The Evil Within (video game)
*This review was written based solely upon my experience with a rental copy; time did not permit me to actually finish the game.
A quartet of cops race to assist their brethren; a massacre is occurring at the local asylum, maybe mystical in nature. Set primarily in the over-the-shoulder third-person genre, The Evil Within concerns the lead among the law officers and his run-in with dark and unnatural forces. Far from a simple maze-like asylum crawl, The Evil Within focuses on unnerving the player and keeping him on his toes in rapidly shifting settings.
The Good: This game has good ideas, and can manage a few tense moments. A couple of times I simply watched myself die because moving meant certain death and I wasn’t sure how well I had hidden.
I also like the pretty big plot beat that occurs very early on. It piqued my interest and made me curious as to the nature of this game.
It also keeps most of the ammo away from the player, and sets a low limit on how much you can carry. In addition it makes the foes surprisingly durable so as to deter combat.
There is also an interesting mechanic used for improving stats. Essentially the player enters a separate ‘dimension’ and accesses various character options and bonuses there. I found this particular area to be creepier and more evocative than the rest of the game and would love to have a follow up directly centered on this area.
The Bad: Right off the bat the graphics felt a couple of years behind. I don’t consider myself a slave to pretty graphics, or even realistic depictions, but in horror it is so important to bridge that disconnect. A dismembered body early on had no gore, just a texture map on a flat surface that squirted blood. At one point the protagonist was submerged in a horrific amount of blood, but seconds later his shirt was a crisp white again. When fighting for my life, I should to stop to consider what detergent the protagonist uses.
Also the environments feel rather bland. The experience ranged only from dilapidated, rust-coated buildings to the village from Resident Evil 4. In fact I’d say it’s scary how close the early game mimics RE4. It’s not that rusty environs are bad, but they have become a bit tired and must be used well. Even Silent Hill wasn’t all-rust-all the time. The rust was a horrific shock after so much time in the sleepy main world.
I’ll lump the next two problems together: control and animation. This game controls horribly. First off you play the game at a constant mosey, Able to sprint for very short periods before succumbing to exhaustion. And while opening doors has two options they are extreme ends of the spectrum: slowly open the door silently while the camera zooms in on your back or slam that sucker open and scream hallelujah. A third option would be nice, perhaps a way of opening them in a standard fashion without alerting the neighbors.
There are also precision problems. The aiming is sluggish and nearly useless if you are within one room length from a foe. You also stutter step so disarming the insta-kill trip wires is much more difficult than needs be. Every animation happens in a lackadaisical fashion. Lever pulling is pure torture and hell to time. And if a man with a chainsaw is chasing you, just forget about going out the window. You can’t jump out, only climb slowly and methodically while precariously positioning your posterior towards him.
Also, despite the withholding of ammo it is pretty easy to look like the Punisher. At one point I found myself with a pistol, shotgun, grenade, hand axe, and a crossbow that could fire normal and exploding bolts. It is somewhat balanced out by the ease of which you can be killed but the limited checkpoints mean that you may often find yourself recollecting all these items and reassigning them to quick slots over and over.
Apparently you can just turn your lantern on with a magic thought though.
The Fiddly: First, I was forced to install this game. I can understand a forced install for a game like Destiny, it’s online all the time and needs files to update. But Skyrim didn’t require an install, so what makes The Evil Within so special?
Secondly, while the unknown is scary I do occasionally require information. Early on I found a box of matches and a dead body. I was told that I could burn dead bodies but not why I should. I presume not all of them are as dead as they appear, but was I supposed to burn bodies I killed? Headshots didn’t seem to have specific purpose so it is possible nothing truly dies, but I walked round for a while and no one got back up. Also burning is an option, and there were bonfires, but there was no way to drag a body to the fire.
Bottom Line: The Evil Within is an ambitious game that holds some fun scares and a few good ideas. Unfortunately it is held back by lackluster presentation and horrible game play.
The Well-Read Bear 