Jonas Ward
“The Evil Within” is a survival horror game fueled by trepidation through and through. Developed by Tango Gameworks, it made its debut in October 2014, riveting every player who dares play. “The Evil Within” was directed by horror game genius Shinji Mikami, who is known for his work on the legendary “Resident Evil” series. The game has developed a cult following right from the beginning.
The story of “The Evil Within” is genius. It’s gritty, heartfelt and absolutely terrifying. The main protagonist is named Sebastian Castellanos, a hardened detective who has a damaged personality because he lost his daughter and his wife in a house fire. Since then, he has been the main detective for the Krimson City Police Department. Castellanos is smart, resourceful and sick of everyones shit, to put it lightly. Players will connect with Castellanos once they learn more of his backstory and what he has been through in life.
The story starts with Castellanos investigating a mass murder with his partners, Joseph Oda and Juli Kidman. The massacre took place inside Beacon Mental Hospital. After Castellanos and Oda investigate the scene, Castellanos hears high-pitched noise and passes out.
Later, Castellanos wakes up in a world that is purely superficial. The reality he is forced into is made from nightmare-fuel. He meets a child named Leslie, and he is one of the reasons why Castellanos was submerged into this world in the first place. Later in the story, Castellanos realizes that the reality he was forced into with his partners is called STEM, which is a top secret government technology that transports someone’s conscience into a different horrific reality.
Leslie is the core of this reality, he is the whole thing keeping it together. When he is in danger, horrible monsters appear and the city around them crumbles with age. Castellanos realizes that Leslie is who he needs to escape this reality.
Castellanos and his partners are not the only people who were sucked into this reality. Ruvik, another character in the game, acquired certain powers in this reality and he wishes not to leave. Ruvik’s end goal is to kill Castellanos and take the power of the core “Leslie” for himself.
For the remainder of the story, Castellanos and his team fight to rescue Leslie from the psychopath Ruvik in an attempt to escape from the horrific generated reality called STEM. Players never know how Castellanos was submerged into this generated reality, until they play the second installment of the series. The story is incredibly well written and full of details, which keeps players interested throughout the campaign.
The graphics of “The Evil Within” are incredible for a late PlayStation 3 game. The monsters are scary, the sounds are also disturbing and the environment is nightmare fuel to put it lightly. Tango Gameworks has a fantastic graphics team. Players are immersed in a really unique environment that really speaks for itself.
Beacon Mental Hospital was based on the Winchester Mystery House in California. When players walk though the hospital, there are corridors that end, stairs that go nowhere and a disturbing basement. During the game Castellanos’ appearance changes, while the story progresses, which is a great touch.
The gameplay of “The Evil Within” is also good. The game is set in the third person when it comes to the camera angle, so players see Castellanos all the time. The controls are laid out well, except for the crafting feature. This can be incredibly annoying for some players to craft lifesaving supplies on the fly during a fight. Other than that, shooting, hand-to-hand combat and playing as Castellanos was developed well when it comes to play factor.
“The Evil Within” is already a classic when it comes to Playstation 3 horror games. The story keeps players hooked right from the start and the play factor is not diminished once completed. The game was remastered for the Playstation 4, and a sequel was made that was just as successful as the original, continuing on the story from the first game. A third game is allegedly in the works, as fans wait hopefully for another rollercoaster ride of horror. Clench that controller tight because players don’t know what’s going to happen next.
