The Evil Within 2 Review: A Pulse-Pounding Survival Horror Experience
The Evil Within 2 takes the foundations laid by its predecessor and builds upon them with more expansive environments, intense combat, and the ever-present tension that defines true survival horror. While it might stumble with inconsistent pacing and lackluster dialogue, Tango Gameworks has crafted a compelling, nerve-wracking journey that captivates players through its blend of exploration and relentless encounters.
Story and Atmosphere
This sequel centers around Sebastian Castellanos, who embarks on a desperate mission to rescue his daughter, presumed dead, from the twisted realm of STEM—a nightmarish, shifting world filled with grotesque creatures and eerie locales. While the emotional stakes add depth to the narrative, Sebastian himself remains a bland protagonist, with uninspired quips that can break immersion. Supporting characters similarly feel underdeveloped, rarely rising above archetypes. However, the game’s world design makes up for its narrative flaws. The environments are unpredictable and bizarre, with safehouses accessible through mirrors, a green gel-giving cat, and shifting rooms that defy reality, creating a sense of constant unease.
Gameplay and Exploration
Union, the main setting, is an open-ended, post-apocalyptic town filled with secrets and optional side quests. While not every building is explorable, enough are packed with enemy encounters, puzzles, and loot to encourage thorough exploration. The game excels in creating moments where mundane settings become nightmarish—such as when an innocuous diner turns into a death trap with a sudden jukebox click.
Scavenging is essential; resources like green gel, weapon parts, and gunpowder are scarce but vital for survival. This scarcity pushes players into tense, high-risk situations, sprinting towards glimmers of hope while being chased by grotesque monsters and backed by an atmospheric score that keeps the pulse pounding.
Combat and Strategy
Combat in The Evil Within 2 stays true to its roots, offering brutal difficulty that ensures players are always one wrong move away from disaster. Standard enemies, known as The Lost, swarm with relentless aggression, while a variety of mutated, acid-spitting, and flame-wielding foes add layers of unpredictability to encounters. Boss fights are often nightmarishly creative, featuring monsters that are unsettling amalgamations of limbs and machinery.
Stealth is a more viable option this time around, with a new upgrade system that lets players enhance stealth mechanics like quieter footsteps. That said, stealth is not always foolproof, as enemy behavior is credibly erratic, making combat a tense and sometimes unavoidable reality.
A Few Shortcomings
The game’s gunplay is intense, but the lack of clear visual or audio cues when a shot lands can be frustrating, especially in resource-scarce scenarios. Additionally, the first half of the game struggles with pacing, shifting between slow exploration and abrupt action. This uneven start contrasts sharply with the latter half, which adopts a focused, faster-paced approach that heightens the stakes and urgency.
Final Verdict
Despite its narrative missteps and occasional gameplay frustrations, The Evil Within 2 succeeds in delivering a thrilling survival horror experience. Its open-world structure, inventive monsters, and moments of raw terror ensure that players are kept on edge from start to finish. Fans of the genre looking for a game that embodies the essence of survival horror will find much to appreciate here.
