The Evil Within discussion - PSA Evil Within is free on EGS for a week, soon TEW2

Soon Evil Within 2 will be free as well, I liked that even more. These are good games, I hope they will make another, but it might not be the same without Mikami. I hope they will try anyway. Maybe Mikami will found another studio and make another spiritual successor.

Anyone else interested?

Enjoy.

I generally love these games. Played them both a lot and still dip back in every now and then for an Akumu run.

First one is, flawed. Controls are loose and the pacing is crazy but give it a go and see how it works for you.

The sequel addressed a lot of issues in the first game but some feel it lost a little of the first games charm, personally I disagree. Only issue I find with the sequel is the commonly reused assets from seeing the same car every thirty seconds, to even important story bosses being reused as roaming fodder in the late-game just to pad it out.

For me the first game ranges from a 6.5/10 to an 8/10 (when it gets really good)

The sequel is a 9/10. It's one of my favorite Survival Horror games of all time. Among the best.

*A third game is unlikely, way before the Microsoft buy-out a lot of Tango was let go for creative differences with popa Bethesda. This is why the Ghost Wire became a very different game than what was originally planned.

@RSM-HQ: The stealth was very fun in EW2, they had well designed environments for that and cool situations. I agree with your scores.

I think EW2 did some very cool things with environments transforming around you, and they made some good aesthetic choices. The story and characters were more solid and engaging than the first, especially the antagonists. It felt like the series was finding its identity.

I played them originally on PS4 and even before they went free, I was playing through them on Steam Deck. Now more people get to try them.

My advice to newcomers is try the second one even if you don't like the first. The first is slow to get started, but gets better once you are past the initial areas.

@girlusocrazy: The first game is also a blend of mixing Resident Evil 1 Remake and Resident Evil 4 with random scenarios whether as TEW2 is trying to be its own thing, with more of a reference to Silenh Hill with the overworld areas.

TEW has some really good sections, (Chapter 9: The Cruelest Intentions) is one of my favorite sections in any Survival Horror game. However its bogged down due to the balancing, loose controls, and many technical hiccups.

One thing I don't think The Evil Within gets enough credit for was Tango GameWorks made Survival Horror games in a time the genre was basically non-existent. This was before Resident Evil went back to its roots, before many the indie darlings showed up, and luckily now we've seen a healthy resurgence from many developers.

I do agree that the sequel is the more appealing game.

It should also be worth noting that The Evil Within games are essentially a inspired mix bag of Resident Evil and Silent Hill. The Silent Hill side being more in the sequel The Evil Within 2, and the first game takes many tone ideas from movies such as Hellraiser and Saw; lead artist Nakamura Ikumi chan even addresses this in the official artbook.

So if you enjoy Resident Evil? you have a likely chance enjoying TEW games. Though as @girlusocrazy notes the sequel is way more welcoming. As it addresses many the flaws from the first game and refines key elements that make a more enjoyable experience.

Some other less known Survival Horror throw outs if you're in the mood-

• Faith: The Unholy Trinity
• Signalis
• The Sinking City
• Alisa
• Conscript (demo only currently)
• Tormented Souls

@RSM-HQ: Yeah. After RE5 & 6, Dead Space 3, and other flops in the mainstream, the genre took a hit. I personally liked RE6 but there was a feeling that the genre went too far into action territory and the horror and survival aspects weren't as strong. With the grindhouse aesthetics and slower more deliberate pacing, Evil Within showed strength in these areas and proved people were interested.

Nice list!

@girlusocrazy: Resi 5 was a good game, a good coop game. It just no longer felt like a Resident Evil game. Many blame 4 for the shift and while some elements I can see. Resi4 still had a lot of the DNA that made the series what it is.

6 I both like and hate. The QTEs are the games biggest sin. A perk you can purchase negates them enough to be acceptable however the pacing of the overall game is still horrendous. Both Leons and Adas campaigns are fun, along with Mercenaries.

For me Zero has always been the worst mainline entry. It's such a mechanical nightmare. All the praise anyone gives it is from the opening train area, yet the game falls apart shortly after and never recovers.

I wonder what Motive will do with DS3 if anything. . just remaking it seems pointless, best to either ignore the original and jump straight to a sequel or just call it Dead Space 3 but have little if nothing in common with the original.

Nice list!

Thanks, I do love my Survival Horror games. It's nice that we're having a new golden age of sorts lately. Hopeful for Alone in the Dark reboot & Silent Hill ƒ.

Cool, I had The Evil Within on PS3 though never got into it. I heard both games were good though terrible at horror games where you have to use stealth and your resources are limited for ammo and health.

@pillarrocks: Resource management in TEW2 is less stingy than in the original. If you're willing to dive into every bin and trash-bag you'll find yourself yo have plenty of ammo and health.

Assuming you're not popping healing after every scratch and shooting everything ten times over_

@RSM-HQ: Yeah in TEW2 they give you a lot of opportunity for stealth kills. It's more of a story based campaign with open sections, you can hunt around for a lot of items and you can upgrade your character quite a bit.

If you crank up the difficulty you might have more tension, they give you less items and less upgrade goop.

It's cool though, a solid game. I wish you could have opened up more of the town. That area was one of the best parts. It made me want to see what they could have done with a third game if they iterated on that.

@girlusocrazy: Mostly play TEW2 on Classic which doesn't allow upgrades. I feel the game is perfectly balanced without the need, but helps those struggling with playing a Survival Horror game if they rarely dive into them.

The upgradable side wall stab for example is simply broken and easy to exploit.