‘The Evil Within 2’ is everything right and wrong with psychological horror games

We take a look at the newest released game from Bethesda Softworks, ‘The Evil Within 2’ and pose the question on how it stacks up against its predecessor.

It is safe to say that one of my favorite things is video games and horror or sci-fi games specifically. I can watch a horror movie fairly easily and not be bothered, but put a scary game on and I’m squealing and throwing the controller every few minutes. Even overwhelmingly confusing games still cause me to hide behind a pillow as I play and a great example is The Evil Within 2.

I played The Evil Within when it came out years ago. As a fan of Jackie Earle Haley, I was delighted to know he was voicing the antagonist, Ruvik. The game was terrifying and creepy and oh-so psychological. It also began my love/hate relationship with Bethesda. It took 3 copies of the game and a new system to ACTUALLY get the game to stop freezing, but this isn’t about the first game, this is about the sequel.

Is the sequel as effective as the first game? It sure is prettier, I will tell you that. The graphics have improved tremendously. In the wide panoramic shots that occur at various points in the game, the environments are STUNNING. While the gameplay mechanics were and will always be a Last of Us knockoff, it was less survival horror in this installment and a little more shoot ‘em up than its predecessor.

via Bethesda

The story centers, again, around Sebastian Castellanos, three years after the events at Beacon Mental Hospital. He is a hot, drunken mess and trying to teach his problems how to swim. Suddenly, who should find him but Juli Kidman, the MOBIUS agent who disappeared during the Beacon events. Turns out she still works for the company that trapped his mind inside of a killer’s and she lets him in on a little secret: the daughter he lost in a fire years ago isn’t dead at all but is the power core of a new STEM experiment that creates an idyllic town called Union for subjects to live in. MOBIUS faked her death to use her mind.

The problem is, Lily has gone missing somewhere inside the STEM and she needs Castellanos to find her and save her life. If the original story of the STEM and MOBIUS seemed confusing and convoluted to you, then just wait. There are a few gaping plot holes and lots of personal narration happening out loud.

via Bethesda

Some elements in the game seem to only exist for the purpose of tension and don’t make sense in the story. The most glaring example is the existence of the creatures in the game. In the first one it made sense. They were in the twisted mind of a killer.

The monsters moving through that world were at home in the dark reaches of his psyche. Zombie-like creatures and morbid mutations in Union make little sense. While the monsters are controlled and created by a mysterious person pulling the strings, it is still the mind of a little girl that is powering it all. So, even though her mind is mold-able, it wouldn’t necessarily make sense that these creatures would exist. I may be talking out of my ass on this one so, let’s continue.

The one thing about psychological games like The Evil Within 2 is how much they can get away with meaning realities that change and move based on the will of the bad guy. There are hallways that change gravitation and suddenly become tunnels of death that Sebastian begins to fall through. Nothing is as it seems which can be good and bad.

via Bethesda

While creating a world like that can be extremely hard, during gameplay, sometimes it seems like a cheap transition; a go-to, easy way to propel the story into the next scene. Missing story-line? No worries; make the room change into another room in another place…aaaaaaaand done.

The game mechanics haven’t changed although, as I said before, you rely less on your sneaking skills and more on your fighting skills to get you through…at least that’s what the game tries to get you to do. You are encouraged through the whole game to level up your combat skills, all the while you would be better off upgrading your ability to travel around Union unnoticed. Ammo is very scarce, so sneak kills will be your best friend.

The second installment in the series was again made by Tango Gameworks and Bethesda Softworks. While Shinji Mikami stepped down as director for the game, replaced by John Johanas, he stayed on board as a producer. It is moderately open world but there aren’t that many side quests to distract from the main story-line. I may be spoiled with FFXV on side quests, though.

via Bethesda

The Evil Within 2‘s ending leaves it open for another sequel and we will see in time if that comes into fruition. Would I recommend this game? Yeah, I would. While it can get a little monotonous and/or tedious around midway, the story-line peppered in keeps you invested and playing. The graphics and morbid artwork are beautiful and a wonderful addition to the environment.

While The Evil Within 2 is not my favorite thing to be birthed from Bethesda and the first game was far more intense and disturbing, it is a good and beautiful game to get you through until 2018 (which promises to be an amazing year for video games) and continues the story’s mythology. While I don’t think it has a high level of replayability, it is worth the first play-through and you do get some good benefits of playing with a new game plus.

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The Evil Within 2 is available for Xbox One, PS4 and PC on Steam.