The Evil Within 2 (PS4 Pro) review

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First fear

The Evil Within (in Japan called Psychobreak (サイコブレイク, Saikobureiku) series was made by the same person who was behind Resident Evil games. He wanted to make spiritual successor to RE4 and that’s how The Evil Within was born.
The first game came out some years ago on home consoles like PlayStation 4 and it had it’s own issues. The framerate was low, graphics kinda last season but the horror was there and the unforgiving bloodshed gave nightmares everyone who played it.
The Evil Within is one of my favourite games out there and after PS4 Pro came out it runs much smoothly on Pro’s Boost Mode.
This first instalment was truly horroring and I loved it.

Recently The Evil Within 2 came out and I was hungry for more evil so I played it instantly. The first time I played it something took over my mind and said that this ain’t as good as the first one. And that’s true… for me at least and for the first playthrough. I had little break with the game until I played it again just recently. Every second passed I loved the game more and more. It does differ from the first instalment; I think 1st. was much scarier and this 2nd. is more psychologically scary than core—wise.

Controlling the evil

Right after playing a fast phased action game The Evil Within 2 feels super slow motion. It really did!! Luckily I got used to it fairly quickly. But this game is slower than many other same genre games I’ve played. But of course this game has been built around the controls so the game works perfectly around that, so no worries.

Control scheme is same than TEW1, I can’t recall right now any changes except there is a sneaking move that allows Sebastian to go along walls, cars, etc. more easily and make an attack over the corner. The running has been improved greatly and he doesn’t get out of breath that easily.

About the controls, here is all he can do: shoot a weapon, quickly change weapon with directional buttons, run, crouch, use flashlight, use knife or axe, craft ammunition, use walkie—talkie, perform sneak kill, use objects to break free after enemy grabs him. I think that’s all the main moves. It is pretty simple.
What I love is the aim assistant that’ll make Sebastian to aim automatically enemies head if they are right distance away. I tried to play without it, but the game gets sometimes sluggish so the aiming becomes super difficult. Even though I used aim assistant it was difficult to hit the enemies since they can block the headshot with their arms or if they move the bullet will miss, so it needs little bit of skills to kill with it.

The horror story

The main plot of this second game is little bit same than the first one had. In the first game you ended up in a imaginatively world called STEM and it holds hell inside. The Evil Within 2 includes STEM also, but the STEM is now powered by Sebastians daughter, Lily, who actually wasn’t killed in a fire. The STEM works in a way that you go in deep sleep and then if you die in the STEM world you’ll die in real life. So Lily has been “missing” in STEM and Sebastian goes searching for her.

In the STEM you’ll meet other people who has their own motives on everything like a artistic photographer who does art by killing people and leaving them in a time capsule that shows their death (usually head explosion) repeatedly over and over again.

Little by little, enemy by enemy and boss by boss you come closer to Lily and saving her. There are of course few little plot twist but overall the whole story telling is pretty linear and not as complex as it was in TEW1.

TEW2 includes lots of side quests that should be done since it’ll reward you greatly, so don’t be afraid to take longer path.

What was that sound?

You HAVE TO play this with headphones. One reason is that you’ll hear where the enemies are more precisely… and also for the whole experience. I don’t remember anything about the music and that tells a lot, so it was not memorable.
Sound effects though was as gross as you can imagine. All the head explosions, bloodshed and also voice acting are done well.

Why everything looks like graphics

I first played this when there wasn’t any Pro patches available so I remember how awful everything looked. I have 4K TV and even 1080p doesn’t look good anymore. When the patch came my soul was free at last!! I could enjoy better graphics.
If I think the graphics, as a whole, are 8/10. Characters’ hair is thick as spaghetti, some non important objects are pixel mush when Sebastians skin and clothes are high quality. That is what I hate in games, when the quality of graphics variates greatly. It just makes everything look stupid. But ugly this game is not, it is gorgeous many ways but I always compare everything the best looking games out there on that specific console. I recently played Battlefront 2 and Uncharted: Lost Legacy where the graphics are high end and TEW2 is not perfect as those games but it is beautiful in its own way.

In the STEM you come across all kinds of half zombie half crazy people that are quick with their moves. Different kinds of monsters that might leave you nightmares. Psychological horrors and thrillers are waiting for you at every corner. The art style is very good and some of the bosses are well designed to creep you out.
I also liked the art that was presented in many parts of the game, especially that murderous artist who takes those photographs — even it was core, I liked the style of it.

Evil gameplay

You control same character than in TEW1, Sebastian Castellanos, a detective who is now alcoholic after loosing his daughter in a house fire (or so he thought) and soon after that his wife left.

The main areas you are is Union (a city area), laboratories, theater, other people’s domains that resembles like hell or a horrorious art house. You also are places like Limbo and Sebastians Room that is safe place where you can upgrade weapons and skills. There is other places as well but these were just few examples.

You can upgrade Sebastians skills such as running distance, stealth skills, combat moves and health amount by collecting green slime that dead enemies leave behind (I call it brainslime). You’ll upgrade them the same way like TEW1; you’ll meet the nurse Tatiana who puts you in a torture—kind of bench and put needles in to your head. (There is also keys you can collect that opens lockers that will give you something to help on your journey).
Weapons are also upgradeable but for that you’ll need weapon parts and rare weapon parts so to unlock everything it needs multiple play throughs. I managed to upgrade everything and it made my life much easier, specially when you play in higher difficulty.

One thing I want to mention is that you’ll get a silencer to your handgun and it is life saver! Other enemies aren’t alerted when you shoot and it makes everything so much easier. But that gun is not available right in the beginning so don’t get your hopes up.
In options I noticed I can choose stable or variable framerate. In other words I can lock it to the 30fps or I can let it be unlocked so the game is higher framerate when it can do it. I locked it since I didn’t want it to feel awkward. The framerate drops are very noticable but I appreciate that the option is there.

Last evil

I have played this game three times now. I like how variable the game is and you constantly move forward (sometimes you go back to same places) and the plot goes on like a train. All the characters and weird and sick enemies makes everything so beautiful.
The gameplay is little bit glumsy and I think it’s intentional since it umphs up the horror feeling and the feeling of being vounerable.

I am already playing it for the 4th time and collecting everything there is to be collected. This game is pure horror and certain type of freakiness and weirdness that gives The Evil Within its’ own category. If I have to compare this to something it would be mixture of Resident Evil 4 and Silent Hill games. I can’t recall that there is anything like that in the market nowdays and combining those two is sure win.

For every horror fan this is must play and I barely can say anything negative about it.

This game cost me around 50€ and I don’t regret anything about it. For not being a full AAA—title priced game this is a gem. Now it might even be cheaper so go and get it.

Psychological horrors and thrillers are
waiting for you at every corner. The art style
is very good and some of the bosses are well
designed to creep you out.