The Evil Within
“Killing someone with a tool not at all associated with murder…it’s not normal, it’s downright crazy. That’s what I like about it. Whoever first thought of killing someone with a chainsaw is a genius.” Shinji Mikami, director of The Evil Within, may not be the best person to extol the virtue of videogames, but having helmed the original Resident Evil and its barnstorming fourth instalment, there’s little argument that he’s done enough for the industry to warrant the odd worrying comment.
The inevitable appearance of Mikami’s favoured hedge-trimming tool is one likely to evoke memories of Resident Evil 4’s opening act, but as with much of The Evil Within, there’s the odd twist in the road. In fact, as the title suggests, this is as much psychological horror as it is all-out blood and guts, but worry ye not, there’s plenty of entrails flying around too. Yet whilst the urge to barge around Krimson City like RE4’s muscle-bound tank Leon Kennedy is undeniable, you’ll find your life a whole lot easier if you utilise protagonist Sebastian Castellanos in a more subtle manner.
An early chapter in a tiny village sets up a smart portion of Evil’s nuanced gameplay. Your goal may be metres away and the tool with which to achieve it in the arms of a single, maniacal enemy, but you’d be wise to explore every inch of the area and take out each lesser foe by stealth first. Ammo is a valuable commodity, even weapons are basic for the first half of the game, so alerting the horde inevitably means a grisly end. Deftly thinning the opposition before an all-out attack is the order of play and once you’ve clicked this, it’s a satisfying experience.
However, other chapters favour more linear paths, straight up action set-pieces or waves of enemy combatants, and whilst Evil’s shooting mechanics are solid, even excellent, these can grow wearying. The apparent randomness of levels is tied up fairly nicely with latter events but following the plot or caring for the characters seems unlikely such is its hokeyness. When you’ve seen one gruff detective fall into a psychological horror show that may or may not be real, you’ve seen them all.
Of course, no one played Resident Evil 4 to find out where the story of a one-man mission to save the President’s daughter from killer zombies went. It’s a fair comparison as The Evil Within’s style and atmosphere can feel, at times, like the game many hoped Resident Evil 5 would be. Mikami fans will relish in these moments, which are not particularly sparse, and there are a few genuine thrills and scares along the way.
It’s also a game that returns to the roots of the horror-survival genre, be that the scarcity of ammunition, leading to tense confrontations, or the overbearing gloom that pervades proceedings. There are some technical issues and glitches with AI, but overall these are fairly smart and tactical zombies who will punish small mistakes, even on the easier settings. Thankfully there are no horrendous difficulty spikes to speak of, bar the odd swear-inducing boss fight, and overall things play out over a fairly even difficulty curve.
Ultimately though, returning to both the action-horror genre and the directors’ chair will likely have raised hopes higher than The Evil Within raises the bar. Mikami makes some potent stabs at ingenuity for sure and the sum of the game feels more cohesive and rewarding than its constituent parts. Yet ten years is a long time in gaming and as such The Evil Within does feel like a title with one foot in the past. If Mikami had just lopped that particular foot off with a rusty garden implement then The Evil Within would, ironically, feel steadier.