The Evil Within 2

The tension and intensity can be felt throughout both the open-world sections, where you can choose where to go, as well as those where you’re simply walking down a hallway filled with framed pictures highlighting truly chilling acts of violence. It’s a thrill ride quite unlike any other, and as a survival horror release it will leave you shaking or at the very least on the verge of needing a nice long vacation.

Be prepared for some slightly clunky movement and somewhat repetitive walking simulator sections. Past that, it’s a wonderful sequel to a game that was originally sort of a miss, rather than a hit. You’ll become just as invested as Sebastian is when trying to find his daughter and walk away from the experience feeling like you got your money’s worth. The Evil Within 2 is well worth the purchase, but especially (for) those who enjoyed the first game and want something more.

From one of the minds that brought us the Resident Evil series, The Evil Within 2 serves as a survival horror delight. It’s a jolting, excellent tale of horror and mystery with a strong story and a driving narrative, plus a multitude of side quests and sub-plots to keep even the most seasoned players engaged and thrilled. It is not a perfectly executed game by any means, but, like the original game, the flaws tend to get buried under the bloody heap of viscera and terror players will experience should they decide to pick up a copy.

Technically speaking The Evil Within 2 is a lot better than its predecessor. The game is a lot more accessible for a greater audience, without forgetting about the die hard fans.

The Evil Within 2 is every bit what a sequel should be - bigger, better and more pleasing than the original.

The Evil Within 2 is good old-fashioned survival horror with a little bit of an open-world bent, and it works beautifully. It’s tense, it’s scary, it’s exciting, it’s absorbing – it’s everything I hoped it would be and more.

There's a clear respect for the horror genre in The Evil Within 2, with a number of references to classic films and games. The game channels that style and tone into combat that feels brutal and raw, stealth that has an air of suspense, and unsettling confrontations with dangerous, otherworldly creatures. The Evil Within 2 doubles down on the core of what makes survival horror games great: the focus on disempowerment and obstacles, and the ensuing satisfaction that comes with surviving a harrowing assault.

The Evil Within 2 trumps its predecessor in every way, inevitably making this one of the best forms of survival horror in recent years. Dare I say? Evil Within 2 is Survival Horror, evolved.

The Evil Within 2 is a huge step forward for the series that emphasizes exploration, stealth, and conserving resources for the more challenging encounters. Though the compelling plot is weighed down by poor writing and poorer voice performances, the game offers a great horror experience with a ton of content.

The Evil Within 2 is a title that, despite the drawbacks, offers everything it promises: Terror, action and a good story. In conclusion, a Survival Horror worthy of a high budget production.

The Evil Within 2 gives you more options to play your way in a much bigger survival-horror playground than the original. Although a disjointed plot and weak protagonist make it slow to get started, being pursued through an intriguingly bizarre world by plentiful and disturbing monsters kept my palms sweaty and my heart in my throat thanks to a strict adherence to the most important survival horror rule: you should always be on the back foot.

The Evil Within 2 sports a less claustrophobic gameplay than its predecessor, but it still results in a thrilling experience with an intriguing story and noticeably improved graphics. Fans of the first game won't be disappointed by this sequel.

A gripping, well-told horror story held back by occasionally awkward handling.

The Enemy Within 2 oughtn’t to disappoint genre fans. It’s a challenge to survive, and there are some good moments of both physical and mental horror. I’m not sure Tango Gameworks’ largely backward-looking franchise will ever be a mainstream giant within its category, but sometimes the best horror experiences are those geared for a subset of fans – especially if you happen to be a member of said subset.

The fractured town of Union, which brings to mind the foggy setting of the original Silent Hill games, can be freely traversed. And yet, story levels must still be tackled in order and few of the open-world segments or side quests are compelling.

The Evil Within 2 is a terror title that offers many more possibilities than its predecessor. It's survival horror in its pure state, and it's very well-implemented.

The themes of The Evil Within 2 are redemption and forgiveness, though there’s nothing this iteration of the franchise needed to do to redeem itself and certainly has nothing to be forgiven for. It’s a solid, emotional romp filled with challenge and scares alike. It’s certainly recommended.

The Evil Within 2 is highly recommended to anyone who loves a horror game, and you don’t have to play the first one to get an understanding of what is going on.

The Evil Within 2 doesn't reinvent the survival-horror genre but makes it work in more of an open world. Blending it with the tightly directed sections we have come to expect from the genre creates a fantastic horror setting that cranks up the tension only when it's needed. Players are rewarded for exploring and the scarce resources are distributed in a way that you often feel like there is only enough to scrape by, yet it never leaves you feeling under-prepared. Unfortunately, Sebastian's movement and animation often feel disconnected and some animations do seem clumsy in general, while some visual assets noticeably pop into view. Thankfully, these minor issues don't detract too much from the overall package and The Evil Within 2 delivers an interesting and memorable horror experience that is challenging yet fair.

Although it tries a little too hard and fails to properly capture the best horror tropes, The Evil Within 2 is a great, imaginative game with enough tension that you probably won't mind the relative lack of horror.

The Evil Within 2 is a frightening game, though perhaps not as pants-wettingly scary as the early portions of Resident Evil 7. The game itself is improved nicely over the original, with a great open-world structure and lots of interesting missions to take on. The actual story is extremely compelling as we follow Sebastian's journey towards redemption amid a world filled with both human and inhuman monsters. If you're looking for a lengthy and frightening adventure this Halloween season, look no farther than The Evil Within 2.

The Evil Within 2 will certainly hold your attention during its 17 chapters, with flashes of brilliance sandwiched in among the game's various flaws and less memorable sequences. Ultimately, as a sequel, it doesn't quite deliver, but nonetheless, The Evil Within 2 is a survival horror that's just about worth persevering with.