The Evil Within 2

If you're a fan of survival horror and a die hard Resident Evil fan, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with Evil Within 2. I wasn't too keen on the first one, but this one really is simply amazing. It reminds me a lot of old school RE (Code Veronica) because of the setting and scenery, it's an eerie game, but it comes with an open world feeling to it that the classic RE's could never do because of the technology at the time. Like I said in the title to this review, and I hate to say it, this could have been RE 7 because, simply put, it's better and you actually KILL zombies! The director of this title is The Godfather of RE, and he doesn't disappoint with this installment. Give it a shot, you won't be disappointed. I had hours of fun with it, and I loved the storyline and how it unfolded.

I remember my first experience with *Evil Within*, and honestly, I walked away feeling a bit let down. The game had too many moments where I had to hide from enemies, which made it frustrating for me. Because of that, I was hesitant to give *Evil Within 2* a chance. But after seeing a few rave reviews, I decided to pick it up during a sale, and wow-I couldn't have been more wrong. This game absolutely deserves to be bought at full retail price, and I regret not doing so from the start.

The game drops you back into a dream world, where your mission is to save your child. You traverse a small town filled with houses and larger buildings to explore, adding a semi-open-world vibe that makes exploration engaging. The original director from *Resident Evil 4* helmed this project, and it really shows in various segments of gameplay.

I'd describe the survival horror aspect as a blend of *Resident Evil 4* and *The Last of Us*. The enemies, or "minions," feel like a hybrid of the zombies from *Resident Evil 4* and the infected from *The Last of Us*. It's not just about hiding anymore; you'll be dealing with grotesque foes that explode when killed, revealing their true sinister forms. You're not just facing the typical undead horde but also diverse enemies like old crones and larger semi-bosses, adding layers to the combat.

Another cool feature is the optional quests scattered throughout the game, including haunted houses where you investigate what happened. You also encounter human soldiers and other agents trapped in this dream world, making the experience feel rich and varied. The game incorporates save points that take you to your office for upgrades, akin to elements from the *Resident Evil* series, but here, the focus is much more on your character's development. You can improve your sprinting capability, stealthiness, weapon power, and health, which is a great touch that elevates the overall gameplay experience. The upgrade system is arguably better than what you find in *Resident Evil 4*.

Weaponry consists of pistols, shotguns, crossbows, and scoped rifles, all of which you can upgrade to enhance their effectiveness. The stealth mechanic is well-implemented, allowing you to sneak up on enemies for satisfying takedowns, which ramps up the tension beautifully.

The midboss encounters are particularly memorable, featuring oversized witches reminiscent of a mix between the creatures from *The Thing* and classic horror tropes. Some levels throw in traps that remind me of tense moments from *Resident Evil 4*, such as being trapped in a cabin with oncoming hordes-it's that sort of design that keeps you on edge.

As for the difficulty, I'd say it leans slightly harder than *Resident Evil 4*, with an overall playtime of around 20-22 hours. I found myself exploring not out of necessity but because I genuinely wanted to see what else the game had to offer.

The storyline might seem a bit silly-it's a dream world scenario, reminiscent of the *Resident Evil* universe-but it's engaging enough. The voice acting is decent, fitting the chaotic atmosphere of the game, and the audio effects are spot on. Graphically, though it dates back to 2017, it still holds up well, and with the Series X upgrade available, it could look even better.

The downsides are minimal. If you haven't played the first game, you might find some confusion in the storylines, but for anyone else, this game is a horror gem.

Overall, I rate *Evil Within 2* a perfect 10/10. It's clearly one of the best survival horror games released in 2017, and it exceeded all my expectations. If you're into horror, this is a must-play.

That's a very good second entrance from Tango we got here.

I've just beaten the game in Nightmare and I was overall delighted with the way the game handles its new orientation. It has an interesting way of delivering its core elements to the player.

The whole game is taking place in the city of Union, pivotal place giving off plenty of room for exploration through semi-open areas. The game design is thought in such a way that you alternate between narrow places focusing on frenzied chase scenes and more open scenery prone to exploration. As far as I'm concerned the parts unfolding "inside" were the most thrilling as it's mainly during those closed sequences that the real survival/horrific touch springs. I recommend playing in Nightmare because the challenge is present and also because the game design choices won't make you feel uncomfortable or frustrated in any way. If you plan your escape properly relying on infiltration (you'll have to do so in Nightmare, trust me) the outcome will be rewarding because you'll save bullets and also sweat a lot from time to time for fear of getting your head topped off - some death scenes are horrendously graphic, good thing in a TEW game. While sometimes you'll be forced to run as fast as you can, you'll also have to bring out the big underloaded guns so as to make heads fall off. Given that ammunition is more a of rare commodity in this mode (though the lack never turns out to be an artificial attempt to spice up the global challenge if you thoroughly search your surroundings) shooting at enemies will always require a good aim just as did the first episode and this is an important element when it comes to inducing anxiousness. The game itself is not as terrifying as an Amnesia or Outlast primarily because of this alternation between the inside and the outside - the outside being thought as a way to take a breather between two insane sequences.

The atmosphere is absolutely riveting and spine-tiggling. Both the pretty graphics (especially on PC) and FX sounds are the root of this result. A lot of questions find answers and the scenario more personal this time is very pleasant to follow. I find it good that the developers put Sebastian in the center of the plot this time. It was high time they set him forth. He's a lot more well written than before, giving rise to a more human, touching and sensitive figure. Big up to Stefano Valentini who is to my mind the best-rendered ingame antagonist alongside Obscura.

Good Points : - Well-written story - Stefano Valentini has a great

personality - Pretty-looking (especially on PC) - More accurate aiming system than in the first - Shooting, running and stealth scenes feel good - Awesome bestiary chara design, gruesomely beautiful enemies (Well Sebastian's definitely a classy detective) - Quite lengthy for such a game (20h) - Smartly implemented crafting system - The bosses (Stefano) - Clearer story - Alternations inside/outside, a good idea...

Negative points : - ...resulting in a less blistering terror pace - Rigid animations (movements) - Minor collision bugs

This game doesn't revolutionize anything but the execution of its mechanics is indubitably qualitative. We get to delve into a hellacious story with many strong points one should definitely consider experiencing. Do not expect this game to turn your blood into ice like Outlast or Amnesia because it's not as terrifying (neither was the first game btw) but do expect however a wacko journey that will have you venture into a twisted and impressively well rendered mad world where rationalism seems to be an intruder. A really good experience. If you loved the first iteration of the series and are fond of singular survival-horror experiences, you definitely should consider giving TEW 2 a try.

This game reminded me of all the good things resident evil, silent hill and dead space. Great pacing, great story, have to say absolutely loved. No spoilers here just love for the game.

I really liked the first game and I loved this one. I think that the story was great, it may be a bit confusing but that's what the series is all about. The gameplay was good too, I just wish I used the crossbow more because I belive it's the best weapon in the game. It really got me hooked, the end was amazing because of how invested I was in the characters, and let's not forget about that beautiful end song. Amazing.