At the crossroads
Recently, I had the opportunity to introduce the phenomenon of Resident Evil 4 as, in my opinion, the best game in the entire series . It was also the last part that the father of the brand , Shinji Mikami, worked on . After abandoning the series, the Japanese artist did not idle and decided to test himself in other genres than survival horror. From 2004, Mikami directed the walking brawl God Hand , developed by Capcom’s Clover Studio. The title was not particularly warmly received, and the studio was closed shortly after its premiere. After breaking up with Capcom, the developer worked with PlatinumGames for some time. The result of their activities was the game Vanquish , released in 2010. The title was an interesting variation on the shootings with a cover system in the Gears of War style . Contrary to the solutions from the aforementioned series , Vanquish focused on a much more intense pace and mobility of characters, borrowing elements typical of slashers and using the mechanics of slow-motion. After the game’s release, Mikami changed fronts again, this time establishing his own studio – Tango Gameworks. Already then it was announced that the Japanese director was preparing a return to his horror roots. We were able to see the effects four years later.
Inner monsters
The Evil Within in its first minutes seems to have nothing special to offer in terms of the presented story. Oh, the main character, policeman Sebastian Castellanos, is sent with the team to investigate a crime in a gothic psychiatric hospital, which is probably one of the most generic action locations for horror movies. However, it does not take long for the story to show its claw. It is easy to notice that survival horror games have accustomed us to a scheme in which the protagonist is locked in some dangerous place (like an abandoned mansion or a city engulfed in a zombie apocalypse), and the player’s primary goal is to escape and possibly fight the threat.
The production of Tango Gameworks also implements this concept, but transforms it in an interesting way. Without getting into heavier spoilers, Sebastian finds himself trapped in a space suspended between a nightmare and reality. Such a procedure gives the creators an excuse to frequently modify the world presented directly in front of the player. As a result, the locations change very often and it is difficult to complain about monotony (except for some slightly too long chapters). First of all, behind this concept there is a much more interesting idea for a plot than in any installment of Resident Evil , but it is worth noting that this is not the type of horror that focuses on jump scares and constantly increasing tension. The Evil Withinattracts with the most intriguing vision of the surreal world and the multi-layered intrigue behind it (further developed in the story DLC). The more that the creators clearly have an eye for suggestive aesthetics and watching subsequent oneiric scenes is pure pleasure.
To the glory of the classics
I mentioned Mikami and the Resident Evil series for a reason earlier . From the very first moments you spend with the game, you can feel the similarities between the iconic Capcom brand and The Evil Within . You can clearly see that the same man is behind both titles. Although the plot aims at a completely different atmosphere, in many respects the title seems to be a spiritual successor to the recently described Resident Evil 4. To a large extent, it was this factor that made me completely absorbed, but on the other hand, many can rebound because of it. This time again, a number of elements were used that make the fight uncomfortable, making it more difficult. The character controlled by the player is suitably heavy, it is easy to miss with wobbling weapons, and the use of “cinematic” aspect ratio (although the characteristic black stripes can be turned off in the settings) significantly reduces visibility. These factors may be disadvantages to many, but in my opinion they interact reasonably with other decisions. The boards are designed in such a way that the deliberate “obstacles” do not make the item unplayable and although you get killed relatively often, I have never really felt that it is not my fault. A certain difficulty in steering additionally pumps up the tension and makes it worth thinking about tactics before getting into combat. Unlike the competition,The Evil Within quite regularly gives players the opportunity to sneak and many of the open clashes can be avoided – and it’s worth it, because ammunition is always lacking.
As I mentioned before, the fictional idea is reflected in the design decisions, especially in their diversity. The locations Sebastian traverses is almost like a compilation in the style of The best of… for Resident Evil fans . A village deep in the forest, inhabited by maddened inhabitants, a gothic church, an abandoned mansion, an apocalyptic metropolis – these and other places constantly attack the player with references. The design of the opponents is also a huge advantage of the game. Just like in the Silent Hill cyclethe adversaries are a reflection of the hero’s internal nightmares, which allowed for the creation of interesting and often extremely disgusting mascaras. Particularly noteworthy are bosses full of details, with which the clashes are, by the way, really demanding and often more like a desperate escape than a proper fight.
Experience with the game basically only spoils the technical condition. You can see that we are dealing with a product that was released simultaneously on the 7th and 8th generation consoles, while some effects (especially lighting) look fantastic, some textures and models indicate that the title was also designed for old devices. To make matters worse, the PC port leaves a bit to be desired. It can have liquidity problems even on newer computers (I’m not talking about top gaming machines, of course), and for some reason, no anti-aliasing option was effective, which resulted in the characteristic “serration” of the edges.
Overcome evil once more
The Evil Withinit’s also an interesting way to create a sequel that isn’t a simple “copy-paste” formula of the original with a few extras. In 2017, the second installment was released, again bringing a small breath of fresh air to the genre. I have not yet seen a high-budget horror movie that would bet on open-world gameplay. However, the creators did not dilute the essence with sandbox mechanics and we are still dealing with a product that clearly focuses on narration. Providing players with slightly less linear areas (although they also happen) changes the approach significantly, because suddenly sneaking is even more rewarded, and the feeling of danger is intensified, because only in buildings with hiding places you can manually save the game and fully regenerate your health by drinking delicious black coffee. We are also not dealing with a direct continuation, because it would not make sense (the additions to the first part close all threads nicely). Some time later Sebastian Castellanos is forced again to enter a peculiar horror movie The Matrix, this time in order to search for his missing daughter years ago. As the experienced protagonist is already quite aware of where he is going and what the rules are there, the style of the story changes a bit. So even less is aimed at classic scaring, and more time was devoted to the construction of the universe and the intrigues that govern it, even introducing elements of science fiction. Although ultimately As the experienced protagonist is already quite aware of where he is going and what the rules are there, the style of the story changes a bit. So even less is aimed at classic scaring, and more time was devoted to the construction of the universe and the intrigues that govern it, even introducing elements of science fiction. Although ultimately As the experienced protagonist is already quite aware of where he is going and what the rules are there, the style of the story changes a bit. So even less is aimed at classic scaring, and more time was devoted to the construction of the universe and the intrigues that govern it, even introducing elements of science fiction. Although ultimatelyThe Evil Within 2 seems to be a game in some ways overcomplicated, it still remains a title worth attention.
Dusted mansion
Although Resident Evil 4 years ago set the standards of modern action games in many respects, there are relatively few productions that would directly refer to the classic design, while creatively developing its elements. Those unhappy with this state of affairs should definitely check out The Evil Within , which successfully modernizes the formula. Although this title is not free from errors, it is characterized by a specific, slightly archaic, but very satisfying gameplay feeling , which immediately shows that we are dealing with an attempt at a modern reconstruction of the RE 4 phenomenon.. It is this transformation of well-known mechanics and dressing them in a completely different story envelope that seems much more interesting to me than the last remakes of the Resident Evil series . I hope that, contrary to fears, the eighth installment of the Capcom series will finally bring a real freshness that seems to be missing there. It looks like there is nothing to count on The Evil Within 3 for now. “Two”, although quite successful, may seem like a redundant game, moreover, it has not been very successful financially. Tango Gameworks is currently working on a specific Ghostwire Tokyo , which appears as a kind of variation on the theme of Bioshock, set in a neon metropolis haunted by demons. Although this is not what I was setting up for after the first announcement, it seems that we can expect a rather interesting vision again.
You can buy the games at GOG.com
