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
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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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