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. Makaveli
    Oct 14, 2014
    9
    ( Received my copy early on October 10th,friend hooked me up)
    Shinji Mikami ( father of survival horror) is the director of The Evil Within and it has been said that this title will be the last videogame he directs and what a way to go out.
    While playing The Evil Within, I felt like I returned to the good old days of survival horror. You could tell that Silent Hill was one of Shinjis    ( Received my copy early on October 10th,friend hooked me up)
    Shinji Mikami ( father of survival horror) is the director of The Evil Within and it has been said that this title will be the last videogame he directs and what a way to go out.

    While playing The Evil Within, I felt like I returned to the good old days of survival horror. You could tell that Silent Hill was one of Shinjis inspirations for this game. I also sensed some inspiration from horror movies from the 80s and of course Resident Evil 4.
    There were some frame rate drops and texture pop ins that occurred sometimes while playing the game, but it wasn't so bad, I've seen a lot worse in other games.

    The graphics themselves are nothing special, however the environments that you traverse are interesting and beautifully designed, you could defiantly tell you are playing a shinji mikami game.
    Enemy design is also very nice and you could tell that the designers took their time in creating each enemy..I did not like the black borders that were present on the screen at first, but after awhile I didn't mind it.

    Bosses seemed to be frustrating but I'm a type of gamer who enjoys learning by dying.. The game doesn't tell you how to kill a boss, so chances are you will die over and over again until you find out for yourself on how to defeat it... This game is challenging.. I played on normal and it was still pretty hard.
    The story is weird, it's confusing and it seems like it drags out a bit, but nonetheless it is very solid, I actually like the story better than Resident Evil 4. However I liked Leon a lot better than Sebastian, I thought Sebastian was a very dull protagonist, just a pretty boring guy..
    Puzzles were ok, nothing special, quiet easy actually, could be because I was only playing on normal, but they are pretty straight forward.
    I did not find the game scary but I did find it disturbing and I was tense through most of it, just like resident evil 4.
    Resident Evil 4 to me is slightly better than The Evil Within (at least to me) but it was a fun ride, I plan on playing it again... First play through took me approx 17 hours.

    I recommend this game to people who loved the classic Resident Evil games, newcomers may not like this game as it does indeed feel like an old school horror game. The game is also hard so you must have the patience and be able to learn by trial and error...
    Presentation: 9.5
    Gameplay: 9.5
    Sound :10
    Graphics: 7.0
    Story: 8.0
    Replayability: 9.0
    My Score : 88%    … Expand
  2. abelcorreia
    Oct 14, 2014
    10
    terrifying that is the word that best defines The Evil Within, the graphics are good gameplay also can not help but give a lower rating than 10 glad you survive the horror genre is coming back with everything.
  3. don-G
    Oct 14, 2014
    10
    The Evil Within is a varied, deep, challenging and long game. Shinji Mikami and Tango Gameworks scare us, they mix puzzles and third person shooting in a reborn survival horror that is visually poor. The Keeper, the Alpha mastodon and other ugly deformed will make you have nightmares.
  4. motta88
    Oct 14, 2014
    10
    my GOTY this game is awesome and scary and unlike other horror games its addicted and enjoyable shinji mikami did it again the real survival horror god
  5. TangoFan
    Oct 14, 2014
    10
    it was everything the fans survival horror wanted I love this Game! Shinji Mikami Genius! Good Graphics Good Music Good Story Classic Survival Horror. Gamers nowadays it's sad...
  6. SlasherX
    Oct 14, 2014
    8
    I went in with high expectations and to put it briefly...I overall enjoyed it, but was below my very high expected 9.5/10.

    The game tries to be a psychological mind bender, making you question the reality of the situation and makes you wonder what could come next. The Bad first (everything is subjective to taste): - You die...ALOT. Sometimes you just want to move forward. - I'm    I went in with high expectations and to put it briefly...I overall enjoyed it, but was below my very high expected 9.5/10.

    The game tries to be a psychological mind bender, making you question the reality of the situation and makes you wonder what could come next.

    The Bad first (everything is subjective to taste):
    - You die...ALOT. Sometimes you just want to move forward.
    - I'm absolutely not a fan of black bars
    - 30fps give it a slow paced feeling as it should be, but frame rates easily drop when this is done.
    - Confirm too frequent frame rate drops, but this can be easily fixed in future updates.
    - Graphics are no where as good as I hoped.
    - Story not well explained most of the time, or at least don't explain who is who and why.
    - movements feel sluggish at times where accurate stealth movements are necessary.

    The good:
    - You die...ALOT. This is a bad and a good thing. The replay ability of each level doesn't feel frustrating, but much more a challenge for you to go back and try again..in different ways all the time.
    - Great horror atmosphere and very nice first Chapter. I don't want to spoil more..
    - (SPOILER) Love the Silent Hill 2 reference with the look of the nurse when in the save game dreams.
    - Each level is unique in its own way with always something intriguing to look forward to. Most of the time.
    - This game is a survival horror. You will feel exactly that when playing it. You are surviving. THAT is something many games don't have anymore.

    You make one wrong move...BAM, you're dead. It isn't a perfectionists game, but it requires planning and thinking on how to proceed forward in each level. You will make full use of your environments and once you learn the tricks you will enjoy the game to the fullest.

    I expected a better told story, better graphics without those dreadful black bars that remove 2 thirds of my screen space (literally). Improve the controls, make the bars a choice and improve the frame rate.

    Overall you will enjoy the game. It isn't the best, but it is FAR from the worst.    … Expand
  7. slim1985
    Oct 14, 2014
    10
    it may not be the best game out their but it the survival/horror return in the hand of it father shinji mikami this game have a great atmosphere and require skills to survive bringing back the old school survival horror style "less resources, Puzzles, etc"this game is a must for survival/horror fans
  8. Bbbrian2013
    Oct 14, 2014
    10
    The Evil Within is easily the best Survival Horror game to be released in years, Shinji Mikami has once again worked his magic! Hopefully Bethesda and Tango will turn this into an amazing franchise and not just an amazing game!
  9. DSX714
    Oct 15, 2014
    5
    Really disappointing. Combat is horrible, Melee is useless half the time, You can waste all your ammo on one enemy and take multiple head shots to kill. There's no hit detection with the bullets alot of the time. Camera is very cramped, Hard to tell where enemies are. Stealth is very slow and requires alot of patience and if you have to keep reloading a checkpoint due to the broken combatReally disappointing. Combat is horrible, Melee is useless half the time, You can waste all your ammo on one enemy and take multiple head shots to kill. There's no hit detection with the bullets alot of the time. Camera is very cramped, Hard to tell where enemies are. Stealth is very slow and requires alot of patience and if you have to keep reloading a checkpoint due to the broken combat you will keep doing these slow stealth segments ALOT. Save points are scarce. Saving the game is very outdated save points take a bit to come across which once you find one can take you a good 30 seconds or more just to begin overwriting the data because of the process you have to go through. Story provides very little detail and the cast isn't too in depth. Screen is very fuzzy which is a filter that just makes the resolution look worse than it is. All in all a very 'meh' game. Was really disappointed as I was looking forward to this one.… Expand
  10. Darkknight88
    Oct 14, 2014
    10
    Amazing game the graphics is not that bad i really liked the shadows and lightning details the horrific enemies the story is a bit cofusing but it needs more than one walkthrough to get along with it
  11. freak_slayer
    Oct 14, 2014
    10
    everything you'd expect from Mikami, not scary but heart pounding and an definitley survival horror. Blood, guts and lots of deranged creatures. Excellent game
  12. whutisthematrix
    Oct 14, 2014
    10
    Welcome back, survival horror. Truly a good homage to older games of the like, a blast to play, and very scary. Highly recommend if you love old Silent Hill and RE games!
  13. monks99
    Oct 14, 2014
    9
    Evil Within is very well paced. With a great level design and great atmosphere. Smart AI...sure the acting is mediocre..but what matters more is gameplay. One of the best horror games to be released in a while. Much much better than any of the later released Resident Evil games. Scarce save points is a plus in my book as well.
  14. BAN_KAI
    Oct 14, 2014
    10
    this game is not flawless and it is not shinji's best work but it is still amazing game i loved the environment design and difficulty of this game you realy should be smart enough and survivalist to survive this game great pick and worth my cash
  15. Whoami
    Oct 14, 2014
    10
    I think the game is awesome, I'm not done the game yet, I'm on chapter 7, but so far I have been having a great time.. Sure, the graphics at times can be "bad" but the game-play kicks a**...It's not my favorite horror game, that goes to Silent Hill 2.. I hope we see mre survival horror this gen..
  16. 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
  17. EchoBlack
    Oct 14, 2014
    5
    Hardly a return to classic survival horror, this game feels more like a modern, action-focused TPS with some cliché "hollywood" scares railroaded as part of set pieces. The game utterly fails at generating horror or even tension from its (abundant) combat and exploration scenarios. The survival aspect is also highly ineffectual, as consumables such as ammunition and healing items are amplyHardly a return to classic survival horror, this game feels more like a modern, action-focused TPS with some cliché "hollywood" scares railroaded as part of set pieces. The game utterly fails at generating horror or even tension from its (abundant) combat and exploration scenarios. The survival aspect is also highly ineffectual, as consumables such as ammunition and healing items are amply replenished between major encounters. The only semblance of game-long resource management is in the form of ability upgrades.

    This game has more in common with the Tomb Raider reboot or The Last of Us than Silent Hill or Resident Evil. It could be an interesting gateway game for people new to horror games, but long time fans can easily skip The Evil Within. However, fans of TPS or just action games in general are likely to find things to enjoy.    … Expand
  18. llNaughty_Dogll
    Oct 14, 2014
    10
    Great Story..One of the best titles of the previous generation is now available in all the next-gen.If you have yet to play The Evil Within, and you own a PlayStation 4, I can fully whole heartily say go buy this game, because you’re in for a memorable time. For fans, this is one you might want to pick up if you want to play the game at its best
  19. 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
  20. GordonG
    Oct 14, 2014
    1
    Wow, THE most disappointing game i ever played. It is just horrible unfinished.
    I can´t understand how this game could be ranked this high!?? Are you mad people!?
    -Graphics are 10 years old. I am serious, it is really really bad. -Constant frame drops make it unplayable -Controls are a mess -No ammo so all you do is run, really boring -Feels really unfinished -Glitches everywhere    Wow, THE most disappointing game i ever played. It is just horrible unfinished.
    I can´t understand how this game could be ranked this high!?? Are you mad people!?

    -Graphics are 10 years old. I am serious, it is really really bad.
    -Constant frame drops make it unplayable
    -Controls are a mess
    -No ammo so all you do is run, really boring
    -Feels really unfinished
    -Glitches everywhere

    +Good atmosphere    … Expand
  21. Lizarraga
    Oct 14, 2014
    6
    I didn't play many chapters but the first ones were enough for me to return this game. Many people are complaining about the black bars but I didn't mind. I'm not a graphic enthusiast but the graphics are just horrific in my opinion. It's actually the first time where I complain about graphics. The story is neither bad nor good. Its gloominess can be compared to games like "The Last OfI didn't play many chapters but the first ones were enough for me to return this game. Many people are complaining about the black bars but I didn't mind. I'm not a graphic enthusiast but the graphics are just horrific in my opinion. It's actually the first time where I complain about graphics. The story is neither bad nor good. Its gloominess can be compared to games like "The Last Of Us".

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

    I'd borrow this game from a friend or a rental shop before buying it, especially because it has no MP or Co op.    … Expand
  22. 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
  23. Iberian_Buffalo
    Oct 14, 2014
    4
    When you create game that have graphic quality below the last of us remastered quality, you also add 2 bars on screen so amount of graphic that need to be generated is even less THEN game is not allowed to work 30 fps with a lot of drops to 15 fps... THIS IS NEXT GEN.. (should be). Not even stable 30 fps.
  24. usa5432
    Oct 14, 2014
    0
    This game is a dissapointment, since the lack of emotional moments, to the uninspired characters ever, no 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 aboutThis game is a dissapointment, since the lack of emotional moments, to the uninspired characters ever, no 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 agree    … Expand
  25. tybyrd93
    Oct 16, 2015
    8
    In terms of survival horror gameplay and level design, this game is a breath of fresh air. The evil within is undeniably creepy without relying on jump scares. Ammo is precious and going in guns blazing isn't always the best plan. Speaking of guns, the shooting mechanics are very satisfying and the upgrade system encourages going the extra mile and exploring the environments to findIn terms of survival horror gameplay and level design, this game is a breath of fresh air. The evil within is undeniably creepy without relying on jump scares. Ammo is precious and going in guns blazing isn't always the best plan. Speaking of guns, the shooting mechanics are very satisfying and the upgrade system encourages going the extra mile and exploring the environments to find resources and spare parts. The story, however, is lacking. The main character is exremely uninteresting and reacts to things in an unbelievably apathetic way. The plot throws him from one situation to another in a scatter-brained manner, providing very little context. All in all, the evil within is what survival horror fans have been wanting since resident evil 4 and it's a must buy for next gen systems… Expand
  26. coelo
    Nov 2, 2015
    8
    Highly underrated by the press. This game is quite fun, and technically it is completely competent. Graphically it ranges from good to stellar and I personally haven't had any problems with the controls at all. If you enjoyed Resident Evil at all, you will like this game I guarantee.

    It is nothing like Outlast as it really is not that scary. I find this game to be an entertaining    Highly underrated by the press. This game is quite fun, and technically it is completely competent. Graphically it ranges from good to stellar and I personally haven't had any problems with the controls at all. If you enjoyed Resident Evil at all, you will like this game I guarantee.

    It is nothing like Outlast as it really is not that scary. I find this game to be an entertaining psychological thriller, somewhat like Until Dawn except with more ability to affect your environment. The set pieces, the environment, is quite well done and you can see that this game was given attention and love in the environment.

    Don't be put off by the negative reviews. I don't know what those reviewers were expecting, but I can fully recommend this game as a great buy at it's current price for anyone who either wants a new Resident Evil type experience, or enjoys Hollywood style psychological thriller movies.

    Very well done, glad to have it in my library of games.

    I'm giving this game a solid 8.
    For reference, I'd give The Witcher 3 (10), Destiny The Taken King (7.5), MGSV (8.5 low because of the 2nd chapter), Bloodborne (9.5), Batman Arkham Knight (8.5).

    This game is a solid 8 even for those who don't adore the genre. If you love the genre you'll probably be very, very glad you got this game. Lastly, definitely do buy the version with the DLC as the DLC is substantial and very additive to the overall experience. Honestly, the DLC is essential to the full narrative. I hate that these companies chop up good games and repack them this way, but if you are going to buy this game, buy it with the DLC.

    I'll address a few of the major complaints here and show you the alternative to them.

    People frequently say the Melee combat is useless
    - Do you think a punch or even a knife attack on a creature that is wrapped in barbwire and penetrated by half a dozen sharp objects... Do you think they'd be bothered by a punch, kick, or knife attack?

    The people complaining about Melee, honestly they are probably FPS folks who are used to seeing their super blazing fast knife rip through someone's jugular like a blade of pure sunlight.

    Short answer, the Melee combat is spot on for THIS game. If this were call of duty I'd see their complaint. However, the objective of this game is NOT to rack up kills folks. You are supposed to feel weak and afraid of conflict, not like a super human bad ass GI JOE from hell. The Melee is spot on.

    People often say the graphics are bad.
    - the developers were obviously going for a Hollywood film type effect. I totally like it and think it works. I play on a 60" TV, leaving the black bars on all the time and honestly, this game looks really good. It is not all shiny and dripping with bloom, HDR, etc. The graphics look better than I need them to and again I feel like the people complaining about this game are not the target audience.

    This is simply a better game than resident evil 4, the last real resident evil we had. Please don't be scared to purchase it. I very nearly passed this by based on the reviews, but it was on sale with the DLC for under $30.

    This game is completely technically, story, and environmentally pleasing and you really gotta see it for yourself. Once you play this you'll likely question who the heck is writing these negative reviews and what their agenda is. Or at least I did. It's getting very difficult to trust reviews these days. I was burnt hard on Destiny which turned out to be a total flop imo as it had absolutely no story whatsoever (TTK is a step in the right direction though).

    If you see this game with DLC for $30 or less, it's a steal plain and simple.
    Even at $50 I think I'd personally feel satisfied, but it is currently at $30 and that is ludicrously good.
    I know the reviews have been unkind to this game, but I say take a chance on this one. I did, and I'm very pleased. It's the true Resident Evil successor we've been waiting for.

    Have fun!    … Expand
  27. BaronMonaco
    Jan 5, 2016
    8
    The Evil Within was very anticipated by the horror fans, Shinji Mikami as the father of Resident Evil promised the return of the true Survival Horror genre not the shooter with gore elements that was Resident Evil 6.
    Well in fact some might be disappointed because the game looks a lot more to Resident Evil 4, which was a great game but not really a survival game. Like in RE4 you aren't    The Evil Within was very anticipated by the horror fans, Shinji Mikami as the father of Resident Evil promised the return of the true Survival Horror genre not the shooter with gore elements that was Resident Evil 6.
    Well in fact some might be disappointed because the game looks a lot more to Resident Evil 4, which was a great game but not really a survival game. Like in RE4 you aren't allowed to miss a lot of shots but if you're aim is good you'll never be short on ammo, some sequences are pure action but it also took the good things of the game with a great ambiance that give me the creeps more than once, good bosses and some true horror sequences. Gameplay wise I really cannot describe it better than the child of Resident Evil 4.

    Technically I don't mind the two black lines that give a movie's style to the game (anyway you can deactivate them in the options) there wasn't any bugs during my playthrough and the graphics are okay thanks to great light effects that makes up for the average textures. But as an european player I have a complaint is that the game didn't include English voices (except in the United Kingdom of course) and that pisses off a pretty large community that don't want to hear wannabee actors doing voice overs when the english version have A-rank actors like Jennifer Carpenter and Anson Mount, really a stupid decision from Bethesda (As far as I know it's the only game of this generation in the case, and it was already pretty rare on the previous one).

    Finally the story was fairly disappointing and just a mind to justify the horror but at least it will last 15 hours wich is good for the genre.

    PS: If you buy the season pass (well only the two were you play Kidman are good but it's the same price if you buy them both or the season pass, might as well give a shot to the boring "Executioner"), the story gets a little better and in addition the gameplay of those is true survival horror, I really advise them they are great and last more or less 5 hours for the two about Kidman (if they were included I would rate the game a 9 instead of an 8).

    In conclusion Evil Within is a good game especially if you like the horror genre, even if maybe there's a little too much action. it might be the beginning of new horror franchise that could really be a reference if they follow the path of the two DLC's "The Assignment" and "The Consequence".    … Expand
  28. HV100pre
    Oct 11, 2015
    10
    Shinji Mikami I'm waiting for a second game! Since the first minute I already fell in love wiht the game, the characters, and everything is great, ithe story t's just a little confuse somethimes
  29. ilovegames32
    Jan 2, 2016
    8
    Welcome back mr. Mikami-son, the horror genre/game industry missed you! When i first heard that mikami was directing this game i had one purpose!, buy this game as soon as it was released! Unfortunaley that didnt happen until mid 2015 lol. Anyway, the positives, graphics: its great! Everything looks dirty/grimey/slimey/bloody etc almost as if to give silent hill a nod for inspiration andWelcome back mr. Mikami-son, the horror genre/game industry missed you! When i first heard that mikami was directing this game i had one purpose!, buy this game as soon as it was released! Unfortunaley that didnt happen until mid 2015 lol. Anyway, the positives, graphics: its great! Everything looks dirty/grimey/slimey/bloody etc almost as if to give silent hill a nod for inspiration and thats definitely a plus! Music: it can be extremly haunting at times while none existent in other areas of the game but ultimately the music fits well with the enviroment your playing in. Sound: i think this is where the evil within really shines! Walking or running down hall ways, streets, forests or caves have never been scarier. The enemies grunts, screams and moans are very convincing ESPECIALLY when your being chased by the four arm woman(dam she wqs tough to beat) Enemies: the enemey designs are pretty creepy like the tall monster that seemed to be nailed to a cross to the really deformed bosses which are a combination of gross looking and hard to kill. Gameplay: sebastion has lots of weapons at his disposal but the crossbow will most likely be your bestie throughout the game oh and the matches and very helpful when you want enemies to STAY dead! Besides shooting though, the gameplay is pretty straight forward, you can shoot duck/duck behind cover(kidman only) run etc. Scare factor: i'll give a solid 7 as the game deviates between traditional horror to actionmode in some areas, its balanced enough to where any fan of both genres will enjoy this game.

    Now the negatives. Pop up/slash detail of background delay. In some areas of the game, particularly in the cinematics, some aspects of the background gets drawn in at the last minute. It isnt very distracting but noticable. Difficulty: this is probably the worst aspect of the game because in one section or room, the enemies can be pushovers while others will be difficult to kill especially since this game barely gi es you ammo(the most ammo i ever picked up was five bullets) Puzzels: puzzles exist in the evil within, just dont expect them to the brain teasers you experienced in games like silent hill or classic resident evil games.characters: besides the guy that runs mobius(the guy with the sinister shadow claws) i generally didnt care about sebastion or kidman, they werent badly developed, just nit developed to their full potential. Other than that, the evip within accomplished what it set out to do, give gamers a good scare while running through ruvik/ruben's twisted nightmare while doing everything you can to survive. This game gets a solid 8/10! Im looking forward to a sequel to this game in the future!    … Expand
  30. shahdan
    Feb 7, 2016
    10
    After Alien Isolation it was hard to get into TW and not keep expectations high, but, I was surprised. The game is a masterpiece. Whilst the Stealth may not be up to par with AI, the encounter set pieces make it outshine the rest in this stale genre.

    The Evil Within is a completely fantastical ride with a plot that centers on the antagonist rather than your protagonists, and it's a    After Alien Isolation it was hard to get into TW and not keep expectations high, but, I was surprised. The game is a masterpiece. Whilst the Stealth may not be up to par with AI, the encounter set pieces make it outshine the rest in this stale genre.

    The Evil Within is a completely fantastical ride with a plot that centers on the antagonist rather than your protagonists, and it's a refreshing change from the MC centered messes most games are. The dream sequences are surreal and unnerving as you literally trudge through the mind of your aggressor with little control over the surrounds. I find it hilarious that this game's narrative was put down, when it's one of the most well written games on the market as it follows the convention of the plot and events being centered on someone other than the Central Character. I will not go into detail (it's metacritic for the love of all things holy), but yeah, those exist, where the character is at the mercy of the plot. What a shocker, right?

    And this game does it so well as you are literally tossed around at the whim of another's mind; it’s a perfect connotative and denotative aspect of this type of writing, handled with literal perfection in TW. Trust me, people, you do not have to be so ruefully idiotic to not know that there are different types of narrative schemes. What a shame that average gamers (and reviewers) are quite pitifully pathetic in their grasp of this simple fact. What a shame indeed, and thus, love to project their obtuse mindset onto the game. I swear it, it's because of gamers as to why we have to suffer through such poorly written stories that amass the market. You people have no one to blame, but yourselves.

    But, moving on ... the lack of control over your own psyche, what you feel and see is so brilliant that very few games delve that deep into the quagmire of confusion and psychological disparity between your aggressor and the mostly-quiet hero. It captures the feel of dream segments and the "bizarre landscape of the mind" concept with near finesse. There are very few games that capture the atmosphere this masterfully … very few.

    The set pieces are brilliant as you can approach a situation in many different ways. You can either disarm the traps or use them against the enemies, take them head on or take a stealth approach and it all boils down to how quick you are on your toes; it’s all about keeping a level-headed approach.

    The bosses are varied and challenging. The environmental puzzle fight with a certain someone (I will not spoil as to whom it is) and the unnerving slow methodical chase through the mansion sequence test your wits again; should I run or hide, what will be the best course of action? It is these kind of “intelligent” decisions that are missing from power fantasy, poor man’s games that throng the industry and are suffocating it and this challenging and genre-defying game (like AI) comes as a breath of fresh air.

    Sure, there are a few faults. The letterbox was a bad choice and the crouch mechanic does not share the fluidity of Amanda’s movement; it’s clunky and the camera angle needs work here. Levels 11 and 12 bring the experience down quite a bit by being so over-the-top action sequences. They could have been merged together (and abridged) with the best parts such as the main antagonist’s doppelganger and the water monsters being the main threat, as the ambulance mission was in need of serious polishing and editing. But, thankfully, they are of short stay and hence do not mar the over all experience.

    However, as the rest of the game stays mostly consistent, it would be a shame to bring the whole thing down just for these two as even these have their highlights … as few as they may be. The point I am trying to make is that people should look at the complete experience and not nitpick over small missteps. That is a terrible attitude an average gamer has and it’s ruining the VG industry as a whole; the desire for all games to be hand-holding, dull and easy games that a 5 year old can manage.

    Few checkpoints and save stations are heaven sent, as you truly feel that you are just scraping by and barely surviving, only accentuated more by sparse resources that make you feel and think that, “make your every step and shot count.” One misstep and the game punishes you, as it should. The lax treatment in other games is the reason why we have such poor games saturating the industry, where the game even tells you where the boss’ weak points are. I suppose the next step would be when devs hand out long tutorials to find keys on a keyboard, as I feel as if I am playing a game aimed at a gibbon rather than a human being. This trend of “cake-walk gaming” needs to go. Period.

    Forget whether you are a fan of the genre or not, give TW a try as it brings something very refreshing to the table (dream psychology) and makes it shine with breathtaking atmosphere that will make your skin crawl. Paradoxical? True, but that is what TW is; an unsettling beauty.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 65 Critic Reviews

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