I am fresh off the back of playing The Evil Within, which was a really great horror game. Luckily enough Ivan who loaned me The Evil Within was eager to loan me the sequel, thanks bruh. I was excited and couldn't wait to play it.
Celebrate good times come on! It's Christmas! Well, almost the end of it but doesn't mean I have stopped indulging in the consumption of too much food and nice things. No home is complete without at least a few tubs of Celebrations. There is variety and it's chocolate so can't go too wrong. Plus I love Bounty so there are never any left behind. Playing The Evil Within 2 I found my asking was there enough variety or did it matter as it was all chocolate anyway?
Story
Poor Sebastian Castellanos had a rough time after the events of Beacon, and finding out his wife's conspiracy theory may not have just been a theory. We find him in a bar at the bottom of a barrel when Mobius agent and ex-partner Juli Kidman turns up. It turns out that maybe his daughter Lily isn't dead and the evil shadow organization Mobius has set up a new STEM system that has gone awry. Despite himself, he decides to help them for no other reason than the chance to see and possibly rescue his daughter.
This time things are different, you are in the small fabricated town of Union, you have the support of Mobius agents along with Kidman giving you words of encouragement. The story is less fear-inducing this time and is focused on redemption and dealing with the past.
Overall the story is really good and the inclusion of side missions helps mix things up along with providing more information about Mobius and the world you find yourself in.
Visuals
The visuals were not exactly poor in the first The Evil Within, but this time Tango Gameworks have really stepped it up a notch. The visuals are sharper and rather than simply rehash the first game they have taken the best parts and on top of that have created an open world of sorts. Don't get me wrong there are still plenty of horrific moments throughout the game though. The town of Union feels dead and broken, parts of becoming detached and floating in the air, it feels familiar, yet very different.
Overall, I like really liked the visual direction Tango Gameworks took as it would be all too easy to create the same game twice. Variety is the spice of life after all.
Music
The sound is very different from The Evil Within, this time there is a focus not only on the horror aspect but also redemption and some epic battle tracks. The composer is Japanese composer Masatoshi Yanagi who worked on the first game and The Killer Is Dead.
The soundtrack is much longer this running at over two and a half hours that feature some really great tracks. My favorites tracks were; 'A Memory', 'Tredwell Trucking', 'The Artist's Domain', 'Psychoplasm', 'A Bouquet of Flesh and Blood', 'Unspeakable Things', 'The Harbinger', 'You Have To Stay Strong', 'Climbing The Stronghold', 'The Evil Within' and 'An End To All Of This'.
Overall it is a really solid and powerful soundtrack that suits the story perfectly along with the world you traverse.
Gameplay
Much the same as it's predecessor the game is a Third-Person Survival Horror, the gameplay is much more refined in the Evil Within 2, everything from the combat to the way you purchase upgrades. There are a slew of weapons in the game, some much more powerful than others. This time you don't need to decide whether you use your green gel on upgrading your abilities or your weapons. The green gel is used for your abilities and you find weapons parts to upgrade your weapons. Additionally, you can find supplies to make ammunition on the fly or at your workbench. My favorite weapon was the sniper rifle, a well-placed shot with this was toppled almost any enemy. Melee combat is much smoother now and going one on one with an enemy doesn't feel overwhelming.
There are a number of side missions in the game that are very worthwhile. Not only do you get to interact with other people that I felt invested in but the rewards were always good. Most of the time they would be simple enough, kill a few enemies, and then turn on something. It was a new direction and added variety to the game. Each side mission could be found in a Safe House, drink some coffee, upgrade your weapons and take some time to escape the craziness.
There are a number of collectibles in the game. There are memories which are echoes of events that have already passed, files providing information on Mobius, the citizens of Union and more. There are also slides you can collect and view in a projector which was really cool.
There are a number of bosses throughout the game, nothing unbeatable but still providing a challenge. One of my favorites being the second last boss, can't say more without giving away spoilers but rather than just being a boss it sees Sebastion overcoming his mental restraints.
I have to give a shoutout to Chapter 17, it was so well done, so enjoyable and was the perfect way to finish off the game.
Final Thoughts
So, after eighteen hours how did I feel? I wanted more and was sad there was no DLC or any news about The Evil Within 3. The story was great, I felt invested in the characters and cared what happened to them. The visuals were impressive and the open-world sections really added a new element to the game. The music was powerful and evoked feelings of horror and redemption. The gameplay was so much more refined and improved while still making it feel like a challenge. Overall this one gets a solid 4 out of 5
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