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
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. SebbyMakesMusic
    Sep 22, 2022
    4
    Just based on the first chapter:
    There's a comical amount of gore in this game. I can't take the horror element seriously. There's a frickin blood-drenched slip n slide 10 minutes in. Honestly, I find this game to simply be more unpleasant than horrific. The slow pace of moving around the environment isn't really setting a mood for me. Hiding just makes this feel like Outlast.
    The guy    Just based on the first chapter:
    There's a comical amount of gore in this game. I can't take the horror element seriously. There's a frickin blood-drenched slip n slide 10 minutes in. Honestly, I find this game to simply be more unpleasant than horrific. The slow pace of moving around the environment isn't really setting a mood for me. Hiding just makes this feel like Outlast.

    The guy with the chainsaw bounces around like a kid throwing a tantrum. While I'm sure it'd be a "wtf" moment in real life, it doesn't translate into the game.

    Yet somehow, I have to watch the camera bounce with Sebastian as he limps. Odd what they choose to emphasize.

    Speaking of, the characters are so lacking in character that they pretty much fit the role of meatbags which the bad guys treat you as. So it doesn't really feel like much is at stake. Just a whole bunch of trial and error. Might as well call it Trial And Error: The Game (Soaked in Blood edition).
    There isn't any way to revert to the last checkpoint without dying so you're literally just going to stand there taking 5 chainsaw slashes waiting to die, meanwhile the first guy you see auto kills you? I don't understand the pacing choices.

    The grainy filters are really monotonous, btw. That actually references the overarching issue here: it's just a mix of random horror elements thrown into an action game without much explanation.

    Okay, he just limped for a while, and then something pounded on the ceiling and he started running. Umm... Why? Did the vibration somehow heal him? You know what, I'm just going to accept that this game makes zero sense.

    I'll update my review as I continue to play, but this isn't looking very promising. Really don't see what the hype is about.    … Expand
  2. djalex
    Jan 8, 2015
    3
    This game definitely has its strengths and seems to be a world built by some very talented and smart people. Half the time its really fun and I'm waiting for it to get better... but then it doesn't. So I'm not really on board with making this in a top ten oor even top twenty list. This game could be amazing but it just misses the mark on way too many levels, too many areas that need aThis game definitely has its strengths and seems to be a world built by some very talented and smart people. Half the time its really fun and I'm waiting for it to get better... but then it doesn't. So I'm not really on board with making this in a top ten oor even top twenty list. This game could be amazing but it just misses the mark on way too many levels, too many areas that need a polish. For example as a casual gamer I find that it does not teach you the world very well. i was up to chapter four before i realized there were keys to collect. I dont think the tutorials are very clear throughout. If you power up your character or your weapons it seems to offer small changes in such minuscule increments that it hardly seems worth your time unless you know whats coming. The time it takes to actually upgrade your character's abilities or weapons is way too long too. for example, if I need to find a broken mirror to upgrade I shouldn't also have to walk down a long hallway and sit in a chair and then go through a long complicated menu. why make me do that when it adds nothing to the game. here is a suggestion: My character finds a broken mirror and is immediately in a power-up chair and the menu is simple and easy to follow with clear obvious logic and the upgrades are larger upgrades. The same problem goes toward the other bonus things in the locker or the map pieces in the map room. why do i need to walk around these long twisted halls and through these doors just to access these things.its irritating and kills the momentum of the game. Also, some of the story seems a little crazy and disconnected as well. I'm not sure why I have to battle a long haired bloody monster after i already killed the long haired bloody monster 3 chapters ago.. (out of monsters? recycling?). also the controls are frustrating. I understand that its supposed to have tension and be a bit challenging at times but if I understand a foe and a battle and I make choices that should work then my character on screen should survive. half the time it feels like i'm dying because of a glitch from the controls (like picking up an object which doesn't happen unless i am faced exactly in the right position of the object, or sneaking up on an enemy and the sneak attack option doesn't activate periodically in the same scenario, or I try to use a match ad it doesn't activate ). also it seems the logic of my character in aiming or preparing doesn't suit the heighten story and horror. at some point if anything like this was really happening my character should already have his gun out and aiming. but I find i have to reload, re aim and re build my character into being prepared for every scene even after i repeat the same challenge. shouldn't the logic be built into the game that this guys has seen some terrible things and knows he needs to be ready for some of it? its like the character is a child with no memory of the last horrific thing that just happened. (btw do i really need to upgrade space to hold matches? shouldn't they be small enough to carry a box of a thousand?) So the story and the dialogue really don't connect to the experiences that the gamer is having as his character goes through the story. For example: why does he have a lantern that gives off this terrible impractical light, shouldn't he have found a flashlight by now? why is he still wearing his vest and tie through the whole story? there are so many annoying illogical choices from the dialogue, story, game play, upgrading weapons and abilities, character arc, that this game is just a C plus or B minus at best. As I first noted though its not entirely terrible, there's a lot of great art direction and some interesting puzzles and some intriguing and scary story elements. It just feels like its half baked. It needed a few more story revisions and some streamlined game play revisions. The hiding in cabinets aspect is really useless too. After the novelty of the first scene i don't think i used it ever again. I find myself frustrated and dissatisfied with this game and I'm tempted to put it down before i completely finish. It doesn't seem worth the time as the enjoyment is sporadic and fleeting. I would say get this game used or at a heavy discount if its your favorite genre and there is nothing else out there for you to play otherwise its more fun playing a fifth round of The Last of Us or Tomb Raider.… Expand
  3. strondbokken
    Oct 17, 2014
    3
    If you see a score of 8-10 for this game, assume it's either a paid-for review or someone who doesn't understand how ratings work. Seriously. There is NO WAY anyone who has actually played this could score it above a 6. I see 10s and I can't believe they are real reviews. They couldn't be. And frankly, it's really sad to see companies still hiring people to post positive reviews afterIf you see a score of 8-10 for this game, assume it's either a paid-for review or someone who doesn't understand how ratings work. Seriously. There is NO WAY anyone who has actually played this could score it above a 6. I see 10s and I can't believe they are real reviews. They couldn't be. And frankly, it's really sad to see companies still hiring people to post positive reviews after Gamergate. Some are even saying "game of the year". Yeah.... ****ing.... Right.

    I really wanted to enjoy this game. Truly. But the MISERABLE controls and shoddy graphics make me feel like I'm in a time warp. It's sad when the scariest thing about a horror game is how badly it plays. The ambiance and all that is scary, but in a cheesy, gory way. Nothing new and I've seen it done better many other times before. And the moment you feel immersed and wanting to get into the game, you will inevitably find yourself cursing at how your "tooltip" on how to disarm a trap popped up milliseconds before the trap exploded (even though you saw it a mile away and crept up on it). Or perhaps you'll be cursing at the stupid haymaker punches your character throws to defend himself. Or perhaps the mediocre graphics will ruin your immersion. I don't know.

    The thing is, it's supposed to be a difficult game, but difficulty shouldn't come from poor design and implementation. ESPECIALLY on next gen consoles. There's so much wrong here that I don't even know where to start. Just goes to show you that a fancy name doesn't make a good game. Sorry Shinji, this is total garbage. You may have had a scary story lined up, but I can't even get into it because of how poor the game controls and mechanics are. 3/10 and that's being generous.

    Trust me. Don't believe the hype/fanboys. And no, I'm not out to "get someone", nor do I work for another company. I'm just a guy who wasted $60 on this and felt compelled to post this review BECAUSE the game was so bad. Honestly, I literally stopped playing and came to warn others. Hope that speaks to the "authenticity" (or simple laziness) of those people scoring it a 10....

    I hope anyone truly wanting a REAL review of this game can read this and know the truth. There are WAY too many "10s" on here for a game of this quality. Like a seriously suspicious amount. Just saying...    … Expand
  4. matt6g
    Oct 17, 2014
    3
    The Evil Within is one of the WORST games I have played in the last year. First off, the graphics are similar to that of a PS2 HD remake - perhaps even a little worse. In other words, the graphics are simply unacceptable. On top that, there is absolutely no story whatsoever along with some serious rendering issues. To add to the list, the game has also failed to master the art of a quickThe Evil Within is one of the WORST games I have played in the last year. First off, the graphics are similar to that of a PS2 HD remake - perhaps even a little worse. In other words, the graphics are simply unacceptable. On top that, there is absolutely no story whatsoever along with some serious rendering issues. To add to the list, the game has also failed to master the art of a quick loading screen. The game is by no means "easy" and reloading a checkpoint can take as long as two minutes - which, in this day and age, is not acceptable - the developers have really failed to capitalize on the PS4's processing and graphical capabilities. However, as a true horror fan, the enemies do look pretty cool and there are some decent concepts - which is why my score is a "3" and not a big fat "0". Although that may be true, it is more than clear that the developers decided not to put any amount of effort into this game. The Evil Within truly raped my expectations and I am very dissatisfied with the insane lack of application put into the game. Very unprofessional.… Expand
  5. themostunclean
    Oct 22, 2014
    3
    Honestly not much more than an RE4 re-skin. Even many of the enemies AI behaves the same. I was pretty disappointed with this game, it does nothing to move the genre forward but is instead firmly entrenched in the past. I know some people will defend this game to the end and I have no idea why. The atmosphere gets boring quickly, it relies too much on surprise to scare you instead ofHonestly not much more than an RE4 re-skin. Even many of the enemies AI behaves the same. I was pretty disappointed with this game, it does nothing to move the genre forward but is instead firmly entrenched in the past. I know some people will defend this game to the end and I have no idea why. The atmosphere gets boring quickly, it relies too much on surprise to scare you instead of creating real tension and the general design is just a carbon copy of better games.

    In another note, anyone who experiences motion or "simulation" sickness should NOT play this game. The buggy framerate, tight camera and narrow FOV (because of the black bars) combine to make playing absolutely nausea inducing.

    I won't even get in to the laundry list of bugs this game has. I've gotten stuck in walls and objects more times than I can count. Just awful design.    … Expand
  6. Marshma11ow
    Jan 18, 2016
    3
    I honestly can't believe some of the reviews I'm seeing on here are they serious? It's a slap in the face to compare this to The Last of Us or Resident Evil 4. I finally picked up this game after a few months of owning it and decided to give it a shot. I have tried so hard to find some enjoyment out of it but I just can't. I disliked it so much I was compelled to write my first review hereI honestly can't believe some of the reviews I'm seeing on here are they serious? It's a slap in the face to compare this to The Last of Us or Resident Evil 4. I finally picked up this game after a few months of owning it and decided to give it a shot. I have tried so hard to find some enjoyment out of it but I just can't. I disliked it so much I was compelled to write my first review here on Metacritic. There is basically no story to this game and is just a gorefest. It takes every horror cliché and bundles it all into this one game. Everything about it is unoriginal and just flat out boring. Creepy doll faces, walking dead, scary hospitals, psychopath with chainsaw it's all been done. Has the feel of an old PlayStation 2 game. All of the characters are very one-dimensional. It's more frustratingly difficult than it is challenging. Even Silent Hill Downpour is more entertaining than this game.… Expand
  7. Nobilis1984
    Oct 18, 2014
    3
    Unfortunately, more like horror splatter.

    This game is a disappointment. they promised and got a lame horror splatter game. The atmosphere is a few hours back and you only have to compete against hordes of stupid enemies. The burst then times really hard.
    But there are not really enough of them ??
  8. Autheria
    Feb 3, 2016
    3
    Oh...my...GOD!!! This has to be one of the WORST game I ever played, maybe not THE worst, but definitely Top-5.
    I would describe it like walking through a muddy swamp in misty rain with a 50 kilo backpack.
    The dramatic pacing is awful, the music and sounds are boooring as hell, and the graphics are crap. The mechanics feel broken and/or sluggish. It's not fun to play...it's    Oh...my...GOD!!! This has to be one of the WORST game I ever played, maybe not THE worst, but definitely Top-5.
    I would describe it like walking through a muddy swamp in misty rain with a 50 kilo backpack.

    The dramatic pacing is awful, the music and sounds are boooring as hell, and the graphics are crap. The mechanics feel broken and/or sluggish. It's not fun to play...it's FRUSTRATING, feels more like a chore or a homework that you're forced to complete.

    Play the Dead Space series instead of this abomination!    … Expand
  9. DerAleckz
    Oct 22, 2014
    3
    Here is my rating for The Evil Within (XONE)

    +sound
    +pacing
    +good potential (but not used)

    -lack of suspense
    -storyline
    -characters
    -graphics
    -bugs
    -unintended funny moments
    -does not live up to the hype
  10. The_Darkness
    Oct 15, 2014
    3
    I Dont want to speak about the graphics(is not better from last of us) or the gameplay.
    The only thing i want to say is who have that stupid idea with the black bars???
    Really make update on the game if its impossible and change them. 4 points for the black bars and i hear the order 1886 also have black bars... no way to buy them is better for me to play again and again the last of    I Dont want to speak about the graphics(is not better from last of us) or the gameplay.
    The only thing i want to say is who have that stupid idea with the black bars???
    Really make update on the game if its impossible and change them.
    4 points for the black bars
    and i hear the order 1886 also have black bars... no way to buy them
    is better for me to play again and again the last of us.
    The game is scary yes....but i am big dissapointed now and i dont have good things to say.    … Expand
  11. Turbodowg
    Feb 10, 2015
    3
    I've only recently bought the game for 25.00 and it wasn't even worth that. I've been a long term survival horror fan and have played SH games since they began, I also enjoyed the change in pace in games like RE4 which lead to great games like Deadspace 1. But Evil Within is bad, really bad.

    To start, the black bars destroy the experience, I spent the first hour trying to figure out how    I've only recently bought the game for 25.00 and it wasn't even worth that. I've been a long term survival horror fan and have played SH games since they began, I also enjoyed the change in pace in games like RE4 which lead to great games like Deadspace 1. But Evil Within is bad, really bad.

    To start, the black bars destroy the experience, I spent the first hour trying to figure out how to turn them off. Finally after going online I realised they couldn't be removed. They take you out of the experience and block your view. Very bad if playing on a smaller TV which I often do if the wife kicks me out on the front room to play upstairs!

    The graphics are good but are spoilt by the restricted view, which is unnecessary, if The Last Of Us can look great in full screen running at a higher frame rate then there is no excuse for the ridiculous black bars!

    The controls are sluggish and a step back, most areas are very dark and too hard to see any of the 'action'.

    The game cannot decide if it is a SH or an action game. On one hand you have no ammo or weapons and are forced to use stealth but stealth doesn't work and often you are forced to confront enimies with nothing to fight with. At these points when surrounded I just put the pad down and waited for the character to die as there is no way to escape. To me this is bad game design.

    The story is bland and uninspiring. The first level is fun, the rest are like a very poor Resident Evil 4 clone lacking all the thrills, set pieces and story which made Re4 so great.

    I had no reason to complete the game and I will not be returning to it. If you like SH games stick check out Alien Isolation and Outlast on PS4 instead of this unfinished nearly broken game.    … Expand
  12. kingofkoopas
    Dec 9, 2014
    3
    I am a big fan of horror games. My favorite three are Doom 3, Dead Space, Resident Evil 3. So when I first heard news of The Evil Within, I was stoked! But all that changed when I started seeing those awful commercials claiming the people playing weren't paid actors! That commercial left a bad taste in my mouth. Video gaming is targeted at the idiotic masses who swallow up whatever theI am a big fan of horror games. My favorite three are Doom 3, Dead Space, Resident Evil 3. So when I first heard news of The Evil Within, I was stoked! But all that changed when I started seeing those awful commercials claiming the people playing weren't paid actors! That commercial left a bad taste in my mouth. Video gaming is targeted at the idiotic masses who swallow up whatever the media says. I don't recall the three games I mentioned earlier having to do such nonsense. But I now know that they were paid actors, this game is not scary or suspenseful at all! It's on the opposite side of that spectrum,nits funny and boring. I am now on chapter 15 and I got a perfect way to describe this game, it's a bad beta of Resident Evil 4. The game starts out strong, it really does give you an a RE4 feeling but by the time you hit chapter 5, you have seen all this mediocre turd has to offer. The biggest offenders are the incredibly easy difficulty, now wait, but isn't everyone saying that you will die a lot? Yes it is true, but not because the game is challenging, but because it is designed to kill you, you will die a lot but because the game wants you to die. There is no escaping that. The combat is so boring for 2014, the enemies all behave the same way. They are all bipedal, expecting to fight creatures and monsters? Too bad! Because all I've gotten so far is incredibly mediocre zombies. It's not just boring, but also extremely clunky. Two out of ten shots from your pistol or sniper rifle will not hit the enemies, they will just pass through them. The me lee system works on one vs ones but only after you hit them a good ten to fifteen times. The biggest offender is not the awful nonsense story, the incredibly weak characters or the pretentious villain. It is the scripted nature of the game. Everything is scripted here, nothing happens without the game forcing it on you. Kinda like the turdish new tomb raider reboot. I worry. About the state of video games ever since the Wii and girls started coming to a hobby made by men for men. Yes girls suck at all things, I don't care for political correctness. Go read the evil within review at ign by a girl. Lol, I feel bad for any pathetic person who takes girl gamers seriously.… Expand
  13. MaxPayneIsGod
    Jul 19, 2015
    3
    Convoluted garbage. I had high hopes for this game, a mature , dark, story driven game. All I can say is its a huge let down and a sign of where the survival horror genre is going. Down the blood filled toilet.

    About a quarter through the game I WAS enjoying TEW, to the point I bought the season pass on special. We'll get to that nightmare later. The guy who came up with this steaming    Convoluted garbage. I had high hopes for this game, a mature , dark, story driven game. All I can say is its a huge let down and a sign of where the survival horror genre is going. Down the blood filled toilet.

    About a quarter through the game I WAS enjoying TEW, to the point I bought the season pass on special. We'll get to that nightmare later. The guy who came up with this steaming pile is riding first class on the nostalgia train. TEW is pretty much every Resident Evil game mashed together into HD Gore. The game is genuinely unsettling but the bleak, dark environments wear thin quickly, the characters are dull, the story is riddled with plot holes. The DLC tries to explain what is going on but its just as bad as the main game. I can't even be bothered continuing the review on this utter garbage. Jennifer Carpenter does a good job and she's the ONLY glimmer of light in this, the game that has written off the survival horror genre for me.    … Expand
  14. blopho
    Oct 14, 2014
    3
    What a disappointment. Where do I begin?

    First of all the game is in 16:9 ratio--which isn't a bad thing in itself except that they decided to include those obnoxious black bars at the top and bottom of the screen. What the hell is this?! I realize the intention was to make the game seem more cinematic but the fact that I'm controlling everything the character on the screen does acutely    What a disappointment. Where do I begin?

    First of all the game is in 16:9 ratio--which isn't a bad thing in itself except that they decided to include those obnoxious black bars at the top and bottom of the screen. What the hell is this?! I realize the intention was to make the game seem more cinematic but the fact that I'm controlling everything the character on the screen does acutely reminds me that I'm playing a video game as opposed to watching a movie, so why bother?

    Second of all, the controls. They would be tolerable if not for one thing, the camera. In RE4--a game where a control scheme like this actually worked--the camera would be fixed behind leon with him being SLIGHTLY to the left of center. Then, when he would draw his weapon, the camera would jump to his right shoulder and give the player a more clear field of vision to work with. In this game the camera is not fixed, but instead floats in a very awkward way; when the camera is directly behind the character, he's pushed ALL THE WAY to the left. To make matters worse it is very difficult to see around him. Essentially this creates a blind spot. Then when you take into account the camera can't see anything to his left without the player manually moving it--because that's where the edge of the screen is--there is second massive blind spot that you can only see by rotating the already-clunky camera around. Also the camera gets hung up on walls and obstacles with is very distracting.

    Which brings me to my third biggest complaint about this game, the framerate. It's bad. A lot of people on this site complained about it having "last-gen graphics" but I found the opposite to be true. The developers of this game spent so much time polishing the environments that they forgot that the framerate would suffer. Either that or they just didn't care. The character models are nothing to complain about but it's EXTREMELY noticeable that the framerate isn't keeping up when you're looking around. The game would be soooo much more immersive if this wasn't an issue. But sadly, it is.

    My last complaint and ultimately the biggest one is that there's nothing here you haven't seen before if you've played Resident Evil 4 or 5, Dead Space, or any other similar third-person survival-horror/action hybrid game. The environments feel like they've been ripped off from a different game.

    There goes $64 I'm never gonna see again. Since I've bought my PS4 I've owned four different games and of those four only one has been a 9/10 or 10/10. Games like this really are making me think that the future of gaming is going to be nothing more than games that get enormous amounts of hype and build-up, then turn out to be mediocre. Game like this are starting to make me regret picking up a PS4.    … Expand
  15. sgtdegrandis
    Jan 8, 2015
    3
    Completely disappointing this is not a "horror game" its a Resident Evil 4 action game
    Pros
    The game runs got to give it that Cons Story is uninteresting Weapons are weak which is to be expected in a “True Horror game” however in an ACTION game it just starts to suck Not much weapon variety Dumb AI for partners and enemies Too many invincible mini bosses and of course the main boss    Completely disappointing this is not a "horror game" its a Resident Evil 4 action game
    Pros
    The game runs got to give it that
    Cons
    Story is uninteresting
    Weapons are weak which is to be expected in a “True Horror game” however in an ACTION game it just starts to suck
    Not much weapon variety
    Dumb AI for partners and enemies
    Too many invincible mini bosses and of course the main boss is also invincible
    No crafting system at all
    Overall the game looks ugly    … Expand
  16. TheStalestLoaf
    Oct 14, 2014
    3
    I've only made it to the third chapter and I'm completely disgusted with the state of the game. First of all, the game isn't displayed in 1080p and looks terrible on a next gen console. Second of all, the game may claim to be of the action/horror genre, but all I'm seeing is predictable jump-scares and a laughable atmosphere that couldn't frighten a 3 year old and that is pathetic. Lastly,I've only made it to the third chapter and I'm completely disgusted with the state of the game. First of all, the game isn't displayed in 1080p and looks terrible on a next gen console. Second of all, the game may claim to be of the action/horror genre, but all I'm seeing is predictable jump-scares and a laughable atmosphere that couldn't frighten a 3 year old and that is pathetic. Lastly, the gameplay isn't fun nor is it even the least bit engaging. This is, yet again, another "horror" game that knows little to nothing about how to truly frighten its audience even remotely.… Expand
  17. Gordono
    Oct 14, 2014
    3
    What a disappointment. The graphics are weak, very last gen. and there’s something about the cropping of the game, maybe it’s the letterbox format, but you always seem to be standing in your own way. The controls are terrible; you’re constantly getting stuck on some unseen obstacle, and the third person camera is madding; it’s always getting lost in a wall or a hay bale, or a zombie’sWhat a disappointment. The graphics are weak, very last gen. and there’s something about the cropping of the game, maybe it’s the letterbox format, but you always seem to be standing in your own way. The controls are terrible; you’re constantly getting stuck on some unseen obstacle, and the third person camera is madding; it’s always getting lost in a wall or a hay bale, or a zombie’s shoulder, or your own head. The combat is lame; it’s not a shooter or a stealth game, it does neither well. Survival/ horror give me a break, there’s nothing scary or suspenseful about the game, it’s just a bad zombie game with a terrible and unsatisfying combat system. It’s not difficult, it’s just frustrating. It’s the lousy camera and terrible controls that make it hard; the biggest challenge in the game is overcoming its shortfalls. This is possibly one of the worst games I’ve played in a long time, a waste of sixty bucks and I can’t believe the great reviews it got from the main stream gaming community.… Expand
  18. Visitor5150
    Nov 14, 2014
    3
    This game is a mess. They waited a few months to polish it? Where? I never know where I'm supposed to go, what I'm supposed to do. Make a little advancement and some random trap auto kills you. The graphics are so bad that I'm not even sure if I've been in a certain area before because it all looks the same. I love survival horror but this game plays like it was slapped together fromThis game is a mess. They waited a few months to polish it? Where? I never know where I'm supposed to go, what I'm supposed to do. Make a little advancement and some random trap auto kills you. The graphics are so bad that I'm not even sure if I've been in a certain area before because it all looks the same. I love survival horror but this game plays like it was slapped together from a movie tie in. Shinji is no longer the master of survival horror. I'm assuming people are rating it higher than they should because they don't want horror games to go on hiatus for another 5 years.… Expand
  19. cam387
    Oct 18, 2014
    3
    I don't usually go to review websites to talk about a game I dislike, but The Evil Within has shown me a whole new level of dislike for a video game. First of all, it's not hard by design. It's hard by poor game mechanics. The AI has next to no line of sight most of the time, but god help you if so much as a strand of hair moves on your characters head while behind cover. Unless you canI don't usually go to review websites to talk about a game I dislike, but The Evil Within has shown me a whole new level of dislike for a video game. First of all, it's not hard by design. It's hard by poor game mechanics. The AI has next to no line of sight most of the time, but god help you if so much as a strand of hair moves on your characters head while behind cover. Unless you can hit them with a headshot over three times with the poor aiming mechanic you are out of luck. Even then, the game fails to register hits in some circumstances. Take a enemy "Sleeping" on the ground. I pumped four shots to the head point blank before and during its animation to stand up. Somewhere in there, god mode is activated and it doesn't matter what you do. Trying to melee a enemy is futile unless you are doing a sneak attack. You can hit them as much as you want, they will not stagger. Poor game mechanics is just the beginning of the games terrible life. On a 65'' television, why is my vision limited to half the screen width? I'm sorry, I thought this was 2014 developers. The fact this game was launched on the PS4 and Xbox One for full price when it is clear the developers made this game for the last generation consoles is sick. The entire game is nothing more than a hide in the dark and watch patrol paths simulator, while being forced to have your television display a game in letterbox. Just another bad game made by developers published by Bethesda. Bethesda, please stick to publishing your own games.… Expand
  20. Bubsy3D
    Nov 5, 2014
    3
    If you are expecting a fantastic survival horror come back to our gaming world, well, it was not this time..

    First thing many of us heard about this game is it was created by Shinji Mikami, the mind behind Resident Evil series. While classic Resident Evil games are known by many (specially players from the 90's and early 2000) as quality games, they're not really well known for a    If you are expecting a fantastic survival horror come back to our gaming world, well, it was not this time..

    First thing many of us heard about this game is it was created by Shinji Mikami, the mind behind Resident Evil series.

    While classic Resident Evil games are known by many (specially players from the 90's and early 2000) as quality games, they're not really well known for a groundbreaking story.

    Actually, in terms of storytelling, the Resident Evil series always stayed far away behind Konami's Silent Hill series, which involved much more deeper themes involving human feelings, while Resident Evil always focused more on cheap scares than anything else.

    The Evil Within is much closer to the Resident Evil series in this aspect, what is a really bad thing considering that the series popularity heights was more than 10 years ago.

    I did not found anything interesting in the plot, and the whole game remains unexplained from chapter 1 to chapter 15.

    The whole plot just looks like an excuse to throw some very bad developed characters for a gore bloody bath, cheap scares, and some very annoying design decisions.

    First thing I must comment is the graphics.
    They're average at best and there are games from 2007 like Heavenly Sword that looks prettier! This is really a shame for a 2014 game that got ported to new systems like the PS4.

    This applies specially in the character design and animation department, where The Evil Within is really poor. Just look at Leslie model... it looks like it was made with The Sims 2 sim creator (the tools to create your sim and share over the community..).

    This is unaceptable for a 2014 ambicious production like The Evil Within.

    There are also many frame rate problems and texture popup, low resolution textures and low polygon models.

    The sound effects are nice and does fit the theme, like the screams and the environmental sounds (water, fire). The bloody explosions from bursting corpses looks very realistic to me, so in this aspect the game is ok.

    The music is forgettable, not a single piece of the soundtrack will remain in your memory after you finish the game (in Resident Evil many tracks did, like the save room from RE2).

    Voice acting is average, the characters personalities are just bland as they look, none of them express emotions and everything sounds artificial.

    The only character I think deserves a mention is Tatiana, the nurse from the save rooms, which is just as cold as her voice actress makes her look like, and does fit her role very well.

    All the others are bland and uninspired, specially the main protagonist, his two supporters, and the villain.

    From the main characters, only Leslie (modeled in The Sims 2 editor...) will be remembered, not because his design choices are good, but because the rest of them are very poorly developed.

    The gameplay is mediocre too, and feels a lot like Resident Evil 4, a game released a decade ago.
    The Evil Within main problem is that it relies too much in a bloody gore bath, with some of the most cheap scares ever that are very predictable and not scary at all.

    The enemies shows how poor the design choices are. While some does look interesting, most of them are stupid and annoying, like the zombies with machine guns...

    Other enemies are not very original and looks like extracted directly from Resident Evil 4, like the chainsaw guy. The safe-head guy looks like a copy from Silent Hill 2 Pyramid Head. The long haired monster looks like ripped from Silent Hill 4...the list goes on.

    The way you fight these enemies is also boring because most of the fights are more annoying than fun, involving run from infinite re-spawning enemies (safe-head guy).

    The art direction is very well done, when we talk about the environments, constructions, and all the objects that helps to give this game a very dark atmosphere.

    The city levels are poor designed, and the over the top cutscenes in the last chapter are laughable, specially the way you fight the last boss.

    Many bad design choices were made to extend this game lenght too, as this is a long game with 15+ hours of gameplay (most of them very frustrating by the huge ammount of deaths against enemies you dont stand a chance or cheap one hit kills that will probably make you angry and want to give up).

    At the end of the first playthrought the game gives you some nice rewards for a new adventure, but this game does not have any replay value at all.Actually I coudn't wait to finish it the sooner as I could and my suffering got extended to the 15 more hours I mentioned before. My final opinion is this game doesnt worth, and will only be remembered by its ammount of blood and gore. There's no story, no memorable characters, no good music, not even in the main purpose this game is good. In the parts it doesnt fail completely, it does only average. Sorry Mikami, but it wont sell enough for a sequel. It doesnt deserve one.    … Expand
  21. HeatherN
    Nov 14, 2014
    3
    I'm not really sure why this got the ratings it did. The trailers were very interesting and the game looked promising from the advertisement. But overall, it was quite a disappointment. As a survivor horror it's not very scary and I can't make heads or tails of the plot. A lot of horror games are vague as far as story goes, but not to this level. I can't even come up with a summary. MainlyI'm not really sure why this got the ratings it did. The trailers were very interesting and the game looked promising from the advertisement. But overall, it was quite a disappointment. As a survivor horror it's not very scary and I can't make heads or tails of the plot. A lot of horror games are vague as far as story goes, but not to this level. I can't even come up with a summary. Mainly because I have no idea what's happening in this game. At all.

    The characters aren't very interesting. Because there isn't a lot of back story, I'm not really invested in what's going on. There's nothing personal or meaningful about the imagery I am seeing--it's just random. Gameplay and fighting isn't too terribly fun either. From other reviews I read, a lot of people complained didn't have enough ammo. I didn't have that issue, but that's mostly because I avoided as many monsters as I could.

    Honestly, I wouldn't waste your money on this game. It's just a confused mess. It's like the game developer didn't know want he wanted this game to be. It's not action pack enough to be action horror, not scary enough to be survivor, and too campy to be taken seriously.    … Expand
  22. Angelwolf
    Mar 25, 2015
    3
    I was so excited to get this game at Christmas. Having just played through Alien Isolation and The Last of Us, I was in the mood for another survival horror title. What I ended up with was a clunky, unfair and overall poor experience.

    The game tries to be Resident Evil 4. That's great, if you liked RE4. If you didn't (like me) then push this game to one side. The atmosphere is spooky    I was so excited to get this game at Christmas. Having just played through Alien Isolation and The Last of Us, I was in the mood for another survival horror title. What I ended up with was a clunky, unfair and overall poor experience.

    The game tries to be Resident Evil 4. That's great, if you liked RE4. If you didn't (like me) then push this game to one side. The atmosphere is spooky and the monsters are genuinely scary when you first come accross them, but that doesn't fix the problems with the experience. The game is very action orientated and it's difficulty comes when you cannot control your character (Sebastian) properly. He's a clunky wreck and gets in the way of the camera when you need to see most. Disarming traps for parts can easily have you killed if you're not quick enough to disarm them during the disarming mini-game.

    With the number of positive reviews this game has received, I'm sure many will find it an excellent title to play. But if you're hoping for something different and more original from what the Resident Evil series has become, then stay well away from The Evil Within.    … Expand
  23. K5000i
    Jul 27, 2016
    3
    yawn , eh & i cant see whats happening ! those are the words said the most playing this thing ,., see it done it better in other games with these tank controls , the fear factor isnt there & the plot just bounces & makes no sense at all ,., just throw in random levels at random times ,., but the the big bad has to be them damn letterbox view that just blocks out the view ..,, the guy isyawn , eh & i cant see whats happening ! those are the words said the most playing this thing ,., see it done it better in other games with these tank controls , the fear factor isnt there & the plot just bounces & makes no sense at all ,., just throw in random levels at random times ,., but the the big bad has to be them damn letterbox view that just blocks out the view ..,, the guy is almost as high as the screen & you can see **** in front of you ,., not very good at all… Expand
  24. DavidHoltzer
    Nov 18, 2021
    3
    This game is quite bad. It looks very cheap and uses a lot of tired ways to try to be scary like jump scares, a lot of dead bodies, a ton of gore and cliché enemy designs. The story is very convoluted and random things just happen in it and it's pretty hard to follow, the characters are also poorly written or some of them are annoying. The gameplay is boring, clunky and offers nothing new.
  25. Lucariomain05
    Jul 23, 2022
    3
    Mediocre horror game at best. While it does have some potential in its atmosphere and survival aspects, it does not make up for its bland protagonist and boring, tedious pacing. In addition, the graphics look noticeably outdated for a 2014 game. The textures are muddy and the picture throughout is grainy and blurry. This looks more like a PS3/Xbox 360 game from 2008 than a product fromMediocre horror game at best. While it does have some potential in its atmosphere and survival aspects, it does not make up for its bland protagonist and boring, tedious pacing. In addition, the graphics look noticeably outdated for a 2014 game. The textures are muddy and the picture throughout is grainy and blurry. This looks more like a PS3/Xbox 360 game from 2008 than a product from just 8 years ago. Too many of the interactions are slow and require almost perfect precision just to overcome. The mechanics are also not properly explained at the start, even on the casual difficulty, making the experience confusing for new players. At times, I found myself stuck in certain scenarios without a clue or walkthrough to guide me. What is a visual object and an actual game-changing item is hard to figure out unless done through trial and error. I do not recommend this game at all. Go play Resident Evil 7 or Village instead. These games are far better than this.… Expand
  26. Lenders
    Aug 14, 2022
    3
    Un juego con mecánicas y movilidad de ps2, algunos resident evil con 10 años más son mejores.
  27. premium_sauce
    Mar 9, 2015
    2
    Not sure what to think about this game. Very disappointed that's for sure. I'm 28 years old, I work full time and bought a PS4 to relax because I've been gaming since the age of 13. This game will heavily frustrate you. At my age, I like to relax after work, that's about it. I just finished the game after 22 hours of gameplay on survival mode and died 107 times. The way how you die in thisNot sure what to think about this game. Very disappointed that's for sure. I'm 28 years old, I work full time and bought a PS4 to relax because I've been gaming since the age of 13. This game will heavily frustrate you. At my age, I like to relax after work, that's about it. I just finished the game after 22 hours of gameplay on survival mode and died 107 times. The way how you die in this game is so repetitive that I pretty much yawned all the way through. Constantly running out of ammo, nothing makes sense (jumping from one scene to the other) - half way through I kinda felt like the developers were Japanese (didn't know they were initially as into shows Bethesda to be the main developer *big Fallout Fan here*) - why am I saying this? Because only Japanese would be sadomasochist enough to endure so many deaths. It comes to a point that I stopped enjoying it but since I'm addicted to collect trophies I pushed myself to finish the game. Usually I like playing games on hard mode. With Evil Within, so many times I was tempted to decrease the difficulty down to casual level.

    Honestly, if you are in my situation and game to relax, have a good time then this game is not for you. I recently finished Shadow of Mordor - Now that was really cool :D - and switching to this game right after felt clumsy, slow paced, heavy and dragging the story.

    God how I used to love Silent Hill back in the good old days - this game tries to reconciliate too many genres. It tries to be The Last of Us, tries to be Resident Evil, tries to be Silent Hill.

    Now that I have finished the game. I have unlocked the RPG and machine gun. I ll play a little to get as many trophies as possible. But I will NOT replay under AKUMA or Nightmare mode.

    I would definitely not recommend this game at all.    … Expand
  28. HeartsOff
    Oct 23, 2014
    2
    This game is just boring and the story is devoid of any originality. I thought I could be scared... but I suppose the developers forgot what's the source of the fear: some really unexpected events. I don't even understand why that game is considered as a survival/horror one. The graphic quality is decent but there's a lot of problems with textures.
  29. Limey
    Oct 15, 2014
    2
    People are desperate for survival horror and will likely accept any release vaguely resembling their desire. The Evil Within was marketed as a return to 'pure horror' and it is closer to a grotesque, senseless misadventure into a variety of misplaced sequences which do not establish any consistent atmosphere for an emotion of dread to develop.

    Shinji is not the saviour of survival    People are desperate for survival horror and will likely accept any release vaguely resembling their desire. The Evil Within was marketed as a return to 'pure horror' and it is closer to a grotesque, senseless misadventure into a variety of misplaced sequences which do not establish any consistent atmosphere for an emotion of dread to develop.

    Shinji is not the saviour of survival horror, he is a figurehead, demonstrating a competent team and ample resources are stronger to a single man's masterminded vision in the current case (in the assumption they had one). Notes to add ambience are nonsensical, ammunition is balanced punisghinly to cause unreasonable circumstance, deaths are regularly cheap and chapters typically requiring routines of trial-error-trial-error-trial.

    There is a fundamental design confusion: "Should we aim for stealth or aciton?" Consequently, as the creators attempted an amalgamation, they have created a situation whereby stealth is often inappropriate considering action setpieces whilst action is mostly discouraged from contrived survival horror elementsboth from the cumbersome controls to the scarce resources. The lack of instructions, too, are not a fun challenge or an endeavour to exhibit how 'hardcore' a player is - they're a lazy scenario which has the player testing for answers through frustrating mechanics invariably leading to mistakes: repetitive stealth, unbalanced enemies, cumbersome action.

    Enemies are not designed to investigate intelligently for any fair calculations to the player - line of sights erratic when not distracted with a redundant throw of a distraction - and patience of the stealth declines into frustration whilst there's neither dread or variety to sneaking. Additionally, environments are inappropriate for stealth, regularly a victim to poor collisions which affect fluid manoeuvring, and they're highly restrictive to have stealth as practically identical to how simply isolated the practice is of waiting inside a locker.

    The Evil Within is a game we want to be success, inspiring excellent survival horror games in the future and also being one, but it is nevertheless a disaster to not only ambition, it's flawed from a design perspective.

    Technical issues range from clipping, textures requiring additional time to load and horrible artificial intelligence for mechanics dependent on these. However, to not be wholly negative, positives include adequate graphics, occasionally entertaining environments and fascinating bosses.

    The framerate inexcusably lowers at times, unacceptable considering it's substandard the standards of PS4 graphics - entailing it should be easier to code smoother - and movement is restricted to a degree that does not increase tension or 'horror', it's an unnecessary restriction: contrived limitations, highly awkward in practice, to supposedly induce 'fear' with their superficial assumptions on survival horror design principles. The aforementioned misunderstanding, too, is witnessed with difficulty as instilling the fear of death rooted into survival, attempting to replicate Dark Souls which punishes players methodically as consequence opposed to irrational punishment as with The Evil Within or any other poorly balanced product.

    You will die until numb. You will die senselessly and scream 'unfair', not 'OH MY GOD'. You will laugh at the repetitive gore that it indulges in as weak attempt at visceral horror. You will be amused at the schizophrenic direction that's embodied well with the disjointed, non-sequitur realities.You will laugh as they try to be cheesy for us to ignore specific flaws.

    The worst element has been the manipulative marketing of the companies involved, hyping survival horror fanabases into a protective frenzy over 'Shinji',, provoking loyalty as they view the success as important for their favourite franchises being restored/returned/ressurected and having people believe it will be an infallible success whilst lacking any of the relevant ingredients.. It is not survival horror, it is a third-person shooter which has been superfluously replicated survival horror elements, trying to not betray their initial intent to attracted fans, that serve as incompatible to all of their other choices.

    Where is the focus and the decisive, harmonious experience? Not The Evil Within. Where is true survival horror? Maybe Fatal Frame V will have to do and I hope it never, ever attempts the current trend in survival horror, horribly simplistic: hide-and-seek.

    I can run long as Sebastian with how much I enjoyed The Evil WIthin and regard it as 'horror'. It mocked any idea of survival and twisted the idea into an empty one of mindless deaths: no suspense or theatrics, purely sadist.    … Expand
  30. shadow11
    Oct 22, 2014
    2
    It's really a shame to see such a mediocre game is made from the great Shinji Mikami we know. Visually the game looks great but technically suffers from frame drops even with high end PCs. The story sounds like it was written by an 11 years old kid, the characters are boring and added nothing interesting to the story, the soundtrack is weak and the gameplay is a combination of frustratingIt's really a shame to see such a mediocre game is made from the great Shinji Mikami we know. Visually the game looks great but technically suffers from frame drops even with high end PCs. The story sounds like it was written by an 11 years old kid, the characters are boring and added nothing interesting to the story, the soundtrack is weak and the gameplay is a combination of frustrating stealth and some ideas taken from old RE games.

    Ultimately the game fails to build any tension and doesn’t deserve to be called “survival-horror”.

    I give it 2 for the level of details and effort put into designing the environment. I don’t recommend it to any horror fan, avoid it and wait for a real horror game.    … Expand
Page:

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]
See all critic reviews »