Running is always an option.
In a lot of horror games, especially ones with combat, you start with a "stealth" approach but once discovered can start firing off rounds and be fine in the end. Not here. The Evil Within is not only terrifying and grotesque, but it hits fantastic notes of survival and knowing when to fight and when to run.
I would describe this game as a throw back to Resident Evil 4 but with updated controls and aesthetics. To me, it plays like a cross between RE4 and The Last of Us.
Gameplay: The game consists of moving through various locations as you locate people and move the story forward. It starts out with a bang, and if you've watched any of the game videos, the first level will look familiar. You choose to play on Casual Mode (for weaklings as the game describes) or Survival (the normal difficulty setting). Throughout the game your best friend is [R1], as this will put you into a crouched stealth position. It's essential to staying alive, but not without drawbacks. For one, you can't see as much, meaning it will be easier for an enemy to sneak up on you. Luckily, they make awful noises that will alert you to if someone (or something) is near. While crouched in stealth, if you sneak up on an enemy you can instantly kill them. You can also find goodies like bottles to pick up and use to distract enemies. Also, if you have one in hand and they're coming for you, throw and hit them with it for a short window to stealth kill them. But what happens if they turn around during your approach?
Running is always an option. You have the choice between fight or flight, but with scarce resources, flight is usually the better course of valor. Sebastian, our valiant detective, has a varied arsenal of weapons and tools at his disposal to deal with the nightmarish fiends he will encounter. You will acquire (or rather re-acquire) your revolver and early on will also find a shotgun and crossbow (dubbed the Agony Crossbow). [L2] to aim and [R2] to shoot. Holding down shoot with the crossbow will change it's trajectory for a straighter shot. Since sound matters, using any guns (or even sprinting/walking) will clue enemies in to where you are. The crossbow is essentially silent meaning you can take down enemies in any way you see fit. Sebastian is also a smoker (which I wouldn't recommend, I hear those things will kill you) and though he's run out of cigarettes, he will still find an extremely useful purpose for matches - burning bodies. And unfortunately for Sebastian, not every body lying on the floor is dead. Throwing a match and burning them will alleviate any worry about them coming back. Of course, if you find yourself low on ammo and matches with no other recourse, running is always an option. The enemies aren't the quickest (or smartest) so you can get out of their field of view and hide in various locations. I've successfully hid in lockers, armoires, under beds... I've also been located in these locations as well, so it's not always fool proof.
Deadly traps are strewn throughout the maps as well. You can choose to disarm them, gaining materials for crafting, or you can use them to your own advantage and lure your mindless foes straight to their death. Both options have merits, so you can't really go wrong either way. Healing is done via syringes you find on the ground filled with mysterious liquid. As we've come to find out, it's always a good idea to stick those into your arm and squeeze.
Resources are scarce, and when Sebastian first starts out, his max capacity is rather low. You can hold 10 revolver bullets, 3 matches, and 2 syringes. This leaves very little room for error. Luckily you can find jars with a green "gel" inside, and also scoop it up from fallen enemies. It must be good for you if you keep it in a mason jar. It's science.
Early on Sebastian discovers some strange location where he wakes up in a hospital bed. Lucky for him, this is a safe place - probably the only safe place left. In this area, you can save, later unlock boxes for goodies and resources, and upgrade Sebastian's abilities, stock, etc. You will take that healthy looking green gel and inject it straight into his brain! Jars will typically yield 200-500... gel... bits... and after hording enough you can upgrade. Some upgrades are cheap, starting at 500, while others are more expensive - such as unlocking better health starting ~3000. All of these get more expensive for each level you unlock, up to level 5. To gain access to the save location, you'll have to locate mirrors that are broken and glowing.
The game play isn't perfect, and I've had some moments of frustration. There is a checkpoint system in place in case you die (which you will) but it means if you slip up after making it almost to the next location and die, any items, gel, collectibles you've found will have to be acquired again. It's punishing and frustrating at times, especially when you're trying to peek around the corner and think all is well only to discover nope, you're now dead. Also, there is plenty of trial and error. I've discovered that while going for the head is the norm with bullets, it's not as useful here - especially when they're missing over half of their head. I found hitting them in the leg and then burning them is efficient, but it does cost a bullet and a match. Also, enemies may pop up again if not burned and it can be extremely annoying, especially in tight locations where it's nearly impossible to run around them.
Controls: The controls are very responsive and laid out well. Aiming, shooting, melee, sneaking, sprinting are all easy to perform. You can not shoot from the hip; you will have to manually aim and fire (though you can move while doing so). I haven't explored any alternative control schemes, but by default crouching requires the button to be held (instead of a tap to switch between). I prefer it the other way, but it hasn't affected my enjoyment at all. Opening up inventory slows the game down so you can quickly switch weapons. Also, don't forget to put your items into the d-pad "quick slot" for easy and fast access. One gripe I do have is contextual actions (usually pressing [X] or [R1]) can sometimes be hidden by the camera, just high enough above what we can see to not actually see it. I like not being reminded I need to press [X] to open a door, except when things get hairy and I forget which button opens up a door (or if the door can even be opened).
Graphics: The graphics look great, but have a throwback feel to them. The game is set with a graininess (can be adjusted in options) to harken back to old horror movies. Sebastian and the enemies models are fantastic, with a lot of detail and gore on the bad guys. After shooting a crazed chainsaw man in the leg several times, I noticed that his pant legs had holes in them and after awhile were soaked with blood. The environments are really well done too, with stone, wood, windows, tile, lights all looking great. Some of the other character models don't look as nice (the nurse you meet looks like she was plucked from Silent Hill 2). Some of the animation are a little stiff (swinging lights come to mind in a few instances as well as mouth movement on characters), but the vast majority are fantastic and fluid.
Sound: Lightning crashes, rain pattering down, explosions, moans, struggling, chainsaws, screams, and gunshots all sound top notch. The music does not ever overshadow the gameplay and works well to convey the mood, though there are plenty of long stretches of no music, which helps to listen and locate enemies. Some of the voice acting is campy, and I believe this was done intentionally as a throwback to earlier survival horror titles like Resident Evil (which I can guarantee earned no awards for script or story). The squishing and sloshing is disturbing. What I really appreciate is that this game relies on tense harrowing encounters to instill fear rather than cheap jump scares. I was often cautious about entering a location, but never afraid of having a heart attack as an enemy jumps out with a shrill note played at 250% volume.
Story: It's Shinji Mikami, and the story is absurdly delightful. The police enter a mental institution, bad things happens. People were experimented on and some crazy sewn up killer is trying to murder everyone. There are different horror genres thrown in as well, such as the crazy chainsaw stalker coming after the helpless lead, slow moving zombies wanting nothing more to eat you, crazy demon lady thing rising up from hell out of a pool of blood... I like the pace and the subtle nuances of different enemies. Of course, if you've never seen an enemy before and don't know a weakness, running is always an option...
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Overall: 5/5 (9.5/10 for GI's rating system).
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Gameplay: 4/5 - While dying will set you back with some frustration, the rest of the gameplay is well implemented and feels extremely polished.
Controls: 5/5 - Solid! Let's rejoice there are no tank controls anymore. Sebastian controls extremely well.
Graphics: 4/5 - Some minor gripes here and there, but overall this is one of the most graphic and grotesque games I've seen yet. It makes for a frightening atmosphere.
Sound: 5/5 - The music does a perfect job of setting the mood and the audio is unnerving and fantastic.
Story: Horror story/5 - it's a horror story, of course it's going to be absurd and out there. That's what makes it work.
This is a great horror title for anyone looking for that feeling of survival. Sebastian is capable of defending himself, but he's fighting against enemies much stronger and resilient than he. The oppressive atmosphere, feeling of dread every time you open a door, and drive to stay alive makes this a game for anyone who's been wanting to play more of what made Resident Evil 4 and Last of Us so great (minus the brilliant story and characters in Last of Us).
Most of all, never forgot this: running is always an option.
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Survival Horror Returns!
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