It’s been three years since the events at Beacon Mental Hospital and Sebastian Castellanos still hasn’t fully recovered. Sebastian left the Krimson City Police Department and is haunted by the disappearance of his wife and the death of his daughter. So what happens when a former partner turned Mobius agent comes to Sebastian and tells him that his daughter is alive and trapped inside a simulation? The answer to that question is what sets the events of The Evil Within 2 in motion.
Developed by Tango Gameworks and published by Bethesda, let’s dig into the latest horror game we’ve recently had the chance to play!
*The following will contain minor spoilers for The Evil Within 2. Read on at your own risk*
The Evil Within 2 sees Sebastian joining up with Mobius after finding out that the death of his daughter was staged and she’s still alive. Mobius attempted to use Sebastian’s daughter as a new STEM core for an idyllic town called Union. After losing communication with her, they reach out to Sebastian for his help. As Sebastian enters Union, he is connected to the outside world through a radio. The inner workings of Union and his mind create a safe haven replica of his old police office and Sebastian is once again visited by Tatiana, who seems to be completely at ease with everything that is happening.
If that wasn’t enough, there is a dark force inside the town causing mayhem. This force? A serial killer by the name of Stephano Valentini with his own agenda. Without divulging additional spoilers, let’s just say Sebastian isn’t the only one looking for his daughter. This new information helps drive Sebastian and gives the players a stronger sense of urgency to help Sebastian on his journey.
The Evil Within 2 takes a lot of what made The Evil Within a great survival horror game and expands on it. In the original The Evil Within, ammo was kept scarce and the enemies in large supply. The Evil Within focused more on survival, with a great horror background. In The Evil Within, it took some time before getting hit with that rush of adrenaline that comes from running for your life, unlike The Evil Within 2, which wastes almost no time building to that sensation and has players running fearfully very early on.
The Evil Within 2 is a survival horror game that weighs heavily on the “survival” aspect. Ammo is scarce, Sebastian isn’t very strong and there is a lot of running without much stamina. As players progress through the game they collect mechanical parts, herbs and other items to help craft bullets, syringes and upgrade weapons. Some creatures will drop “Green Gel” which Sebastian can use with Tatiana and the upgrade chair to upgrade himself. There are also several hidden locker keys throughout the game that offer a chance at a random item, upgrade or more.
Players can’t just go through the game guns a blazin’ as the creatures in the game are relentless, unforgiving and difficult. Players will have to utilize stealth, create traps and avoid creatures if they want to survive and find Sebastian’s daughter. There were times where I would avoid entire streets filled with monsters because I didn’t have enough ammo. I would sneak through back alleys in hopes that no monsters would find me. I died frequently due to being swarmed by monsters and not having enough ammo to deal with them. Running away helps as long as you have the stamina to outrun the monsters and find a safe space.
The Evil Within 2 provides wonderful atmospheric scares as well as general uneasiness. Hallways are dark and loud noises cause Sebastian to swing around after getting frightened. Cinematic camera angles help the game feel like a horror movie at times. Getting chased by monsters makes the player genuinely feel like they could be killed at any moment.
Be prepared to die… a lot. One wrong move and a player can be swarmed by monsters and end up dying when all they were trying to do was explore a nearby house.
The controls of The Evil Within 2 haven’t changed much from the first game. Players can sneak, lean-in and out for cover, and there is a “cover system” to help players avoid the nightmarish horrors of Union. Players can also “fast select” items that can be assigned to the D-pad to quickly equip the right item at the right time. (Personally, I have syringes in my fast select so that I can give myself the health boost when I am overrun by monsters). Overall, controls are responsive and feel intuitive.
Helping to sell the new atmospheric direction of The Evil Within 2 is it’s excellent use of sound and sometimes lack thereof. The moans of the creatures and screeches of nearby enemies inform you that danger is close by. Radio static and muffled voices only add to the already creepy environment of Union. The Evil Within 2 takes survival horror tropes and implements them wonderfully.
Graphically, the game leaves quite a bit to be desired. Often times there were flickering shadows or parts of the environment that weren’t rendered entirely. Entering a new area sometimes caused parts of the world to suddenly pop-in. In-game cutscenes and close-ups look great, bloody and gory. The surrounding environment (when properly rendered) gives off that creepy “Twilight Zone” and “In The Mouth of Madness” small-town-with-a-dark-secret vibe.
If you were a fan of The Evil Within, you will enjoy The Evil Within 2. Scares are scarier, disturbing imagery is more disturbing, and, overall, the game builds on what was already established in the first one. It’s not a perfect game, but for being the Halloween season it’s the perfect game to help set a spooky mood.
*The reviewer was compensated a copy by Bethesda of The Evil Within 2 for review purposes.*
