is ****ing borderline progressive, with no psychological build-up whatsoever, the voice-acting is dull… And lets not talk about the main character who always makes these stupid comments. It's just so uninteresting and unoriginal in every way possible... I almost don't know if i'm playing RE4, Silent Hill or even watching Friday the 13th or The Grudge at the same time, all in this STUPID 16:9 aspect ratio letterbox that they've chosen to have in this game because it gives a “cinematic feeling”. I call bs, they only did that because of performance issues, and it’s still locked on 30 fps. This is a joke.

    I mean is this next gen? The standard of Survival Horror genre is getting lower and lower and lower. The only thing that made me wanna keep playing this game is it's setting. This game looks stunning in some cases and it certainly has it's thrilling moments when and it can get a bit scary. But everything can be scary if it’s done the right way.

    What players fail to understand is that nothing of this matters if the STORY/ACTING and GAMEPLAY is s***. Games like these used to be authentic even if the gameplay was a bit "sluggish" back in the days. And that's because the story was told in such a good and believable way which compensated for it's slower gameplay. Look at The Last of Us, They bring nothing new to the table in terms of gameplay and mechanics. But they perfected it, COMBINED with the storytelling.

    The Evil Within just failed to reach above the standard of already existing old school survival horror titles. So how can this even be considered a Survival Horror masterpiece? Grow up!    … Expand
  9. foxviewchannel
    Jan 7, 2015
    7
    Sadly, we don’t see a lot of good horror games coming out these days; however, after hearing that creator of the original Resident Evil and Resident Evil 4 Shiniji Mikami was behind The Evil Within, it instantly became one of my highly anticipated games.

    The Evil Within is a 3rd person survival horror video game. Our hero protagonist detective Sebastian Castellanos along with his    Sadly, we don’t see a lot of good horror games coming out these days; however, after hearing that creator of the original Resident Evil and Resident Evil 4 Shiniji Mikami was behind The Evil Within, it instantly became one of my highly anticipated games.

    The Evil Within is a 3rd person survival horror video game. Our hero protagonist detective Sebastian Castellanos along with his partners receives a call to investigate a mass murder at a mental hospital. He is shocked at the horrific bloody scene but is then knocked out by a mysterious person who appears from behind him and drags him into another unknown world. Sebastian wakes up and finds himself hung upside down.

    The introduction is strong as you are quickly immersed in an Evil atmosphere. Your first encounter is with a disfigured butcher who will stop at nothing to kill you. It is a psychological horror and your main goal is to escape from this nightmare.

    The world of The Evil Within is dark with rich environments that are detailed and varied from mansions to deserted farms. Graphics in general don’t use the next gens full potential and I did notice some frame rate drops during my gameplay. The sounds are creepy and done well giving you the feeling that you are never alone. Light effects are immersive especially when Sebastian is carrying the Lantern which creates a truly eerie experience.

    The creatures are varied and encounters with them are tense. One type of creature worth noting is the invisible kind because you can only know where they are, from moving objects. Focusing in the game is important because the environment is filled with traps and deadly dangers. Thankfully, you will have a lot of options to approach each fight.

    Ammo is scarce so you will have to rely on the environment to use to your advantage by luring the creatures into traps. Playing stealthy and sneaking behind an enemy for an instant kill will save you a lot of precious bullets and burning their bodies by using matches will insure that they don’t get back up. There are various weapons that can be found from a sniper, to a powerful shotgun and grenades; however, my favorite weapon was the agony crossbow that has different bolts such as the explosive bolts which is useful for large groups of enemies, freeze bolts that can freeze enemies for a short period of time and flash bolts that blinds them for a while. Bolts can be crafted from trap parts or found in the environment.

    The overall stealth mechanics could have been better, you are able to hide in closets and under the bed but I found myself rarely using them. You can run and if you reach your limit Sebastian will just stop running to catch his breath instead of slowing down. This was a nice touch as it added tension especially if a monster was chasing you.

    There is an eye on top of the screen that lets you know if enemies see you, but I faced cases where they would see me before the eye opening. There are auto saves and manual saves. In the manual saves, you will come across save mirrors which transport you back to your asylum room for a few minutes of relief to save your game; however, it also doesn’t feel very safe with dark rooms everywhere and a creepy nurse walking around. I didn’t find the auto saves well balanced and since you will die so many times during the game, repeating some set pieces all over again is frustrating. In your Asylum room, you will also be able to upgrade your abilities such as health, ammo capacity and weapon power. This is done by collecting green liquid on corpses and jars scattered throughout the environment that gains you points that will be used to upgrade.
    Choosing wisely on what skill to focus on is key because the green liquid isn’t very common to find.

    The well designed bosses in the game are tough and unique. Little clues are provided so you will have to find out your own strategy by using the environment to take out the bosses. This will lead to a lot of trial and error as it will take some time to figure out how to kill them.

    There are 15 total chapters which will take you around 19 hours to complete. The pace of the game is made well and I did not feel any repetitive gameplay during the main campaign because of the many different set pieces that it throws at you. Sadly, the overall story is weak and forgettable. Nothing seems to be clear right from the beginning. Main character Sebastian is a very dry character that you won’t relate too and little is known about the remaining cast as well which leaves little reason to care about any of them.

    The Evil Within could have been a great game if it weren’t for the boring story and uninteresting characters. It is a challenging game even on casual mode and horror fans will enjoy the fun ride because it brings back memories from Resident Evil 4.    … Expand
  10. shawn400ft
    Oct 15, 2014
    7
    At first the setting and the story show promise. The environments are spooky and well detailed. The frustration of "What Do I Do????" starts almost immediately. The old saying if at first you don't succeed applies because it takes a lot of repetition in order to figure out how to advance. The acting is poor and over all the game really does not have a next gen feel. Gameplay has beenAt first the setting and the story show promise. The environments are spooky and well detailed. The frustration of "What Do I Do????" starts almost immediately. The old saying if at first you don't succeed applies because it takes a lot of repetition in order to figure out how to advance. The acting is poor and over all the game really does not have a next gen feel. Gameplay has been linear for the most part and combat is clunky. I am an enormous fan of the Survival Horror genre and I only gave this 7 out of 10. If you are not a fan, don't waste your money.… Expand
  11. Setandugal
    Oct 30, 2014
    7
    In general this is a good with a great premise: The return of pure survival horror by legendary game designer Shinji mikami for next gen consoles, and the results are actually almost there, but control is a bit mess, the graphics are so last gen and some bosses will give you either stupid cheap deaths or specific how-the-heck-i-know-i-must-do-that- pattern tasks to beat him/her, seriouslyIn general this is a good with a great premise: The return of pure survival horror by legendary game designer Shinji mikami for next gen consoles, and the results are actually almost there, but control is a bit mess, the graphics are so last gen and some bosses will give you either stupid cheap deaths or specific how-the-heck-i-know-i-must-do-that- pattern tasks to beat him/her, seriously it's almost an insult. Nevertheless i still enjoy the game i just wish Mikami had executed better… Expand
  12. Lewster1234
    Nov 20, 2014
    7
    Good game but not great let down by the scripted story and bland characters. OUT OF AMMO..............................................................
  13. Darko84
    Jan 20, 2015
    7
    It is not the best game you will ever play but it is definitely a survival horror game that had not been available for quite some years. This could have been much better if the graphics and game play had offered something new and fresh. It took a lot of elements from other games and movies.
    The first two/three chapters were more dark and intense (RE4 atmosphere), however after you gain    It is not the best game you will ever play but it is definitely a survival horror game that had not been available for quite some years. This could have been much better if the graphics and game play had offered something new and fresh. It took a lot of elements from other games and movies.
    The first two/three chapters were more dark and intense (RE4 atmosphere), however after you gain more weapons and get to know the tricks, this becomes something more like The last of us.

    Positive Things:
    + Survival Horror atmosphere (in most of the game).
    + Story is interesting and leaves a window for a sequel (good chance to make something better).
    + Interesting enemies (for me it is a plus to get enemies which are not predictable, you never know if you need to run or to fight).

    Negative Things:
    - Characters development / dialogues are poor.
    - Graphics / frame rate is not next gen quality.
    - Camera is not friendly (in addition to the freaking black bars).    … Expand
  14. Dal_ReviewedDat
    Feb 19, 2015
    7
    I recently picked the Evil Within Ltd Edition new for £25 in store, and felt as a horror game fan I would enjoy it. And so far, so good.

    The game isn't all that scary, nothing like the P.T. demo that made me lay an egg a few times, but it does relish in gore, and moments of horror that you'd expect from your favourite B-movie. The game play is smooth and while targeting and actually    I recently picked the Evil Within Ltd Edition new for £25 in store, and felt as a horror game fan I would enjoy it. And so far, so good.

    The game isn't all that scary, nothing like the P.T. demo that made me lay an egg a few times, but it does relish in gore, and moments of horror that you'd expect from your favourite B-movie. The game play is smooth and while targeting and actually killing things can become frustrating, it actually adds to the beauty of it. I found myself dying about twenty times in the opening scene trying to attack the lurcher in the room, and its this guess work and desire to complete that makes you want to get that little further.

    The story will fry your brain a little, but the world and themes are pretty cool. I don't understand how anyone can rate this game as a 0 or 1 ... it's not the best game I've ever played, but for £25 it was a bargain really, and I'd suggest any horror game fan to give it a whirl as they wont be disappointed.    … Expand
  15. marco88
    Feb 24, 2015
    7
    the game is pretty creepy in somehow, does give you that feeling you want from a survval horror game, i found the gameplay is not much special, it could be fun with lights off and couple of friends that want get scare. Shame everytime you die u have to restart and take to much time to load. is still a nice game if u have nothing else to play. i give it a 7
  16. ReviewsByScott
    Jun 17, 2015
    7
    The problem most gamers have with The Evil Within is that its basically RE4 repurposed. It maybe a legitimate criticism. It doesn't mean the game can't be enjoyable. Lets be honest, Black Sheep was Tommy Boy II and that did not make it any less enjoyable a movie to watch. The Evil Within is a Horror/Survival game, its intent was to create a creepy atmosphere, scare the player at timesThe problem most gamers have with The Evil Within is that its basically RE4 repurposed. It maybe a legitimate criticism. It doesn't mean the game can't be enjoyable. Lets be honest, Black Sheep was Tommy Boy II and that did not make it any less enjoyable a movie to watch. The Evil Within is a Horror/Survival game, its intent was to create a creepy atmosphere, scare the player at times and build in a few plot twists. It largely succeeds at all these things while being challenging and enjoyable. Its a good, not great game.

    The Evil Within is succeeds greatly in creating a dark, twisted, evil, frightening environment. As Sebastian navigates the game he is always placed in a setting that feels right for a horror movie. Everything seems dark and seems just a bit off. The detail works. The player is almost never in a room in the game where he would not feel jittery or scared in real life. The game does a good job of creating accurate setting, even if some parts are direct ripoffs from RE4.

    The game also succeeds at creating a resource poor environment. No movie clips here. When this game is completed Sebastian will not have a GTA5 style armory of weapons and ammunition. When I played through this game I very nearly did not have enough ammo to get through the final boss fights. I was desperately searching for ammo, crafting agony bolts and conserving every single bullet I had. In one fight I had only one bullet to spare. The Evil Within is not a hack and slash or a button masher. The gamer will have to think his or her way through almost all combat scenes. Ammunition and resources must be conserved. The does a great job of making the gamer ration resources.

    The Evil Within is challenging, maybe more challenging than any game I played in some time. The boss battles, all of them, all tough. When fighting the Spider boss the gamer may need to turn the game off for a while to calm down and come back to it. Its not clear if this a strength of the game or a weakness. Everyone wants a challenging game. The Evil Within can be challenging to the point of frustration and discouragement. I personally know one gamer who 2 chapters in determined the game was absurdly difficult and not worth the frustration of playing through. Whether this is a strength or weakness of The Evil Within is up to the gamer. If you don't like very difficult games and resource poor characters this is not the game for you.

    Common complaints against the game are that the story has major plot holes, the main character is a non entity and character development is terrible. All are legitimate. Sebastian is a hollow character who lacks dimension. The elements of his back story that become known completely fail to impact the actions he takes. Worse, the back story fails to make the player identify with Seb. The same can be said of the Seb's sidekicks.

    The criticism that the game lacks character development and that Sebastian is a hollow, undeveloped character should be tempered by the fact that The Evil Within is about setting and mood, not character. Setting and mood is developed and done so well. Take it for what is. This is a video game and not a movie. Not every game will be The Last of Us in terms of story or voice acting. The game still succeeds at what it needs to at basic levels to be fun.

    The plot of The Evil Within is much maligned by gamers. No pulled punches here - it makes no sense. Critical aspects of the story are never explained. At the end of the game you are unsure where Sebastian really is. Side character Kidman is acting out a completely separate mission and has a completely different perspective to the story that no one else sees and is not revealed until the purchase of two DLC games. The story falls short. At no point did I feel I fully grasped what was going on. I got bits and pieces, filled in some holes, but I never felt confident I understand the whole story the game attempts to tell. If you are a gamer who needs the game to have an excellent story this game is not for you.

    The Evil Within is a good but not great game. It gets a 7/10. It succeeds in being a horror/survival game and in challenging the gamer to outthink enemies while marshaling resources. Its very challenging. It fails graphically (the game does not really appear "next gen" or that much better than late release PS3 games. I expected more) and the story is overly convoluted and non sensical at times. The voice acting is average. What the game does well though it does very well, namely create setting and mood and make the player feel they are in a horror movie.

    If you can play this game for what it is - a horror/survival game meant to be a creepy and tough to survive - its enjoyable and worth the full purchase price. If you can't enjoy an overly challenging game or you need a good story and great voice acting this game is not for you even at a reduced price. Lastly, if you can't get over it being a repurposing of RE4 - its not for you    … Expand
  17. AbstractCat
    Aug 21, 2015
    7
    While investigating the scene of a gruesome mass murder, Detective Sebastian Castellanos and his partners encounter a menacing and powerful force. After witnessing the slaughter of fellow officers, Sebastian is ambushed and knocked unconscious. When he awakens, he finds himself in a deranged world where hideous creatures wander among the dead. Facing unimaginable terror, and fighting forWhile investigating the scene of a gruesome mass murder, Detective Sebastian Castellanos and his partners encounter a menacing and powerful force. After witnessing the slaughter of fellow officers, Sebastian is ambushed and knocked unconscious. When he awakens, he finds himself in a deranged world where hideous creatures wander among the dead. Facing unimaginable terror, and fighting for survival, Sebastian embarks on a daunting journey to unravel that which is behind this evil force… Expand
  18. njja02
    May 15, 2018
    7
    Cheesy, dumb, but fun. Not much else than that, it has many different creative elements that kept me engaged.
  19. denissix
    Mar 16, 2022
    7
    Casual and Survival mode score "9/10"
    Nightmare and AKUMU sadistic mode "-50/10" (specially chapter 6)
  20. Tedmoez
    Oct 22, 2015
    7
    As a survival horror game, this game did an excellent job making you feel on the edge of your seat. I have not had those feelings of impending doom since the old resident evils and silent hills. The story was just okay, but my one major gripe is as follows. I should have heeded the warning of the gamestop employee when they said that this game was extremely frustrating. There are alot ofAs a survival horror game, this game did an excellent job making you feel on the edge of your seat. I have not had those feelings of impending doom since the old resident evils and silent hills. The story was just okay, but my one major gripe is as follows. I should have heeded the warning of the gamestop employee when they said that this game was extremely frustrating. There are alot of mechanics where you die from one shot, I found my self dying many times throughout the game and almost just gave up on the game completely. Although i had the difficulty settings on casual, it was still very difficult. for me, this aspect took alot of the enoyability out of the game. how it been easier, i would have given the game a 9.… Expand
  21. elyuper
    May 12, 2016
    7
    The best way to describe this game is "entertaining enough". You have to be a fan of horror survivor games so you can really enjoy it. I'm not really a fan of this kind of games but sure the game has some good things.
    The story is intriguing but at the same time it has a lot of holes in it. There are certain things that you have to discover for yourself because the game doesn´t give you    The best way to describe this game is "entertaining enough". You have to be a fan of horror survivor games so you can really enjoy it. I'm not really a fan of this kind of games but sure the game has some good things.
    The story is intriguing but at the same time it has a lot of holes in it. There are certain things that you have to discover for yourself because the game doesn´t give you clues, but actually that's a good thing for me but you have to be patient because you're gonna die a lot. I give it a 7 because it can entertain you enough, be scary at some points but it'll leave you with a lot of questions and for me it doesn't have replay value.    … Expand
  22. KayVen17
    Sep 26, 2018
    7
    Deutsche Review - Kritik Der folgende Test ist in 5 Kategorien zusammengefasst. Diese 5 Kartegorien ergeben die Gesamtpunktzahl von 0 - 100 Punkten. Um einen passenden Userscore zu geben wird auf oder abgerundet. Bei 84 Punkten ergibt das einen User Score von 8. Bei 86 einen von Userscore von 9. Falls eine 85 kommt entscheide ich ob ich es eher positiv oder negativ nehme. RegelnDeutsche Review - Kritik Der folgende Test ist in 5 Kategorien zusammengefasst. Diese 5 Kartegorien ergeben die Gesamtpunktzahl von 0 - 100 Punkten. Um einen passenden Userscore zu geben wird auf oder abgerundet. Bei 84 Punkten ergibt das einen User Score von 8. Bei 86 einen von Userscore von 9. Falls eine 85 kommt entscheide ich ob ich es eher positiv oder negativ nehme. Regeln verstanden? Dann sind hier meine Punkte. Mein persönlicher Score = 75/100 Mein User Score = 7/10… Expand
  23. TookieReview
    Sep 13, 2016
    7
    Something that's not as good as what it tries very hard to be, but is all the same, a very good horror game. The Evil Within was one of the first games that I personally picked up on the PS4 and I enjoyed it a heavy amount when I played it. The story doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me by the end of it, but I enjoyed the implications and some of the characters. The main characterSomething that's not as good as what it tries very hard to be, but is all the same, a very good horror game. The Evil Within was one of the first games that I personally picked up on the PS4 and I enjoyed it a heavy amount when I played it. The story doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me by the end of it, but I enjoyed the implications and some of the characters. The main character himself is a boring piece of wood, and so is both of his partners that you barely see in small bits throughout the game. The game didn't run perfectly throughout my playtime and as an overall experience it's very clunky and with many quirks. But I liked it, and it was a fun game that I enjoyed my time with while it lasted.… Expand
  24. VTL
    Nov 20, 2019
    7
    El juego está bien, pero siendo del creador de DMC y RE me esperava más. La primera hora y media es colosal la verdad pero luego navega entre un juego de accion y terror sin definirse muy bien. Excelentes DLCs por cierto. Si te gusta el terror, por el precio que a dia de hoy tiene 2019... compra fija. Grande Sebastian !!
  25. atxgomes
    Sep 14, 2019
    7
    The game is strong on the horror element, but it's hard to ignore the issues with the camera positioning. Also the story was kinda underwhelming.

    During the initial chapters it hints at some incredible twists and you start imagining convoluted explanations for what is going on, but in the end it was just the most simple scenario. Not to be too mean, but the major reason you should    The game is strong on the horror element, but it's hard to ignore the issues with the camera positioning. Also the story was kinda underwhelming.

    During the initial chapters it hints at some incredible twists and you start imagining convoluted explanations for what is going on, but in the end it was just the most simple scenario.

    Not to be too mean, but the major reason you should buy this game is to understand the references and flashbacks from the Evil Within 2.    … Expand
  26. Chempion1
    Nov 18, 2021
    7
    Ну, что сказать? Недавно прошел Resident Evil Village и почему то вспомнил Evil Within.
    Когда игра выходила, помню очень много уверений в том, что это и будет тот самый каноничный Resident Evil от которого так далеко ушла шестая часть. Авторы почти не обманули. Объясню почему почти.
    Атмосфера в игре получилась очень напряжённая. В некоторых моментах просто не хочется проходить дальше. Не    Ну, что сказать? Недавно прошел Resident Evil Village и почему то вспомнил Evil Within.
    Когда игра выходила, помню очень много уверений в том, что это и будет тот самый каноничный Resident Evil от которого так далеко ушла шестая часть. Авторы почти не обманули. Объясню почему почти.
    Атмосфера в игре получилась очень напряжённая. В некоторых моментах просто не хочется проходить дальше. Не то, что страшно, а просто как то неприятно. Может это и есть атмосфера настоящего хоррора, но мне было как то не комфортно.
    Вот то, что касается сильных ощущений от игры.
    Теперь о не очень весёлом. Мне не понравилась шутерная часть игры, стрелять мне было не удобно. Передвигаться кстати тоже. Не знаю какая то корявость была во всём этом. Это касается и стэлса.
    Да в этом игра чем то напоминала Resident Evil 4, но только в этом.
    История, ну лично для меня, была не плохая.
    Честно говоря выдохнул когда прошел игру до конца, это мне чем то напомнило прохождение Resident Evil 7. Игра не плохая, но возвращаться в неё я не хочу.
    Кстати в сиквеле исправили всё то, что мня так угнетало в оригинале. Да и эта душащая атмосфера исчезла. Как по мне сплошные плюсы.
    Проходил игру на XBox 360, но пробовал и на PlayStation 4. Визульно разницы не заметил, может разрешение повыше. Поэтому и оценки +- одинаковые.    … Expand
  27. Xavarent
    Jun 27, 2020
    7
    It has its ups and downs not gonna lie. The story is a mess, in a good way I think. It's so confusing at times but understandable to a degree. Sadly they didn't pick it up in the sequel but maybe in the third game. The Gameplay is fun, it reminds me of The Last of Us, but it's also like RE4. The different settings are all great but it adds to the confusion. The DLCs are really good andIt has its ups and downs not gonna lie. The story is a mess, in a good way I think. It's so confusing at times but understandable to a degree. Sadly they didn't pick it up in the sequel but maybe in the third game. The Gameplay is fun, it reminds me of The Last of Us, but it's also like RE4. The different settings are all great but it adds to the confusion. The DLCs are really good and more scary than the main game, also the Executioner as a character is f...ing awesome. All in all it's fine, but that's only my opinion, not a fact.… Expand
  28. Chaosemerald
    Dec 5, 2020
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Honestly the game got annoying a few times many glitches limited resources and overpowered enemies slightly uninteresting characters and lack of scares. Despite this areas had great atmosphere, great weapons, story mostly alright but there are more downs than ups. (The middle of the game is the best of all)… Expand
  29. MCLFUS92
    Jan 31, 2022
    7
    Просто хороший хоррор. Очень крутой сюжет, атмосфера.Геймплей, Графон, Механики - Коктейль яда.
  30. GAME-OVERcv
    Nov 1, 2022
    7
    Despite the 7 i really enjoyed this game a lot, i was reading the collectables to undertstand even more about the game. The probems are the grapichs i also hate the annoying black bars on the top and bottem of the screen and theres not much horror, felt more like a resident evil game but with bad graphics
  31. phoenix_prjct
    Feb 12, 2023
    7
    Final Thoughts:

    The Evil Within is great fun…as an action game. Its gameplay and mechanics make the player think about their next moves, and with some thrilling tension and glimmers of plot potential, it’s a decent start to a series I’m looking forward to continuing.

    For the full review and more posts like it, visit my site: The Phoenix Project - Read. Watch. Play.
  32. wesker2012
    Jun 9, 2023
    6
    I finally beat this game after playing it a few times and getting bored. It was quite the torturous chore to beat because of the trial and error gameplay that you had to nearly perfect before proceeding forward. It was more of a challenge to overcome than a fun game to play. The plot/story didn't seem to really amount to anything even by the credits which was a disappointment.
  33. TheBoredBoy
    Oct 16, 2014
    6
    as depressing as it is for my to type, this isnt what a lot of people hoped it would be. at the start i was loving every second, i liked the atmosphere, where the story was going, all of it. but after, it losing any any effect. the gore is there but there horror isnt. it takes you out of control of your character a lot and its more of a we're gonna show you but your not actually gonna doas depressing as it is for my to type, this isnt what a lot of people hoped it would be. at the start i was loving every second, i liked the atmosphere, where the story was going, all of it. but after, it losing any any effect. the gore is there but there horror isnt. it takes you out of control of your character a lot and its more of a we're gonna show you but your not actually gonna do it. it ends up being rather disappointing. the enemies are fantastically done, really superb. but besides that, theres not much to them. i could go on all day about how much ive grown to dislike a lot especially the way the save points and non skip-able moments are handled, but at the end of the day i really do wanna keep going back. i wanna play. theres not many games like this anymore and maybe thats why. if im honest id say if your a fan id watch someone play it unless your desperate for a new game and you dont care about any of the problems, and you just want a third person shooter with horror elements, and no real expectation, then this is for you… Expand
  34. spacepup13
    Oct 21, 2014
    6
    This game has some really good spots, but so far the melee of the game is useless, the story is pretty much the anime version of Resident Evil. The use of gore seems more important than suspense. The fail of this game comes from pacing and the sluggish way they create a sense of suspense. You have to do more than limit a persons ammo and use gore to create a suspense. Bethseda as usualThis game has some really good spots, but so far the melee of the game is useless, the story is pretty much the anime version of Resident Evil. The use of gore seems more important than suspense. The fail of this game comes from pacing and the sluggish way they create a sense of suspense. You have to do more than limit a persons ammo and use gore to create a suspense. Bethseda as usual gives up great graphics and great sound but that is not enough to rate it higher. For suspense I would go with Alien Isolation.… Expand
  35. Rem
    Oct 15, 2014
    6
    While the scares are genuine and the visuals are terrific, it does not save the fact that The Evil Within has a lacking plot with a comically bad protagonist who seems detached from every situation. The frames tend to dip, and the shooting mechanics are competent but not excellent. However the best and worst this game has to offer is its difficulty. It can be brutally difficult andWhile the scares are genuine and the visuals are terrific, it does not save the fact that The Evil Within has a lacking plot with a comically bad protagonist who seems detached from every situation. The frames tend to dip, and the shooting mechanics are competent but not excellent. However the best and worst this game has to offer is its difficulty. It can be brutally difficult and challenging which leads to exciting and tense moments when you are on low ammo, but tends to lean on unfair at times which feels rather cheap.… Expand
  36. SpongyTwinkies
    Oct 27, 2014
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Rough. That one word sums up how I feel about this game. The director tried to pull off a horror game that borders between action and survival, but I don't believe he accomplished his goal.

    The game is closer to action than survival and this has probably confused some people, raising complaints about low ammunition supplies, awkward camera angles, and rather boring play. Yet, the player character's pacing is not quite action. Gamers looking for a survival experience might not like the uninteresting usage of playable elements to accomplish goals. Both sides of the complaint are probably correct.

    Then there are story and character credibility issues, which I can usually overlook for the sake of gameplay. I found them too annoying in The Evil Within. In the beginning, your character's leg is injured and you limp along. Not much later, you are running around and it's never explained how except we might assume it's all just a bizarre dream. Or something. A monster quickly scales fences like an angry spider, hops around with springy agility, and tears apart metal chain link as if it were warm butter, yet it can't seem to jump across some piping to attack you or break down checkpoint and cutscene doors.

    Occasionally, you experience a WTF moment, like going back for Joseph's glasses after escaping a zombie dog mini-boss, or whatever it was. Afterword, your character comments how ridiculous that was - so why include it? I won't go into more of these moments because they are too painful to reconsider.

    Top this game off with a somewhat confusing story and you've got a mess of a game. The story starts confusing and only begins to make some sense as you progress. Sometimes it's interesting, if not a little angsty and cliche. (Great! another black haired monster that looks like it crawled out of the movie "The Ring".) I give the director credit for trying a disconnected plot structure but he can get away with this immediate confusion only because the player might be compelled to continue playing out the action first, hoping the story eventually makes sense. If this had been a book and your focus was on just the story, the reader probably would have quit after the first or second chapter.

    I'm not even sure I find the game scary or fun to play. I can think of a number of horror games, such as Fatal Frame, that I enjoy much more than this title. Many of them on the PS2; so, sometimes I go back and play them. I don't think I will do the same for this title    … Expand
  37. ChazzRabble
    Oct 16, 2014
    6
    This game tends to keep stumbling over itself with really tacky cut scenes and bad acting. Also the graphics look really quite dated and the black bars at the top and bottom of the screen are frustrating with such a close and clumsy camera view. I'm hoping the next few hours of the game will improve as so far I'm quite unimpressed.
  38. ChristianDiaz
    Oct 24, 2014
    6
    The Evil Within succeeds at bringing back the enjoyment of survival horror with it's well crafted atmosphere, but struggles as an enjoyable video game experience with it's horribly frustrating combat.
  39. Lizarraga
    Oct 14, 2014
    6
    I didn't play many chapters but the first ones were enough for me to return this game. Many people are complaining about the black bars but I didn't mind. I'm not a graphic enthusiast but the graphics are just horrific in my opinion. It's actually the first time where I complain about graphics. The story is neither bad nor good. Its gloominess can be compared to games like "The Last OfI didn't play many chapters but the first ones were enough for me to return this game. Many people are complaining about the black bars but I didn't mind. I'm not a graphic enthusiast but the graphics are just horrific in my opinion. It's actually the first time where I complain about graphics. The story is neither bad nor good. Its gloominess can be compared to games like "The Last Of Us".

    What I really liked about this game was the enemy design.. but that's it. I have never played Resident Evil before and this is actually the first game by Shinji Mikami that I played.
    I really like this genre but it didn't shock me at all.

    I'd borrow this game from a friend or a rental shop before buying it, especially because it has no MP or Co op.    … Expand
  40. D3tonator
    Oct 18, 2014
    6
    This is a quick first impression review- The ambiance, atmosphere and violent horror vibe is approached very well, I felt on edge during my enemy encounters, exploration of the map is critical as crafting components are hard to come across and necessary for character upgrades. However, for me, this is where the fun had stopped. Clunky controls and camera issues hinder your most basicThis is a quick first impression review- The ambiance, atmosphere and violent horror vibe is approached very well, I felt on edge during my enemy encounters, exploration of the map is critical as crafting components are hard to come across and necessary for character upgrades. However, for me, this is where the fun had stopped. Clunky controls and camera issues hinder your most basic movement, melee combat is very plan unlike the creative "combo" melee hits in "The Last of Us".

    Its also worth noting the very constant texture popping and bad frame rate drops- personally, I would have expected better performance, especially on the next generation consoles.

    On first impressions - The Evil Within is not the most outstanding game ever made but if you are a die hard survival horror fan, this one is for you.    … Expand
  41. jstanothergamr
    Oct 29, 2014
    6
    The Evil Within = (ResEvil 4.5 - Horror - Difficulty) / Bad Story = 6

    Unfortunately, The Evil Within is a re-skinned RE 4 without the difficulty. There are definitely some interesting techniques at play with the framing, camera movement, and seamless set changes, but all in all, the story and scares fail completely. The story is also so poorly developed it can't support the weight of    The Evil Within = (ResEvil 4.5 - Horror - Difficulty) / Bad Story = 6

    Unfortunately, The Evil Within is a re-skinned RE 4 without the difficulty. There are definitely some interesting techniques at play with the framing, camera movement, and seamless set changes, but all in all, the story and scares fail completely. The story is also so poorly developed it can't support the weight of its ideas and falls into hilarious absurdity.
    When I heard that this was going to be a difficult game, I was extremely excited, but after 16hrs of playtime I only died a total of 30 times (a majority of those times from when the cutscenes randomly ended and something squashed/ shot/ filetted/ disemboweled, etc, me simply because I had no idea I was back in the game). I also ran out of ammo in only two instances, but that was quickly negated by the fact the game always has bolts ready for you.
    RE4 had a lore to back up the absurd story, insanely memorable moments (that damn cabin), and an unmatched intensity. TEW just ends up being a bore.
    I'd suggest checking it out as a rental or if the price drops to $30 or less.    … Expand
  42. Maguro
    Nov 5, 2014
    6
    The Evil Within: A ridiculous, directionless mess of random horror.

    Mikami, the master of survival horror? Well, this game proves something everyone should have known already: It’s not Mikami who makes the brilliant games, it's Mikami AND his team. And clearly, his current team isn't the best! Let's start with the good things though. Some of the environment designs are really    The Evil Within: A ridiculous, directionless mess of random horror.

    Mikami, the master of survival horror? Well, this game proves something everyone should have known already: It’s not Mikami who makes the brilliant games, it's Mikami AND his team. And clearly, his current team isn't the best!

    Let's start with the good things though.

    Some of the environment designs are really good, especially the idea of the asylum with the light that results in very cool vistas and a nice and original atmosphere. The color palette of green and yellow early in the game is also very cool. The game is playable, it's not boring and somewhat challenging, and does show some potential, especially in the later chapters.

    ....However, the game has so many serious and obvious flaws that are impossible to overlook.

    It is a huge mess of gameplay, characters, scenes, colors, interface elements etc etc. There is no buildup in tension or story, nor any character development. Instead, you go from random area to random area in high succession. Meanwhile, the characters are generic, boring and lack development. Why do I care about the doctor and the (badly voice-acted) mental patient, or the Kidman-girl with the most plastic generic face I have ever seen? Or the main character for that matter? Why are his clothes so 1920? Why do a lot of characters have Spanish names yet don't look Spanish at all? Why is there such a contrast in Ruviks design, being so anime-ish? Was he designed by somebody else? Where is the consistency?

    And the dialogue is ridiculous! The main character, after encountering zombies, doorway mirrors, brain devices, waking up in the same room over and over again, traps, a monstergirl with excessive limbs, invisible enemies, states after 2 hours in the game something like " Maybe we should get out of here, this place is strange". Wow, really? You didn't notice earlier? One of many, many examples.

    The interface elements are a mess of styles (sometimes sort of realistic, sometimes in color, sometimes portal style icons). The eye that is constantly on screen to show if enemies see you is sometimes ridiculous. They are trying to tear of my head, of course they see me, I really don't need that icon there to remind me.

    The black bars that cut off half your vision would not have been such an issue, if the developers would have adjusted the player size to the now smaller screen size. But they didn't and now it feels like you are playing the game squinting your eyes. Why did they put those bars in anyway?

    The lighting and textures in the game look dated, they are sometimes overly lit or the contrast is too high. The wood in some areas has so much contrast it looks like painted plastic. The fog is very white as if constantly lit by bright lamps. There are lights everywhere, which ruins any mysteriousness or scariness of the scenes.

    The framerate drops often and there are a lot of LOD issues.

    It all feels very "gamey" (with random, unexplained ammo everywhere, level design with obvious traps and keys and doors, interface icons etc). That gamey-ness makes the game lean towards an almost comical atmosphere. The P.T. demo for instance is so scary because of its realism, as is the Last of Us. You can sort of imagine being there. Yet this game reminds me constantly that it's nothing more than a game. Like the effect of the main character blowing apart when triggering a trap. That's not scary, that is really over-the-top ridiculous.

    The dated "you die and have to start at a checkpoint a while ago" mechanic annoys greatly. Playing the same part over and over again is bothersome enough as it is, but passing that jump-scare moment again and again (like that guy that randomly crashes down from the sky in the village) is absolutely ridiculous.

    I could go on.

    The game feels like a thousand random horror ideas thrown in to one, without any selection at all. It really is as if no one was directing this game, such a mess of random ideas, quality and styles.

    Really, Mikami?    … Expand
  43. the_8bit_kingdo
    Dec 29, 2014
    6
    What a sorry excuse for a horror game.
    "Scary" for all the wrong reasons.:
    - Horrible, basically non-existant story. ---> To y'know, keep you interested. - Next to no character development. ---> to y'know, make you care about the characters and what you're doing. - Shoddy, decade old style of play / ripoff of much better games. (I.E., RE4, Last of Us...) ---> But never really    What a sorry excuse for a horror game.
    "Scary" for all the wrong reasons.:

    - Horrible, basically non-existant story. ---> To y'know, keep you interested.

    - Next to no character development. ---> to y'know, make you care about the characters and what you're doing.

    - Shoddy, decade old style of play / ripoff of much better games. (I.E., RE4, Last of Us...) ---> But never really doing anything good with them. (read: pointless, blatent rip-off)

    - Overly difficult in all the wrong ways. ---> I like a challenge, but after the 18th time getting slaughtered by a knockoff chainsaw guy or even "accidentally" by some dime-a-dozen, wandering like a lost dog zombie guy and forced, beginning of the level restarts (think megaman 1 minus a method to the madness) pretty much forced me to reconsider buying games without trying them before I buy, like ever again.

    - And on, and on, and on.

    --------------------------------------------------

    Reserved a copy and got the "fighting chance pack".
    More like, the "something to blow your nose with pack" cause wow, an extra shotgun with 4 rounds, extra couple of viles of green liquid and whatever else, little thingies that basically become useless after you piss them away trying to figure out just what the hell you're supposed to be doing.

    Don't get me wrong, I really, really wanted and really, really tried to like this game.
    BUT, it became very aparent after day after day trials and errors, that this was just not a well thought out game, nor worth sticking around for to find out if it actually did get any better after level 3 or 4...

    Waste of valuable resources.
    The graphics could have been something great, but felt (and looked) like a sub-par, last gen, bargain-bin title.
    Bethesda should be ashamed of themselves.

    Someone over there should be performing hara-kiri for such a travesty.    … Expand
  44. Jaga-9403
    Dec 11, 2016
    6
    Uma adaptacion un poco extraña de resident evil 4, y silent hill, una trama que deja mucho que desear, en donde tu eres un policia que investiga un caso, y los enemigos son mmm un tanto psicologicos, muy fuertes abrumador y tu un simple policia los derrotas, mejorando armas y habilidades,
    A nivel grafico es mmm aceptable sin anda que descatar, tomando en cuenta que es un juego de la    Uma adaptacion un poco extraña de resident evil 4, y silent hill, una trama que deja mucho que desear, en donde tu eres un policia que investiga un caso, y los enemigos son mmm un tanto psicologicos, muy fuertes abrumador y tu un simple policia los derrotas, mejorando armas y habilidades,
    A nivel grafico es mmm aceptable sin anda que descatar, tomando en cuenta que es un juego de la pasada generacion, el nivel de dificultad es bueno, tienes que pensar en el tipo de arma a utiilizar pero muy lineal, demasiado para mi gusto, en cuanto a detalle, me parecio muy cool que los saves del titulo sea a traves de espejos, y cuando lo hagas se haga un grieta y la musica muy buena xD
    Pero mmm hizo falta mas contenido, extra o secundario, una trama que pudo ver sido mejor, ya que mm lfue como una pelicula, y yo no busco eso en un videojuego, tiene que ser mas asombroso.
    Aunque dejenme decirles la escena inicial en la mansion es muy buena, y eso fue por el cual lo compre, xD, lo consegui en $40 en su lanzamiento a PS4.    … Expand
  45. Caerleon
    Dec 7, 2017
    6
    I can't understand the haters of this game. This is an objectively excellent horror, which is made in the best traditions of this genre. The problem of the game is that it came out at one time with fashionable screamers like Fivi Nights at Freddy and Outlast. For example, in this game you are trying to frighten the atmosphere and plot instead of stupid crawlers in an unexpected place. TheI can't understand the haters of this game. This is an objectively excellent horror, which is made in the best traditions of this genre. The problem of the game is that it came out at one time with fashionable screamers like Fivi Nights at Freddy and Outlast. For example, in this game you are trying to frighten the atmosphere and plot instead of stupid crawlers in an unexpected place. The only thing that amuses and annoys at the same time is the movement and running of the main character :)… Expand
  46. BITESCREEN
    Jun 22, 2017
    6
    Mit The Evil Within will Resident Evil-Vater Shinji Mikami das Survival-Horror-Genre zu seinen Wurzeln zurückführen. Dazu sondiert der Genreveteran 20 Jahre Horrorspiel-Geschichte und liefert einen eher uninspirierten Zitatbrei: Wie einst in Clock Tower versteckt man sich vor unbesiegbaren Killern, zielt aus der Resident Evil 4-Perspektive auf Forbidden Siren-Zombies und stolpert durchMit The Evil Within will Resident Evil-Vater Shinji Mikami das Survival-Horror-Genre zu seinen Wurzeln zurückführen. Dazu sondiert der Genreveteran 20 Jahre Horrorspiel-Geschichte und liefert einen eher uninspirierten Zitatbrei: Wie einst in Clock Tower versteckt man sich vor unbesiegbaren Killern, zielt aus der Resident Evil 4-Perspektive auf Forbidden Siren-Zombies und stolpert durch eine surreale Silent Hill-Szenerie. So richtig Survival Horror ist das Ganze dann aber doch nicht: Kugelmangel bleibt die Ausnahme, die Puzzles sind selten und simpel, sogar Checkpoints gibt es. Hinzu kommen zahlreiche handwerkliche Probleme und ein unsympathischer Hauptdarsteller ohne echte Schwächen oder Gefühle. Zum unterhaltsamen Videospiel langt es trotzdem: The Evil Within ist ungemein abwechslungsreich und die Geschichte um den Abstieg von Detective Sebastian Castellanos in den Wahnsinn spannend.… Expand
  47. Henriquez94
    Jun 6, 2018
    6
    The Evil Within, un titulo que esperaba mucho mas de lo ofrecido, el inicio del juego es frenetico, muy bueno, te transmite una sensacion de un horror survivor, muy entretenidas las primeras horas de juego.
    Pero a partir de poco antes de la mitad, muy decepcionante, muy corto, una historia no muy buena, pero sus boss son muy muy entretenidos, pero no encajan en la historia, son muy buenos    The Evil Within, un titulo que esperaba mucho mas de lo ofrecido, el inicio del juego es frenetico, muy bueno, te transmite una sensacion de un horror survivor, muy entretenidas las primeras horas de juego.
    Pero a partir de poco antes de la mitad, muy decepcionante, muy corto, una historia no muy buena, pero sus boss son muy muy entretenidos, pero no encajan en la historia, son muy buenos modelados, diseños pero no pegan con la historia, un progreso estilo RPG que deja mucho que desear, la jugabilidad es mala, a mi en lo personal no me gusto.
    Graficamente: Es un port de PS3, si ya lo jugaste en PS3, no vale la pena re jugarlo en PS4.
    Jugabilidad: Muy malo, es al estilo de resident evil 4, sinseramente paso de jugar asi en la actual generacion o incluso en PS3.
    Narrativa: MMM muy extraña la historia, como digo los personajes, los boss, tienen un diseño excelente, la sensacion al huir de ellos es grata, es lo que se espera de un horror survival, pero la trama no, es malisima.
    Controles: Pues no es dificil, muy bien adaptados.
    El juego lo compre en $40 , usado, me senti estafado al terminarlo, y otro mas que cuenta con DLC.
    Mi nota es alta para este titulo, pero es que los enemigos son asombrosos, es una recopilacion de enemigos, y han creado a uno en especial que me encanta, y no no me refiero a la mujer gritona, me refiero al de la portada.

    Saludos.    … Expand
  48. ThePSButton
    May 6, 2020
    6
    The Evil Within es un survival horror competente con ciertas dolencias en su jugabilidad: mecánicas aventadas a la mezcla para hacerlo “diferente” que lo único que logran es mermar la experiencia -como el sistema súper básico de sigilo. Cuando saca su lado más psicológico y japonés funciona y da miedito, y la mayoría del tiempo es disfrutable, pero su manufactura general es muy promedio.The Evil Within es un survival horror competente con ciertas dolencias en su jugabilidad: mecánicas aventadas a la mezcla para hacerlo “diferente” que lo único que logran es mermar la experiencia -como el sistema súper básico de sigilo. Cuando saca su lado más psicológico y japonés funciona y da miedito, y la mayoría del tiempo es disfrutable, pero su manufactura general es muy promedio. Ah, y tiene un final bastante vomitivo que daña el producto final.… Expand
  49. Hekii
    Jul 24, 2022
    6
    It's different, nice game to play I don't like these kind of story but I was excited
  50. renatoelyone
    Mar 31, 2023
    6
    Jogo mediano pra baixo, historia fraca, personagem sem carisma, gameplay mediano. O melhor desse jogos são os graficos. jogo muito repetitivo ao extremo sem variedade de combate Collaps.
  51. kris2fur
    Jan 5, 2015
    5
    This game is broken, hard, glitchy, horrible and has a horrible ending.
    Finally finished it today glad it's over with.
    So the main character is pretty funny he would rather be picking up bottles than climbing out of the monster infested water and impending death. You will see things like this more and more the more you play. Like hung up bodies that you waste matches on that don't    This game is broken, hard, glitchy, horrible and has a horrible ending.
    Finally finished it today glad it's over with.

    So the main character is pretty funny he would rather be picking up bottles than climbing out of the monster infested water and impending death. You will see things like this more and more the more you play.
    Like hung up bodies that you waste matches on that don't burn. There's more than this though.

    The controls switch to type C mediately, prevents the constant incursion of the menu during battle. There is also a one second latency so don't just mash melee as after two melees the enemy automatically counter attacks.

    P.S. EVERYONE who gave this a user score of ten is INSANE.

    There are some frame rate issues and I'm not talking about when they are pulsing the screen to build drama.

    I liked the game early on and welcomed the challenge, that is what this game is a challenge. The hunting for parts and ammo is great a real survival horror game, but that's about where it ends.

    Buy this if you loved RE6 and other glitchy poorly storylined horror games.    … Expand
  52. doodlerman
    Feb 13, 2017
    5
    After a pretty brilliant, tense intro things take a complete 180 and the game goes from horrific intrigue to garbage. That's not to say there aren't shining moments in the muck that is The Evil Within, but all in all, it's a glitchy mess that controls sloppily. It's odd to think that the same director of Resident Evil 4, one of the greatest and tightly designed games of all time, wouldAfter a pretty brilliant, tense intro things take a complete 180 and the game goes from horrific intrigue to garbage. That's not to say there aren't shining moments in the muck that is The Evil Within, but all in all, it's a glitchy mess that controls sloppily. It's odd to think that the same director of Resident Evil 4, one of the greatest and tightly designed games of all time, would stoop to this incoherent level of mediocrity.… Expand
  53. goodnightmare
    Oct 16, 2014
    5
    Meh. It's no Dead Space or The Last of Us, to be sure. Those games had their hooks in me from the first necromorph to the last conversation with Ellie. This game, well, I'm having to work at enjoying the experience. To be fair, I'm not very far along, but I've yet to see ground-breaking gameplay (not that it was ever promised but you'd think they'd have brought something to the table),Meh. It's no Dead Space or The Last of Us, to be sure. Those games had their hooks in me from the first necromorph to the last conversation with Ellie. This game, well, I'm having to work at enjoying the experience. To be fair, I'm not very far along, but I've yet to see ground-breaking gameplay (not that it was ever promised but you'd think they'd have brought something to the table), have yet to feel a real sense of dread or terror, and must agree with so many others when it comes to the story and characters: I just don't care. I wouldn't go so far as to label this game "awful", I've still got a long way to go and I may stumble upon some redeeming aspects, but if I could get my $60 back based on my first couple of hours with The Evil Within, I would.… Expand
  54. EchoBlack
    Oct 14, 2014
    5
    Hardly a return to classic survival horror, this game feels more like a modern, action-focused TPS with some cliché "hollywood" scares railroaded as part of set pieces. The game utterly fails at generating horror or even tension from its (abundant) combat and exploration scenarios. The survival aspect is also highly ineffectual, as consumables such as ammunition and healing items are amplyHardly a return to classic survival horror, this game feels more like a modern, action-focused TPS with some cliché "hollywood" scares railroaded as part of set pieces. The game utterly fails at generating horror or even tension from its (abundant) combat and exploration scenarios. The survival aspect is also highly ineffectual, as consumables such as ammunition and healing items are amply replenished between major encounters. The only semblance of game-long resource management is in the form of ability upgrades.

    This game has more in common with the Tomb Raider reboot or The Last of Us than Silent Hill or Resident Evil. It could be an interesting gateway game for people new to horror games, but long time fans can easily skip The Evil Within. However, fans of TPS or just action games in general are likely to find things to enjoy.    … Expand
  55. Diesel_Fox
    Jan 22, 2015
    5
    I don't understand the critical acclaim and love for this game. It tries to be a combination of The Last of Us, and Resident Evil 4, but comes up terribly short on both accounts. The visuals are just OK, the gameplay on all accounts, from movement to combat are just terrible and clunky, and feel unfinished. The voice acting, and dialogue are completely deplorable. Also, there is virtuallyI don't understand the critical acclaim and love for this game. It tries to be a combination of The Last of Us, and Resident Evil 4, but comes up terribly short on both accounts. The visuals are just OK, the gameplay on all accounts, from movement to combat are just terrible and clunky, and feel unfinished. The voice acting, and dialogue are completely deplorable. Also, there is virtually no ammo, even on easy the enemies take an obscene amount of ammo to kill, so you spend most of your time just running away, not necessarily my idea of a good time. I've had to push myself to finish this game, it just simply isn't fun. I can safely say that this was the biggest gaming disappointment of 2014 for me.… Expand
  56. Axlyss
    Oct 15, 2014
    5
    The game is so so while it has good story telling elements in some spots it suffers heavily on others. Scares are almost non existent the 'scary' element of this game is one big cliche. The characters are fun but lack depth. The game does take some time to beat which is a plus, The game has awesome camera effects stellar even.

    At the end of the day I could not bring myself to like the    The game is so so while it has good story telling elements in some spots it suffers heavily on others. Scares are almost non existent the 'scary' element of this game is one big cliche. The characters are fun but lack depth. The game does take some time to beat which is a plus, The game has awesome camera effects stellar even.

    At the end of the day I could not bring myself to like the characters or the plot.    … Expand
  57. Zafeer
    Nov 18, 2014
    5
    Come on Bethesda you can find better than this to publish. Horrible 80s style kung fu movie dialog with voice acting just as terrible. Lack luster gameplay. Burning bodies with matches when there's a huge bonfire 2 feet away?? No scares and no surprises. Pass on this turkey.
  58. thehenman
    Oct 15, 2014
    5
    Ok where to begin. Got this game having been a fan of survival horror for years. Just playing through alien isolation thinking that although flawed at times it is a very well made game. Full of suspense terror and slow paced with good controlles and great visuals. This big to issues are camera positioning and low frame rate as well perhaps as terrible last last gen controls of 10 yearsOk where to begin. Got this game having been a fan of survival horror for years. Just playing through alien isolation thinking that although flawed at times it is a very well made game. Full of suspense terror and slow paced with good controlles and great visuals. This big to issues are camera positioning and low frame rate as well perhaps as terrible last last gen controls of 10 years ago. No having crap controls do not make a game harder just more frustrating. The letterbox style visuals would be great if the framerate was not so low that you can not see what the hellmyou are doing hen it all kicks off. Add in the TERRIBLE camera angles and cramped spaces it makes for a very miserable experience. I placed about 3 hours until I sent it back to my rental service. His is not a scary or enjoyable game Ben the enemies are generic zombies most of the time. If you are thinking this will be the next gen horror game to have please think again. Play alien its way better.… Expand
  59. DSX714
    Oct 15, 2014
    5
    Really disappointing. Combat is horrible, Melee is useless half the time, You can waste all your ammo on one enemy and take multiple head shots to kill. There's no hit detection with the bullets alot of the time. Camera is very cramped, Hard to tell where enemies are. Stealth is very slow and requires alot of patience and if you have to keep reloading a checkpoint due to the broken combatReally disappointing. Combat is horrible, Melee is useless half the time, You can waste all your ammo on one enemy and take multiple head shots to kill. There's no hit detection with the bullets alot of the time. Camera is very cramped, Hard to tell where enemies are. Stealth is very slow and requires alot of patience and if you have to keep reloading a checkpoint due to the broken combat you will keep doing these slow stealth segments ALOT. Save points are scarce. Saving the game is very outdated save points take a bit to come across which once you find one can take you a good 30 seconds or more just to begin overwriting the data because of the process you have to go through. Story provides very little detail and the cast isn't too in depth. Screen is very fuzzy which is a filter that just makes the resolution look worse than it is. All in all a very 'meh' game. Was really disappointed as I was looking forward to this one.… Expand
  60. aandrew610
    Oct 14, 2014
    5
    The evil within is disappointing. The atmosphere and story are alright but its plagued by gameplay issues. The animations look unfinished and rushed and there is no sense of feeling in combat i feel as if i am punching air in moments.
  61. KateUptonsDcups
    Oct 16, 2014
    5
    Honestly the game isn't that good. Been there done that..Copy of Rockstar's Max Payne/Manhunt to the extreme. A crappy knockoff. The camera angles are terrible and you'd have a whole hell of an easier time controlling your onscreen character with a banana in a bowl of pudding. 5/10.
  62. Raankor
    Oct 20, 2014
    5
    PC user here - this is the LAST QTE game I EVER buy! The fights are predetermined - You have to fight them the way the Dev's developed them - You are not in control - the transition between QTE events to your control diminishes fun - You will die - A LOT. Very clunky play/mechanics - good story good idea - but as said before with ALL QTE PC ports - forgetaboutit - it just won't work(QTE inPC user here - this is the LAST QTE game I EVER buy! The fights are predetermined - You have to fight them the way the Dev's developed them - You are not in control - the transition between QTE events to your control diminishes fun - You will die - A LOT. Very clunky play/mechanics - good story good idea - but as said before with ALL QTE PC ports - forgetaboutit - it just won't work(QTE in PC) or the Dev's only care about consoles, idk. I'm on the Safe face boss fight (chpt 7/8?) and just "wow" > very frustrating. And no, I'm a PC gamer - no controller used > mechanical keyboard and good mouse.… Expand
  63. cherryzaad
    Oct 20, 2014
    5
    What are these reviewers smoking?

    I wanted desperately for the Evil Within to be a good game, I really did. It looked the part from all the positive press, and seemingly gorgeous graphics. But not even two hours in, I set the game aside for good. The one word to describe the Evil Within is overindulgent. From the opening moment where detective Castellanos is being chased by the    What are these reviewers smoking?

    I wanted desperately for the Evil Within to be a good game, I really did. It looked the part from all the positive press, and seemingly gorgeous graphics. But not even two hours in, I set the game aside for good.

    The one word to describe the Evil Within is overindulgent. From the opening moment where detective Castellanos is being chased by the chainsaw wielding maniac, it becomes apparent that the game is hell-bent on being akin to a haunted house attraction during Halloween season. The game is literally begging you to be scared, from the bright lights and the loud sounds, and the forced camera angles and the slow gameplay. The monsters yell and there is no time for subtlety. Atmosphere aside, I had absolutely horrible hit detection throughout and by the time I was at the village, being swarmed by enemies, I realized that I was having no fun at all.

    The Evil Within wants to disempower the player, which can be done more smoothly. Instead, the player is forced to fight against large mobs, with a nauseating camera and horrible aiming reticule. If you give the player tools to fight back, make the system run smoothly! Resident Evil 4 is a prime example! The game was terrifying BECAUSE the gunplay and the character movement felt so smooth. The scares came naturally.

    Skip this game. Just writing this review makes me angry.    … Expand
  64. BnSwiss
    Oct 22, 2014
    5
    The game itself is fun but the story fails to get you involved whatsoever which makes you totally apathetic to whats going on with the main character. Which means its hard to get scared when you don't even feel invested in his fate. I'm on chapter 6 and still don't know much of anything about him other than hes a cop whose obviously going crazy or perhaps everyone around him is going crazyThe game itself is fun but the story fails to get you involved whatsoever which makes you totally apathetic to whats going on with the main character. Which means its hard to get scared when you don't even feel invested in his fate. I'm on chapter 6 and still don't know much of anything about him other than hes a cop whose obviously going crazy or perhaps everyone around him is going crazy still not sure. This would of warranted a 7-8 but there's another issue the frame rate lags quite often and gets all glitchy, also i don't know if the border was meant to add cinematic effect or what but it seems to me like they just got lazy with getting the resolution right..… Expand
  65. Octavianus
    Oct 22, 2014
    5
    Should you buy it? If you're a fan of Resident Evil, I would say "yes, but wait for it". The graphics for the environments are great, and at times this game feels honestly terrifying, with level crafting that makes you feel a powerless and impending sense of dread at progressing. Some of the area designs are quite familiar - mental hospitals and dark jungles and such - but they manage toShould you buy it? If you're a fan of Resident Evil, I would say "yes, but wait for it". The graphics for the environments are great, and at times this game feels honestly terrifying, with level crafting that makes you feel a powerless and impending sense of dread at progressing. Some of the area designs are quite familiar - mental hospitals and dark jungles and such - but they manage to be executed so well that it doesn't quite matter that they're not the most unique.

    Having said that, though, while I feel this game excels in creating atmosphere, it excels yet more so in ruining that atmosphere by over the top cinematic scenes that would fit right in alongside Michael Bay-like explosions. Almost 10 minutes into the game, and a man with a chainsaw blunders around screaming after you, destroying any sense of subtle dread I felt, and not 5 minutes after that, the entire city begins collapsing in a catastrophic earthquake, with no immediate or adequate justification. Then, we morph into a level up area that fills so many horror cliche checkboxes that I'm less creeped out and more bored by how nondescript the black-and-white not-really-a-dream creepy-mental-hospital.

    The enemies themselves aren't conducive to a horror, either. Zombies in all but name-only, they resemble the cartoonish bosses of Resident Evil more than the oddly unsettling variants found in Silent Hill and Forbidden Siren. They're also introduced in the familiar dramatic way - the first one I encountered sparked a cutscene, which already removed my immersion, in which barbed wire exploded all over their bodies - and about an hour or two into the game, I stopped feeling the tenseness that I had during the hospital scene at the start. I began to recognise that this game wasn't out to frighten me, it was out to make me jump. The scares became predictable in the same way Resident Evil's were.

    The gore engine isn't properly applied, either. This game takes an approach that I would find more appropriate in the mind of a 13 year old teenage boy - the more guts, the better! It doesn't fit with the tense and subtle aura of terror the game is trying to create? Who cares, severed heads and people exploding into barbed wire, woo!

    Similarly, the story is hanging by a thread. Like most Japanese survival horror games, it is sustained mostly by in-game documents that provide less in the way of exposition and more in the way of filler text, there to give the illusion of depth or gravity to the situation, only to fall flat with me. It never feels properly woven into the narrative, instead coming off as a cheap tacked-on aside that they added when someone pointed out that games have to actually have a plot. The characters are thimble-deep, only existing as an avatar for you to maneuver around the spooky landscape, a far cry from the fleshed out James Sunderland, whose psychological troubles are reflected even in the town itself. There's no connection or mystery: start at point A, go to point B, get jump scared by some zombies, arrive at point B, find teammate, lose teammate, repeat.

    The gameplay, too, is lackluster. I would often find that controls stuck and the camera whizzed around into awkward places, sometimes ending up in an unfair death. However, I feel as if this issue isn't really game-breaking. It certainly isn't new; even Silent Hill 2, the father of all horror games, had beyond appalling camerawork and tank-like controls that got me killed more than a few times. The Evil Within is much more navigable than that, even if a little frustrating. In fact, it could even contribute to the sense of fear you feel when being chased by whatever cookie-cutter monster of the week locates you.    … Expand
  66. Altfire00
    Oct 22, 2014
    5
    This is a return to true survival horror from Resident Evil's Shinji Mikami, if you think that Resident Evil 4's action oriented gameplay was actually scary. The Evil Within is not scary - it is tense in the first couple of hours, but you'll start to see that the majority of the scares and horror elements are cliche and not revolutionary in any sense. After a couple of hours, the gameThis is a return to true survival horror from Resident Evil's Shinji Mikami, if you think that Resident Evil 4's action oriented gameplay was actually scary. The Evil Within is not scary - it is tense in the first couple of hours, but you'll start to see that the majority of the scares and horror elements are cliche and not revolutionary in any sense. After a couple of hours, the game simply becomes gather-and-run, as most enemies take decent amount of bullets to kill, along with burning their corpses using the very limited matches the bland protagonist can carry. Except the bosses. Expect to be one-shot by all of these unless you use the mostly obvious tools of the environment, like fire, to kill them. Oh, expect to die a lot too, as the game does rely on trial-and-error in some sections, which will kill you a lot. This takes a lot of the tension out of dying, any by extension a lot of the scares and intense moments. You'll want to upgrade Seb's sprint ability too, since he gets puffed out after a few seconds. You will be fighting the camera the whole game, and the black bars serve a more frustrating purpose than any cinematic one. The atmosphere and gunplay is great, though, which is why this is only getting an average review, but this is simply a harsh survival-action game under the misleading title of 'survival horror' that will feel very familiar in terms of content to all those who have played the first four main Resident Evil titles, particularly RE 4.… Expand
  67. nima0041
    Oct 25, 2014
    5
    When I first started up the game, the first thing I noticed were the black borders on the top and bottom of the game. They fill out more than a third (OVER 33%!) of the screen, which I found very annoying and stupid, since my 46'' screen suddenly went down to around 24''....

    The game starts out very well, setting the atmosphere and continues to hold a grasp of this atmosphere. This is    When I first started up the game, the first thing I noticed were the black borders on the top and bottom of the game. They fill out more than a third (OVER 33%!) of the screen, which I found very annoying and stupid, since my 46'' screen suddenly went down to around 24''....

    The game starts out very well, setting the atmosphere and continues to hold a grasp of this atmosphere. This is the only game where I've felt that you are never safe. No matter where I am, I get the feeling that something is going to happen or someone is going to appear, which is a feeling that not many games have invoked in me before. I get several jump-scares every time I play. Since the borders are so big, you don't have a lot of perspective,. which causes you to miss many things, including bombs etc.

    However, in my opinion, this game's worst aspect is its difficulty and boss fights on normal difficulty. It's not enough that normal enemies need around ten punches before they get down and they can one hit you, but the boss fights are EXTREMELY and meaninglessly difficult! The first real boss I encountered (minor boss fight spoiler) was the one where you had to get the chainsaw from him. He breaks out, and runs after you with a chainsaw. The first thing you try to do is lure him to the bomb that is activated when you're near it, which means you have to run past it so it doesn't explode on you. You're hoping that when the boss follows you, it'll explode on him, but it doesn't, which doesn't make ANY sense. So you shoot the bomb which seems to have almost no effect on the boss. You then run away a bit, since the boss starts running after you right away and it can one-hit you no matter what. But you get tired SO fast (after five-seven seconds) and you need fricking five seconds more to recover, where you're standing COMPLETELY still, not able to do anything whatsoever.

    This kind of difficulty ruins the game for me, because what fun is it to retry every boss fight fifty times, and win it based on finally being lucky and not aiming skill? This ruined the game for me, which is why I gave it a score of five.    … Expand
  68. andrecritic
    Dec 3, 2014
    5
    I'm sure if it were made by Tornado Corporation SA would be much better. After marketing invested in the game I bought in advance and I was very disappointed with the result. Median graphics, meaningless game no.
  69. Odogreviews
    Dec 5, 2016
    5
    The Evil Within is a survival horror game made by the legendary game creator Shinji Mikami who created The Resident Evil series and published by Bethesda. After reviewing the PC version of this game and giving it a zero people told me that I should give the game a second chance due to the fact the game is notorious for its poor PC port. I decided to pick up the PS4 version and give it aThe Evil Within is a survival horror game made by the legendary game creator Shinji Mikami who created The Resident Evil series and published by Bethesda. After reviewing the PC version of this game and giving it a zero people told me that I should give the game a second chance due to the fact the game is notorious for its poor PC port. I decided to pick up the PS4 version and give it a try. I found the experience on the console version much better compared to the awful train wreck that the PC port was and managed to finish it all the way through. I overall found The Evil Within a mediocre experienced that suffers from many technical shortcomings and lack of focus.

    The Evil Within suffers in its presentation and delivery. The game is locked at 30 frames which makes the game feel slow and sluggish. The Evil Within looks graphically last generation and even looks like a PS2 game at times. The horror games that came out the same year(2014) as The Evil Within had much more impressive graphics such as Alien: Isolation and P.T. The game also experiences frequent texture pop in, very low resolution textures and slow load times. The Evil Within also uses a very dated and old engine which may explain these technical problems. Closed in dark areas of the game look and load better compared to open areas this maybe also connected to the engine which was used for shooter games where much of the action is in corridors. The character models look ugly and dated and look last generation. The Evil Within is inspired by many horror movies which can be in the art style the game uses. The game visually appears to be inspired by gore themed horror like Saw and other slasher flicks. The gore effects are well done in the game but can be overdone and ridiculous. The Evil Within is also inspired by many horror games such as Silent Hill and Resident Evil. The game looks almost like if Silent Hill and Resident Evil had a baby. The game does use too many allusions from the Resident Evil series such as the village scene from Resident Evil 4 and the head turning zombie from Resident Evil 1 just to name a few. The sound design in the game is also not very impressive and sounds like it come out almost 10 years ago at times. The game does feature a solid music score except for the credit song which sounds like an awful JPop band. The Evil Within features many horrid awful looking monsters that you will have to fight and overcome throughout the game. The game features zombie like enemies called “the haunted” that stalk you throughout the game along with other grotesque enemies. The game features many visually interesting and freaky bosses that will keep you interested in playing more. I found some of the bosses uninspired though such as “the keeper” which is pretty much a pyramid head clone. The Evil Within offers interesting monsters but fails when it comes to polish and visuals.

    The Evil Within has a disconnected and confusing story. You play Sebastian Castellanos a detective who has been sent to Beacon Mental Hospital with his Partner Joseph Oda and a new recruit Juli Kidman from there the story takes off. The game seems to be trying to tell a more physiological story but falls flat on its face. The back of the game says that you are trapped in a crazy scientist's mind which sounds unoriginal but I felt could be told well. The game’s focus on disconnected areas that have little in common made it hard to be immersed in the game’s story and ruined the pacing.The game’s character are also boring, cartoonish, and one dimensional. Sebastian is a genetic gritty detective who I found no interest in the entire playthrough. The voice acting is especially awful as well especially Sebastian's voice actor who uses a generic gritty monotone voice throughout the entire game. The game ends at a predictable note full of plot holes. Knowing that the game was made by Shinji Mikami the creator of Resident Evil I was not expecting a good story at all but I still feel the story must be criticized. Bethesda released a concept book that shows how the game was developed and shows that the game was originally going to go for a more grounded approach. The game was going to focus more on the creepy mental hospital than the disconnected areas the game presents..The Evil Within tells a weak forgettable story.

    The Evil Within delivers a solid gameplay experience but suffers from the fact that it is dated. The Evil Within controls and plays much like Resident Evil 4 though a little smoother. The game feels more like a 3rd person shooter than a horror game at times which takes away from the experience.The game arms the player to the teeth with a pistol, shotgun, crossbow, sniper rifle, and a magnum to name a few. One feature I did like which was added to the game was a match burning system that allowed the player to use matches to burn downed enemies from coming back up. I liked this system and it reminded me of the zombie burning mechanic for the Resident Evil Remake. Head shots in The Evil Within are very satisfying and gorey and if not shot properly can lead to the enemy losing a chunk of its head. The game uses limited ammo and healing items and “brain gel” which can be used to upgrade the main character. I found the upgrade system unneeded and poorly implemented. Sebastian has ridiculously low sprint meter and inventory which was done to accommodate the upgrade system. The game has an imbalance of resources you gives more gel than bullets and healing items which are far more essential. The enemy A.I. is extremely dumb and so is the partner A.I. if not worse. The segments where you are with Joseph are not fun at all because you are forced to babysit him instead of taking care of yourself. The game also features boss fights throughout the experience. The boss fights are tedious, sometimes frustrating and boring. Essentially you just waste all your ammo and items in one big splurge until the boss is defeated. Bosses also have cheap one hit instakills that force the player to redo the fight from the beginning over and over again. I found this extremely frustrating whenever these would happen and would take away the fear and turn it into anger instead. The game seems to be taking cues from Dark Souls a game I particularly dislike for many reasons which can be checked out in one of my other reviews. The game over screens also have the same similar jingle to them that the ones in Dark Souls have. The game also hides in the environment annoying traps that greatly hinder progress. I found these traps unenjoyable and extremely frustrating. The traps are not scary at all and builds no tension. The game features interesting puzzles that have that are visually interesting and striking that give the player a break from the nonstop action. The end segment of the game is also atrocious and throws Sebastian into an arena where he is forced to fight off all the enemies from the game and is forced to fight a boss two times before being allowed to face the final boss. I found this cheap and unfair and the game difficulty suddenly escalates for no reason in this segment. The Evil Within has a solid combat and puzzles but suffers when it comes pacing and boss fights.

    The last question you maybe asking me is did you find the game scary? Sorry no I found the game not the scariest in the slightest. Horror needs to be grounded in some sort of reality and The Evil Within does not do that by telling a confusing story, arming the player to the teeth, and making the areas disconnected and pulling the rug under the player too many times.

    I found The Evil Within a messy game with many flaws that took away from my experience. I was not impressed by the presentation, graphics or gameplay. Resident Evil 7 is coming out next month and I am excited to play it. Capcom the creators of Resident Evil have given out a survey asking players which games they like and found this game among the ones asked and made sure not to include it. The Evil Within was dated the day it came out. It proves that game’s are not always defined by their creator. The new direction most horror games are taking now are superior than the titles of old. The third person horror game is officially dead and is now going to be replaced with first person atmospheric horror games instead. Horror games are not defined by their gameplay but should be instead defined by their presentation and story which are the most important in freaking and immersing the player. I believe The Evil Within is a flawed game no doubt but is more average than terrible.

    5/10: Average    … Expand
  70. drnik
    Dec 7, 2014
    5
    The best I can say about The Evil Within is that it was a noble but disappointing effort.
    I was happy to hear that Mikami was creating a real Survival Horror game, as opposed to the crappy last 2 releases of Resident Evil. Unfortunately, the game falls flat
    Graphics: They are OK. If this was a PS3 game, I would have been pleased with the graphics, but there really isn't anything "next    The best I can say about The Evil Within is that it was a noble but disappointing effort.
    I was happy to hear that Mikami was creating a real Survival Horror game, as opposed to the crappy last 2 releases of Resident Evil. Unfortunately, the game falls flat
    Graphics: They are OK. If this was a PS3 game, I would have been pleased with the graphics, but there really isn't anything "next gen" about the graphics. They aren't terrible though, I would say on par with Last of Us
    Sound: Mikama needs to realise that annoying =/= creepy. I literally had to turn the "music" off at the options because the constant screeching of metal was making the game unplayable
    Gameplay: Here's where it goes to hell. The camera spins, at random times, but its extra special when you are trying to run from something (aka always). Bullets occassionally go through enemies. Enemies grab you through solid walls. I had a zombie decapitate me with an axe through a wall.
    Difficulty: Survival horror is supposed to be hard. But its called SURVIVAL horror. On the first play through, you will die between 200 and 400 times. Most times being you step into a room and bomb explodes or sniper shoots you in the head. Literally unpredictable deaths that you must die so you can change behavior next try. Also, in survival horror you should be able to kill some stuff. On the first playthrough, you pretty much cannot kill anything. Just shoot it and run. All game long. On the second playthrough, weapons and ammo carry over, making the game playable and almost enjoyable. But there is NO reason they couldn't have given you weapons and a bit more ammo in the first place. Inexcusable
    Glitches: The game crashes. As in, the PS4 goes to an error screen and turns the game off. This happened 5 times on my first playthrough.
    On my 2nd playthrough, on at least 3 occassions, I would enter a room, and my character would fall through the ground. I would be in limbo, a pitch black environment with nothing loaded. impossible to advance the game. And the best part, if I try to re-load that game (even from a significantly earlier save point), it did this glitch every time, meaning that entire save file was corrupted and you better hope that an earlier save file on another save slot wont do the same.
    Those are unacceptable problems that should have delayed the game release.
    tl;dr
    Great game idea (old-school survival horror) but game breaking glitches and painful difficulty and camera problems make it almost unplayable    … Expand
  71. Muzzle131
    Dec 21, 2014
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game is pretty much a giant disappointment in terms of story, gameplay is pretty much RE4. The story is pretty bland and boring, character's are unlikable with little to no backstory to them, all the while the main antagonist get's the entire story to himself as everything revolves around him. The story isn't complete either as they announced DLC to explain parts of the story (pay to have your questions answered). The game is also a complete lie as to what it is; stating that it's a survival horror game and at first yes it seems that way with a stealth mechanic that would of been helpful, but after the first chapter they hand you a crap ton of weapons and being spotted is almost a guarantee with upgrades only affecting weapons not sneaking, this is at first forgiven Mikami has always been known to make a game have a little action but it becomes clearer of where the game is going as fights or encounters become repetitive and annoying with encounters usually being that you get discovered and there's no way to sneak.

    But back to story it's pretty badly written as the entire game is devoted to the main antagonist and his backstory, while our character get's a few pages of stereotypical backstory that only gives us a vague understanding of why we're here in the middle of the game. This along with clearly nothing to go on as for some reason the main antagonist and main character hate one another for no actual reason, the main character does at first have it out for Ruvik (main antagonist) but later discovers he was not responsible but in the late game they treat each other as nemesis's. There's also the dreadful ending that's obvious sequel bait and asking more questions then answering (until DLC) with it having no closure what so ever, and in fact the entire game is a giant waste of time since nothing was accomplished, in fact you made the situation worse by (spoiler) letting Ruvik escape into the real world (your in his mind but he's trapped and trying to find a way out by body jacking a little kid) which we don't even know is the real world and could be another layer of dream. The game also lacks what it wants to be as it makes dozens of homage's to other horror games/movies without providing anything for itself, trying to be Silent Hill 2 ends up being RE4 mixed with the two quests of Fallout 3 of saving your father from a simulation and going to the DLC to fight a brain in a jar, which guess what is exactly what happens in this game; Ruvik is a brain in a jar and it further proves that there's no reason for Sebastian and him to hate each other since Sebastian thought Ruvik killed his kid and kidnapped his wife but that entire time Ruvik was a brain and incapable of doing anything. The game also like I said lacks what it wants to be, take RE4 it was hell of fun and was self aware going between humor and horror easily, Evil Within however wants to be all serious and dark and executes it poorly by being un-fun which is ok in Survival horror and is suppose to substitute gameplay for story, except it does it the other way around of making gameplay fun as RE4s but still tries to pass itself off as survival horror making it boring.

    Recommendation: wait for DLC see how everyone sees it and if it does deliver then by all means purchase the game (hopefully not at full price).    … Expand
  72. blakrein13
    Dec 30, 2014
    5
    Didn't like this game. It started out okay and then just got frustrating. As the monsters got difficult you had to deal with a behemoth that you couldn't really kill. On top of that you can't really do anything in this game, so I sold it back to Gamestop and stuck with Destiny.
  73. ChaseLeoncini
    Jan 18, 2015
    5
    Ive been playing horror games since the 90 's. I was there playing Res 1 - 4 and Silent Hill 1 - The Room and ive seen each franchise come to failure. Where did the spark go? Wherever it has gone it has definitely not returned with The Evil Within. 20 minutes into the game and you'll get a taste of how broken the game looks and feels. Movement, as well as in cinematic sequences are clunky.Ive been playing horror games since the 90 's. I was there playing Res 1 - 4 and Silent Hill 1 - The Room and ive seen each franchise come to failure. Where did the spark go? Wherever it has gone it has definitely not returned with The Evil Within. 20 minutes into the game and you'll get a taste of how broken the game looks and feels. Movement, as well as in cinematic sequences are clunky. Your view is largely inhibited by the rather dumb protagonist. If you want scares you wont get them. The game insists that the settings themselves are terrifying. Cool yes, here is a 5, scary not at all. Shooting is not fun like it was in re4 its difficult and the camera will only get in your way... Long story short, kids love The Evil Within, adults who have been playing horror since the birth of Resident Evil will find this game extremely lackluster, clunky, cheap and utterly boring. I give this game a 5 only for it's settings and enemy creativity. Though, even all of those are old gimmicks of the horror genre.... Still, a bloody spider woman is as awesome as its ever been.… Expand
  74. el_prez
    Dec 12, 2015
    5
    OK - look, Japanese game developers: gross isn't scary. Disgusting isn't suspenseful. I was really hoping for some old school jump moments, like original RE or Silent Hill. Don't get me wrong, I love a little gore - the satisfaction of removing a monsters head with a shotgun or hacking some random bad guy in pieces - but you gotta have more that that. EW had me thinking it was gonna beOK - look, Japanese game developers: gross isn't scary. Disgusting isn't suspenseful. I was really hoping for some old school jump moments, like original RE or Silent Hill. Don't get me wrong, I love a little gore - the satisfaction of removing a monsters head with a shotgun or hacking some random bad guy in pieces - but you gotta have more that that. EW had me thinking it was gonna be some next level psychological, nightmare inducing stuff - instead it just doubles down on lots of blood, terrible voice acting (no, like, really, really bad voice acting) and repetitive "time that button press just right" gameplay.
    Oh, maybe survival horror really is a dead genre - maybe I'll read book or something.    … Expand
  75. middelagedgamer
    Jul 19, 2015
    5
    I was expecting more from this game than I ended up with. From the get go I just found the game mechanics of The Evil Within to be beyond frustrating. I mean the guy is so slow, in everything he does. I found myself continually shouting at the screen "MOVE!, WHY WONT YOU MOVE!", all of this accompanied by choice profanities and insults.. The main character is also lackluster and has zeroI was expecting more from this game than I ended up with. From the get go I just found the game mechanics of The Evil Within to be beyond frustrating. I mean the guy is so slow, in everything he does. I found myself continually shouting at the screen "MOVE!, WHY WONT YOU MOVE!", all of this accompanied by choice profanities and insults.. The main character is also lackluster and has zero personality. The other supposed main characters in the game make sporadic appearances, often disappearing for chapters on end, only to re-appear again having seemingly no connection to the overall story, a story which even when I came to the end made no sense to me.

    Some of the boss fights were insanely difficult, made harder with the clunky controls and a protagonist that runs out of puff almost immediately. Upgrading this ability early is essential as later in the game it would be impossible to get through some of the chapters if he is still running out of steam after 3 seconds..again, very frustrating..more shouting at the screen.

    Melee is useless..you could thump an enemy 15 times and it wouldn't do anything..

    The graphics were okay but not quite as refined as some other games out there.

    The chainsaw monster is straight out of Resident Evil, here by special invitation.

    Ammunition...there is not a lot of it around and enemies take a lot of it to be killed. Some of the main boss fights will literally take multiple attempts to get through as memorizing the process or method in which they can be defeated is required, and all while trying to get the main character to actually move with some semblance of fluidity..

    I didn't hate this game , it was generally okay but usually I would play a game on an easy or moderate setting the first time around to get a feel for it and then go back and immediately play it again on a hard setting, picking up and collecting things that I may have missed out on the first time around..I have no desire to do this with The Evil Within..Once was enough for me.    … Expand
  76. timesniffer
    Jan 13, 2016
    5
    yeah started off good then just got a few dumb and a lot of frustrating parts to this game,gave up about 6 chapters in...hows that stink zombie dog thing
  77. Digipunk-X
    Dec 25, 2016
    5
    Could be be one of the best 3rd party games out there, I liked the sotry, the creepy sick environment, and the old-school survival horror scene, but the developers made a half a** job with the game by optimizing and polishing it. The graphics looks like 2007, and even that can barely run at 30fps on the ps4. Most of the time when attacked by monsters, the frames drop down to a few perCould be be one of the best 3rd party games out there, I liked the sotry, the creepy sick environment, and the old-school survival horror scene, but the developers made a half a** job with the game by optimizing and polishing it. The graphics looks like 2007, and even that can barely run at 30fps on the ps4. Most of the time when attacked by monsters, the frames drop down to a few per second,. so you will have to struggle and learn how to kill them with a sluggish system like that.
    The d-pad sometimes works in the context menu, sometimes not, I couldn't really figure out what it depends on. I also noticed that the sound the main character does with his shoes is not in sync when he actually makes the steps.. Some of these bugs are laughable, and could be prevented by the developers.    … Expand
  78. DiegoEscalona
    May 27, 2019
    5
    ``Mucho Ruido. Sin nueces´´
    Evil Within es un juego del visionario director Shinjii Mikami, conocido como el padrino del Survival Horror, y mente maestra de franquicias como Resident Evil y Dino Crisis. En esta ocasión nos trajo la que vendría siendo su peor y más floja entrega.
    Este juego está lleno de violencia extrema, escenas grotescas y viscerales, lo cual no es algo negativo,    ``Mucho Ruido. Sin nueces´´
    Evil Within es un juego del visionario director Shinjii Mikami, conocido como el padrino del Survival Horror, y mente maestra de franquicias como Resident Evil y Dino Crisis. En esta ocasión nos trajo la que vendría siendo su peor y más floja entrega.

    Este juego está lleno de violencia extrema, escenas grotescas y viscerales, lo cual no es algo negativo, pero se vuelve tan gratuito que arruina por completo la experiencia de adentrarse al mundo que se nos presenta en pantalla. Por no mencionar además que los movimientos de cámara no ayudan en lo absoluto, el plano medio se mantiene fijo en nuestro protagonista a lo largo de todo el juego, y esto puede cansar o frustrar a más de un jugador.

    A pesar de sus considerables puntos negativos. Evil Within es un juego que se puede disfrutar si eres nuevo en el Survival Horror y no has jugado otros títulos de este subgénero. Conlleva una mezcla de sonido espectacular, asi como el diseño de los villanos que son tan creativos como aterradores.

    En resumen, es un juego mediocre, que pudo haber sido mucho mejor si se hubieran enfocado en la narrativa visual, química, coherencia y desarrollo de personajes, en vez de invertir todo en el estilo y el ´Shock Factor´. Sin embargo todo esto puede resultar funcional y efectivo para varios jugadores que buscan un juego con abundante oscuridad y ultra-violencia para entretenerse. Pero aquellos que buscan una entrega que esté al nivel de Resident Evil, este juego no es para ustedes.

    Jugabilidad: 6.5/10
    Personajes: 3/10
    Diseño: 7/10
    Historia: 4/10
    Entretenimiento: 7/10    … Expand
  79. beeanadou
    Apr 16, 2018
    5
    The monsters are from Silent hill, while the plot is from Resident Evil, but when they combined with weak story line, makes the game neither.
  80. SHANJIJI
    Oct 14, 2019
    5
    我玩到第十章，已经快没有耐心了。因为美术和引擎的原因，初代不如续作优秀。相比二代，场景和节奏有些紧张的让人透不过气，关卡重复度也过高，玩到后面有些枯燥乏味。我接触过生化7，恶灵附身2，生化2重置这些三上真司作品的续作，都不错，然而他亲手制作的原版ip却不觉得好玩。
  81. Enterplayer
    Aug 23, 2020
    5
    Jogo interessante, com história fraca, mas ao menos nos deixa curioso. Por ser um game de 2014 achei uma jogabilidade muito ruim, travada e com muitos erros e glitches. A trilha sonora, mix sound também ruins. Joguei até o final para entender o hype, e continuo não entendendo.
  82. JrDouble
    Mar 20, 2023
    5
    The scariest thing about this game is the controls. I liked the atmosphere and the graphic style. Story was ok, but the things that totally ruined the game for me were the awful controls and camera. Instead my character using the mele attack with the weapon in hand it would keep trying to curb stomp enemies and miss. The other issue is when you aim the camera zooms in way too much andThe scariest thing about this game is the controls. I liked the atmosphere and the graphic style. Story was ok, but the things that totally ruined the game for me were the awful controls and camera. Instead my character using the mele attack with the weapon in hand it would keep trying to curb stomp enemies and miss. The other issue is when you aim the camera zooms in way too much and causes you to miss shots constantly. Not a good game at all due to the poor mechanics.… Expand
  83. Shazalia
    Dec 25, 2014
    4
    The most disappointing aspect of rewarding The Evil Within a dismal 4/10 stars has nothing to do with the game being particularly bad, but rather the fact that the game fails to perform at a consistent frame rate. The game stutters unbelievably in open ended terrains, however, in enclosed environments it achieves a somewhat respectable pace in regards to the usual sub 30 FPS. I reallyThe most disappointing aspect of rewarding The Evil Within a dismal 4/10 stars has nothing to do with the game being particularly bad, but rather the fact that the game fails to perform at a consistent frame rate. The game stutters unbelievably in open ended terrains, however, in enclosed environments it achieves a somewhat respectable pace in regards to the usual sub 30 FPS. I really wanted to like The Evil Within but the despicable performance often got in the way of my enjoyment. Shame on you Shinji Mikami, I thought you'd know better.… Expand
  84. Crazye2000
    Oct 30, 2014
    4
    Wow don't I wish I could play this game, if only it could run on my PS4 without stuttering or huge FPS drops . Only if the game was optimized well, even after the day one patch it isn't. The story and atmosphere is what you'd expect from the creator of Resident Evil. Too bad it's unplayable, more unplayable than how Skyrim was on the PS3.
  85. OutlawTX
    Sep 1, 2017
    4
    I've sludged through to Chapter 10 and I'm done playing this trial in frustration. I picked it up for 5 bucks during a new release dry spell knowing I played it at release and didn't get very far before abandoning it. This game has proved to be annoying enough for me to put in my 2 cents and review it. First off, the controls feel lumbering and clunky which makes for bad aiming and combat.I've sludged through to Chapter 10 and I'm done playing this trial in frustration. I picked it up for 5 bucks during a new release dry spell knowing I played it at release and didn't get very far before abandoning it. This game has proved to be annoying enough for me to put in my 2 cents and review it. First off, the controls feel lumbering and clunky which makes for bad aiming and combat. Combined with a really bad camera that always feels too close and always seems to keep you at a disadvantage, enemies that kill you with one hit, save points that are too far from areas with one hit enemies and far too many instances of trial and error gameplay and you have a game that's more annoying than fun. Story wise it's incredibly meh. I don't care about any of the characters.
    By chapter 10 I just wanted to be done with it. When I got to another part with a one hit enemy and had to figure out how to kill it again while dying over and over, I realized I don't care. I have no idea how this has so many 10s here but hey, there's people out there that get off on people pooing on them so apparently some people like poo. All I can say is, "I don't."    … Expand
  86. Pico619
    Jan 19, 2016
    4
    When I played Last Of Us I said to myself "great now the bar has been set for stealth and horror", so when evil within was said to use stealth I was excited.
    Man was I wrong. It's as if nobody from Bethesda or Shinji played last of us or new how to do stealth. When crouching in evil within you are less noticeable but your twice as slow than the slowest enemies crawl. This means you can't    When I played Last Of Us I said to myself "great now the bar has been set for stealth and horror", so when evil within was said to use stealth I was excited.
    Man was I wrong. It's as if nobody from Bethesda or Shinji played last of us or new how to do stealth. When crouching in evil within you are less noticeable but your twice as slow than the slowest enemies crawl. This means you can't get to any enemy from behind crouching. So now you have to play the frustrating game of trial and error of trying to figure out how close you can get to a enemy running before they detect you, then you crouch hoping they stop their movement so you can grab them. With this crap mechanic you can only grap stationary enemies but they don't stay still, oh and they all have random patterns. Basically stealth is out the window accept for those who master the "run then crouch before they turn" gimmic.

    Also enemies are sponges and you barely have bullets, it's like resident evil 6 again! If naughty dog handled the engine and game-play this game would have been a perfect ten! The best thing about the game and why I say rent it is the bosses. Super cool but also sponges.    … Expand
  87. brianforbes
    Dec 27, 2014
    4
    If you are the type of gamer that likes to play the same 5 minutes of game, over and over, dying repeatedly, before you can advance to the next area, this may be for you. If you're looking for a horror experience with some creepy atmosphere, you won't see that here.

    I have just put this game aside for good, at the end of chapter 7, so would like to give my impressions for anyone    If you are the type of gamer that likes to play the same 5 minutes of game, over and over, dying repeatedly, before you can advance to the next area, this may be for you. If you're looking for a horror experience with some creepy atmosphere, you won't see that here.

    I have just put this game aside for good, at the end of chapter 7, so would like to give my impressions for anyone contemplating playing this.

    I love horror movies and games, so end up buying most horror games. Silent Hill is the best among them, with lots of terrifying elements and a minimum of frustrating boss fights. The Evil Within will take you back to the days of the original NES (think original Ninja Gaiden or Castlevania), where you must pass 5 levels in sequence, perfectly, and if you die anywhere along the way you need to repeat all 5 levels from the beginning.

    Plenty of enemies have one hit kill attacks, which send you right back to the beginning of the last cut sequence to navigate the whole thing from scratch. It's like having all the frustrations of your workplace at home ! Who needs time off when you can be beaten down by both your boss and your choice of video game.    … Expand
  88. Game_Row
    Nov 12, 2014
    4
    I am not going to write a huge review, it's too much when people take the time to write a big one where no one reads it anyways. All I've got to say about this game is that, it is much like Resident Evil 4 with the game mechanics, enemies, and environments. To be blunt, it was poorly made. I have been disappointed lately with games. A huge hype before the launch and then BLAH! WithI am not going to write a huge review, it's too much when people take the time to write a big one where no one reads it anyways. All I've got to say about this game is that, it is much like Resident Evil 4 with the game mechanics, enemies, and environments. To be blunt, it was poorly made. I have been disappointed lately with games. A huge hype before the launch and then BLAH! With this game and Watch Dogs, big disappointments. So, will I recommend this game to you? Sure, but don't expect a WOW game. PEACE!!!

    Look me up on YouTube for The Evil Within: Game_Row    … Expand
  89. at0g
    Nov 29, 2014
    4
    Extremely dissapointed with this title.
    The main protagonist is dull and generic, graphics are last-gen and the gameplay is frankly boring. Controls are clumsy and arkward. Generally the game has a unfinished feel to it, like the team started with best intentions and then got really half-arsed about production. Theres no way this title deserves a 10, there are just too many faults with it    Extremely dissapointed with this title.
    The main protagonist is dull and generic, graphics are last-gen and the gameplay is frankly boring. Controls are clumsy and arkward. Generally the game has a unfinished feel to it, like the team started with best intentions and then got really half-arsed about production. Theres no way this title deserves a 10, there are just too many faults with it
    Some of the character design for the monsters is cool, but overall the evil within just feels dirivitive, linear and uninspired. Scariest moment - realising i could not return it after paying full price. Best thing about the game is the promotions team that gave it 10 scores on here (because no one else would).    … Expand
  90. Taipan_19
    Oct 31, 2014
    4
    I was quite excited about this title but when I played it I found it to cumbersome and annoying. Like Dead Rising there is very little give to the player which makes most of the gameplay way to difficult and frustrating. Example there are plenty of weapons such as rakes and sickles laying around on the ground but you can't pick them up to defend yourself from several enemies at a time. TheI was quite excited about this title but when I played it I found it to cumbersome and annoying. Like Dead Rising there is very little give to the player which makes most of the gameplay way to difficult and frustrating. Example there are plenty of weapons such as rakes and sickles laying around on the ground but you can't pick them up to defend yourself from several enemies at a time. The gun shooting is horribly inaccurate and when you shoot the zombies in the head they don't die. When you run of bullets and swing your axe once you are left defenceless against impossible AI like a giant chainsaw wielding zombie. Running is your only hope and the stamina gauge is way to small to run long distances. The cutscenes were very good and I enjoyed the look and feeling of the game but overall it's just to biased against the player.… Expand
  91. JoshLuck1995
    Oct 15, 2014
    4
    Played the game yesterday and today, and thats enough, i just cant play anymore, its so boring and flat so i thought well its time to give it some scores on what i think should define a game review

    graphics - 6/10 gameplay - 6/10 story - 4/10 sound - non existent lasting appeal - none i give Evil Within a 4/10. It is a 99p version of resident evil, the graphics are crap for    Played the game yesterday and today, and thats enough, i just cant play anymore, its so boring and flat so i thought well its time to give it some scores on what i think should define a game review

    graphics - 6/10
    gameplay - 6/10
    story - 4/10
    sound - non existent
    lasting appeal - none

    i give Evil Within a 4/10. It is a 99p version of resident evil, the graphics are crap for X1/PS4, the story is flat, the main protagonist is boring, the enemies are stupid, and the levels feel the same and are also boring. was really looking forward to this but sadly it dissapoints.    … Expand
  92. Iberian_Buffalo
    Oct 14, 2014
    4
    When you create game that have graphic quality below the last of us remastered quality, you also add 2 bars on screen so amount of graphic that need to be generated is even less THEN game is not allowed to work 30 fps with a lot of drops to 15 fps... THIS IS NEXT GEN.. (should be). Not even stable 30 fps.
  93. Skellington25_
    Oct 16, 2014
    4
    Shinji Mikami is an overrated name in the industry. This game getting scores like it is, is shocking to me. It's a horrible mess.

    Besides the fact that the plot is almost non-existent... in single player story driven game... big issue there... and the fact that the main character and the rest of the cast, are all about as entertaining as watching paint dry... the game is built HORRIBLY.    Shinji Mikami is an overrated name in the industry. This game getting scores like it is, is shocking to me. It's a horrible mess.

    Besides the fact that the plot is almost non-existent... in single player story driven game... big issue there... and the fact that the main character and the rest of the cast, are all about as entertaining as watching paint dry... the game is built HORRIBLY.

    Controls are completely screwed. The camera is always fighting you. Yes games like this are supposed to be hard, but not hard to control. That's what sets in frustration. Dying won't bother me if it's my fault, but if the game itself isn't letting me do what I want to do, when I want to do it... that will piss me off.

    Horror is supposed to be horror, not forced. The game shouldn't have to be out to get me, in order for me to be scared. Alien isolation, that alien scared the crap out of me... Because it was scary. No enemies in this game are scary in the least bit. This game just repeatedly tries to throw items of shock value in your face continually until it shoves you in an extremely tight area after it robs you of your ammunition and other supplies.

    How scripted everything is in this game is nauseating. Everything happens when the game wants it to. Never any other time. No thought went into this, it's completely unoriginal. Felt like I was playing a reskinned RE4 the entire time.

    Ammo conservation. This annoys the **** out of me. I don't mind when a game is telling me to be careful and save my ammunition. what I do mind, is that when the game decides whether or not my bullets are capable of killing. Several times you will run into enemies, the first thought in your mind is to shoot it. Later on, after you've wasted all of your ammo, you find out that your bullets never would've killed it. No matter how much ammo you had in the first place. Another thing on this subject is critical hits. This does not belong in shooters. Borderlands is fine... weakspots are visible I get it. The problem is, is when the enemy in front of me, a regular joe, I aim for the head to conserve ammo. Surprise it takes five shots in the head to kill this one. The next one only takes two. Seriously?

    Don't leave resource management up o chance. Leave it up to player skill. Being careful with things not to run out, not just robbing the player of all hope because.... well... just because.

    This is not horror. If you are just another sheep that's in love with all the terrible, cliched, stereotypical same bull**** over and over with Re4, 5, and 6. Then welcome home.

    If you want a game that will ACTUALLY be scary, rather than just forcing that horror by making you limp only when it's necessary for something to chase you with a chainsaw... and take all your ammo away... and kill you with bad camera angles... Then stay away.

    This is just another case of "Big names are more important than good games."    … Expand
  94. SuperkenGaming
    Aug 9, 2017
    4
    The evil Within
    This isn’t going to be pretty
    The Evil Within is a 3rd person survival horror game where you play as detective Sebastian investigating a scene of a mass murder at a mental hospital and then all of a sudden things start going crazy… I don’t want to spoil the story but the games setting is actually a pretty cool twist.. But for the most part at least in the beginning the    The evil Within
    This isn’t going to be pretty
    The Evil Within is a 3rd person survival horror game where you play as detective Sebastian investigating a scene of a mass murder at a mental hospital and then all of a sudden things start going crazy…
    I don’t want to spoil the story but the games setting is actually a pretty cool twist..
    But for the most part at least in the beginning the game mixes settings and scenery up…
    In fact the first half of this game is great and guaranteed this game a spot on my game of the year least when the time came.. but it didn’t stay this great…
    As a survival horror game youre managing your health with pick ups.. your health will regenerate but only slightly.. and when your health is bwelow a certain point you move slowly and aren’t able to run…
    But a bit like the game alone in the dark you have weapons here… as you progress the game youll get a pistol, shotgun, sniper rifle, a cross bow like weapon, there are grenades.. a great variety of weapons for survival and devent drop rate of ammo.. but just enough to keep you staying carful with what you use..
    Unique from most survival horror games is that there is an assassins creed like stealth mechanic where you can take out most unaware enemies from behind..
    you also have to stealth to disarm traps and get parts the craft cross bolts for your bow…
    there are also jars of brain juice around the levels and off of enemies that act as a currency you use to upgrade your stats, buy ammo, and increase the stats of your weapons..
    There are mirrors that take you back to the hospital this allows you to save the game as well, but the game will ocassionally autosave
    The first half of the game I found to be really enjoyable and terrifying..
    I was stressed in a good way and enemies put up a great challenge…
    Missions were varied, I felt like I was in a movie..
    And then halfway through the game it starts to fall apart..
    The game goes from being scary to just frustrating..
    Its becomes an anxiety fest of dealing with insta kill enemies, and recourse draining section after recouce draining section.. dealing with spongy bosses, having to thow switch after switch doing it multiple times in the same area to pregress further…
    The games initial near perfect progression crumbles and stumbles to a crawl…
    Made worse by this games awful checkpoint and autosave system…
    The game wont constantly autosave once you find an important item…
    And again there are cheap instakill enemies and moments in this game…
    They are sometimes completely random, they’ll hit you and you have to go through the 10 minutes of recollecting supplies over and over and over until you get lucky enough to either get away or not activate this random spawn…
    And also again… the 2nd half of this game is focused more on anxiety than it is horror..
    its not fun replaying these anxiety filled moments
    They aren’t even fun the first time…
    And the games 2nd half is filled of these moments and trial and error chases with no indication of what you have to do, so you just keep doing it until you get it right with no checkpoints..
    But still I pushed forward.. I was overlooking all of the bad because of the intriguing story going through this anxiety fest…
    The game would freeze on my a couple of times causeing me to resatart it… no big deal, ill forgive it.. the first half was so good and im so close to this games end..
    8 and a half hours into the game.. im on chapter 11 out of 15.. about 2 and a half to 3 hours away from this games credits.. and I run into a game breaking bug…
    That’s right… 3 years later… a Bethesda game (go figure) still has a game breaking bug…
    I did play the ps3 version of this game and thought that’s clearly the problem.. so I went to google and no.. this chapter is full of game breaking bugs, more than just the one I ran into that wouldn’t let me progress the game..
    I was an hr deep and nothing I did helped, shutting down the game, reloading checkpoints..
    dying.. nothing… the game wouldn’t let me progress…
    The only thing keeping me from just giving this game a 0 and walking away is that restarting the chapter could’ve probably let me continue.. but once more..
    the 2nd half of this game is filled of anxiety, frustration and cheapness…
    I wasn’t about to go through that hour and a half I just went through again..
    Im walking away from what I thought was initially a great game that crumbled into a good game, but left me with the taste of a bad game…
    I give the Evil Within
    a very generous
    4/10    … Expand
  95. sp00kym0053
    Oct 29, 2014
    4
    To get a feel for how The evil within is to play dust off your PS2 and put in Resident Evil 4, have someone stand in front of your screen and periodically mess with your controller, then limit yourself to 3 rounds of ammunition for the whole game.

    As connoisseurs of subtlety were clearly not the target audience for this game allow me to be clear: This game is a monumental    To get a feel for how The evil within is to play dust off your PS2 and put in Resident Evil 4, have someone stand in front of your screen and periodically mess with your controller, then limit yourself to 3 rounds of ammunition for the whole game.

    As connoisseurs of subtlety were clearly not the target audience for this game allow me to be clear: This game is a monumental disappointment. The trailers painted this game as being a psychological horror, riffing on the Cthulu mythos and Clive Barker-esque Gore, and coming off the high of playing the excellent P.T. and Alien: Isolation I was keen to see what Bethesda had in store for me.

    Frustration and disappointment, it turns out.

    Visually, the game is a step backward. Very rarely does it look like something current-gen. It's not that the models aren't well realised; they are, but jagged shadows, low resolution textures and a lack of depth of field betray a lack of polish. The monsters themselves are uninspired to an almost comical degree, and I found myself accidentally referring to them as Los Ganados more than once.
    This, of course only applies to what you can see, which is very little. Black bars obscure the top and bottom of the screen. Whether they're there "for cinematic effect" or because Tango game works had trouble getting the game to run at the desired resolution is immaterial, it makes it hard to see what you're doing. The camera is constantly obscured by long grass, hanging cloth and other environmental decorations as well meaning you will frequently blunder into harm's way because you have no way of telling what's in front of you.
    The camera itself is also unhelpful, with control frequently taken from you for dialogue, passing doorways and sometimes no clearly discernible reason. Even when it is technically under your control it seems to delight in filling the screen with the protagonist's torso rather than show the environment.

    The characters look like they were lifted from some third rate anime about ghost detectives and I haven't heard such unconvincing dialogue since "there was an incident.... *waves arm vaguely*.....involving zombies..." I still have no idea who any of the characters are, except for the female cop at the start who is hilariously called Officer Kitten, or something that sounds very much like it and have no real motivation to learn.

    This is a game that doesn't know what it is. There are flashes of resident Evil, snippets of Silent hill, hints of Battletoads and more than a whiff of that awful Evil Dead game on the PS1. There's stealth bits, but you can't play it as a stealth game. There's places to hide, but you can't really play it like outlast or Alien: Isolation, you get a gun, but only 3 bullets and the noise of it brings the horde. There's stuff to collect, but gameplay that discourages exploration by infrequent save points and enemies that are effectively unkillable in a direct confrontation. You get melée weapons that are moderately effective, but are destroyed after one use or disappear when you save, if you get to save. There's things you find that hint at a deeper story worth uncovering with careful exploration, and monsters that jump out shouting "OOGA BOOGA BOOGA" that flat out tell you there isn't.

    Then there are some frustrating design choices. The game frequently takes control from you as your character, gruff blandson, grimaces his way through the story. Sometimes you can only run, sometimes you can't run.
    The decision to have to burn enemies to make sure they stay down is one I can understand, but not condone. Re-generating enemies aren't fun. I put them on a par with escort missions and platforming bits in a first person shooter. We forgave it in Resident Evil 2 because it was new, and we didn't know better, but even then it was reinforcing the tenacity of what was to be the final boss, not every douche-level zombie in the game.
    The levelling system seems out of place. There's no explanation as to why Gruff Blandson is ok with being hooked up to a brain injecting machine, nor why he's collecting the goop to inject. Neither is there an adequate explanation for why he's content to inject himself with syringes he finds lying around in the dirty gutters of a lovecraftian nightmare but that's none of my business, maybe he wasn't hugged as a child.

    I'm not a purist. I enjoy schlock horror nearly as much as I enjoy finely crafted tension. I have no problem with lifting elements from other games and making them your own. My problem is when you are lifting elements from so many great games and still manage to MESS IT UP. Shinji Mikami did great work with the Resident Evil series, Dino Crisis, Onimusha etc but still does not seem to understand how to build tension, to make a fear greater than the sum of a game's enemies.

    This game could have been more, SHOULD have been more.

    TL:DR - Son, I am disappoint.    … Expand
  96. DedBraneMike
    Dec 16, 2014
    4
    The biggest disapointment of the year. This is only a collection of things we have seen SO many times before. If you've play Resident Evil 4,5,6, Revelations and Dead Space 1,2 and 3, you have no reason to play this.
  97. SidfriegM2928
    Mar 21, 2015
    4
    Advertised as a return to form for the horror genre, "The Evil Within" comes off more as a best of compilation for every horror game released over the last 10 years. Not only that, but featuring bad frame rate, hideous character animation and dull gameplay. You can skip on this turd.
  98. RealLeather
    Dec 10, 2015
    4
    It's kind of spooky yeah but the framerate is the real scary bit. Overall, absolutely shocking performance and headache-inducing overzealous use of bloom and film grain filter. Graphics/framerate aside it's just an incredibly cumbersome game to play, stay away. Played it for forty minutes and traded it in.
  99. AndersL
    Apr 12, 2017
    4
    I should have checked the Metascore on this one before I got it. A bitter disappointment, perhaps my biggest on the PS4. A not-so-good version of The Last of Us. Just didn't seem to be an interesting story there.
  100. CoreGamer1408
    Jun 3, 2020
    4
    Ok it is like Resident Evil meets Silent Hill sort of-ish. It does all the cliché trope horror things. So at no point was I even scared. I liked the action orientated gameplay. It was fun shooting up those freaky freaks. Stealth was ok and mostly not needed. Some meh QTE and scripted instant kill BS, but not that many. The bosses were fun and Silent Hill type memorable. I liked how theOk it is like Resident Evil meets Silent Hill sort of-ish. It does all the cliché trope horror things. So at no point was I even scared. I liked the action orientated gameplay. It was fun shooting up those freaky freaks. Stealth was ok and mostly not needed. Some meh QTE and scripted instant kill BS, but not that many. The bosses were fun and Silent Hill type memorable. I liked how the environment was used to make it more challenging and also helpful to the player. Progression based skills with scavenging lite and ultra basic crafting is a ok carrot on stick.

    The story is ok, but the VA is mostly bad and the dialogue is just crap. The game play and level design is where the fun stuff is at. Thankfully multiple saves even though they are only check point saves. So no save anywhere or any time. I almost thought I would need to reload for lack of health midway, but I scraped through on a tiny bit of health for one entire level. The game throws out a lot of cheap tactics and cheap traps. Which is compounded by a bad camera angle at times with a constant poor frame rate. The purposely wobbly aim and terrible lighting in some sections doesn't really help.

    The atrocious frame rate was such a big issue on the PS3 I literally gave up on the game. Optimization is barely better on the PS4. I had bought this game twice now So I was determined to finish it on the PS4 and I did. I have no wish to replay this atrocious unoptimized game ever again on the PS4.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

67
#67 Best PS4 Game of 2014
10
#10 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2014
7
#7 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 65 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 42 out of 65
  2. Mixed: 22 out of 65
  3. Negative: 1 out of 65
  1. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Dec 28, 2014
    80
    It's lean, with few repeated ideas, and boasts one of the best save rooms you'll ever experience. [Christmas 2014, p.88]
  2. Games Master UK
    Dec 21, 2014
    81
    Bold and brutal, it has the guts to stay true to its horror roots without feeling outdated. [Christmas 2014, p.58]
  3. Edge Magazine
    Dec 6, 2014
    70
    After a clumsy opening, The Evil Within hits its stride towards the end and the fist act and the tension rarely lets up. [Christmas 2014, p.114]
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