Release Date: October 14, 2014
Systems: PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, Xbox One, PC
Developer: Tango Gameworks
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Before Sebastian Castellanos knew what STEM is, he was investigating a mass murder at Beacon Mental Hospital. Unfortunately, his partner Joseph Oda and Junior Detective Juli Kidman get sucked into the world of STEM. There, they are met with every kind of horrible monster from the mind of Ruvik.
The design of these monsters has been highly praised as each is unique and often put a twist on common horror tropes. For example, body bags hanging from the ceiling, only this time one of them is still screaming. Or a dead body that turns into a many-limbed banshee determined to drown you in blood. Only
Evil Within could marry Japanese horror with Western combat so well.
The Evil Within builds atmosphere through almost detective noir style of the mystery. The combat is more FPS and though it sometimes detracts from the otherwise clever ideas within the game, the first Evil Within still stands strong today. That said, some fans still find it a bit too glitchy to be worth playing, especially when you are cornered by monsters and the save load lands you in the same spot with no way to defend yourself.
Release Date: October 13, 2017
Systems: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Developer: Tango Gameworks
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
As a sequel should, this game takes the series to a whole new level. Sebastian Castellanos enters STEM once again in hopes of saving his daughter, Lily, and helping MOBIUS. The enemies here are fully developed characters, people who have entered STEM and been corrupted by it and the potential power within Lily.
The game is still mostly an FPS with a little survival thrown in, closer to
RE7 than it is
Outlast or
Alien Isolation. That said, it is really the enemies and narrative that you play an Evil Within game for.
The photographer, for example, sets up an elaborate trap for you long before you meet for a real fight. He reminds me a little of Pagan Min from
Far Cry 4, with his suave attitude and penchant towards manipulation rather than true violence. Not that either character shies away from the ol’ pain as motivation.
If you thought the first game was a little too glitchy for you, the second fixed a lot of those problems. The story is not exactly the same, of course, and it is not nearly as satisfying to uncover the mystery when you already know most of what is going on. That said,
The Evil Within 2 has well-written characters and enemies, making it definitely worth a play-through and a spot on this list.