The Evil Within Game Review. Shinji Mikami, the madman behind the legendary Resident Evil series, and his co-developers at Tango Gameworks are among the few folks carrying triple-A horror games into the new generation. Until now we've only seen hands-off demos showing creepy asylums, hallucinogenic horrors, and gameplay of the hero detective gunning down zombies in third-person. These previews did little to instill confidence that Mikami was making something more than a generic zombie shooter, but a recent handson session changed our tune. The Evil Within's tense combat combines surprising ambushes, punishingly little ammo, and lethal enemies that oftentimes won't stay dead.
Detective Sebastian Castellanos' bizarre spiral into a demented, evil world delivers him to a rustic village filled with zombies carrying sharp farming implements. Resident Evil 4 fans may find this scene familiar, and the comparisons don't end there. Castellanos can creep among the dark buildings and attempt to quietly dispatch the undead with his knife and avoid getting everyone's attention. But if he blows his cover, he'll have to either start running or pull a gun. The third-person, over-the-shoulder gunplay feels similar to the genre-defining combat of Resident Evil 4, but a bit snappier. Like RE 4, sniping a ghoul's ankles makes him fall down, and a well-placed headshot explodes in a gush of red.
Headshots are important if you want to ensure common enemies stay down. Similar to the Resident Evil remake on GameCube, some creatures rise again if they're not burned to a crisp. In addition to a scant supply of shotgun shells and bullets, Castellanos also has a limited number of matches to immolate fallen foes with. It was a clever game mechanic in Mikami's Resident Evil remake, and I'm glad it's coming back.
Playing The Evil Within with a pair of good headphones is an unsettling experience. The lethal combat and scarce supplies combine with foreboding environments to create omnipresent tension. Each time I heard moaning voices and dragging feet I dreaded that something awful was about to happen. The tension hit a crescendo when I sneaked past a door rattling on its hinges and something began bursting through the flimsy wood like a horrormovie villain. I was so taken off guard I didn't have time to shoulder my shotgun, and the ghoul cut me down. Within is a difficult, stressful experience, and less masochistic players may have to crank the difficulty down.
I don't want to spoil any of the surprises in store for horror fans when The Evil Within hits just before Halloween. Mikami's latest has all the makings of a hit: weird puzzles in dusty mansions, intense third-person combat, and sadistically little health and ammo. We can only hope The Evil Within succeeds fantastically and reinvigorates the genre on consoles.
Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC
Style: 1-Player Action
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Developer: Tango Gameworks
Release: October 21
