The Evil Within [2014] First Impressions, The Roots of "Survival Horror"

Hey all,

         Back again and just wanted to say a few words about my first hour or two with 'The Evil Within', Shinji Mikami's newest foray into survival horror. Mikami is famous for directing and producing several of the Resident Evil games, namely Resident Evil 4- the game that arguably changed the face of survival horror and action games for years to come. While the latest installments of the Resident Evil series haven't been very well received, the sixth especially, this was a chance to get back to the roots of why we really love survival horror games. Tense action sequences, limited resources, and a seriously dreary atmosphere to boot. At least that's what keeps me playing these games anyway. Personally, Resident Evil 4 was, and still is, one of my favourite games of all time. Any opportunity to play through another gaming experience like Mikami's RE4 is something I'll lineup for, so of course I'm already hooked.

You play as the poor sap on the left, Sebastian Castellanos

         Right away you can see that this isn't necessarily the spiritual successor to Resident Evil 4 in the sense that say Dark Souls was to Demon's Souls. Instead Tango has adapted the framework of the Resident Evil 4 over-the-shoulder action formula and added in some stealth aspects as well as good ol' "un-killable" enemies. A new aspect to the combat involves burning the bodies of the recently dead to ensure that they're in fact gone for good. However, your supply of matches will only last so long so you have to choose wisely as to which enemies you can handle fighting a second time.

Yeah, I'm burning that guy.

When you start the game you aren't even able to stand off with your first formidable opponent, instead you have to sneak away from his chainsaw-wielding ass before you get chopped to bits. Then just when you think you're done for, you wake up in what looks like a dingy mental hospital where a ghostly (I'm assuming ghostly) nurse walks you through how to save your game and upgrade your stats with a demented brain surgery tool. Much of this part of the story has yet to be explained, but once I delve deeper I'll share some more here.

Your brain on drugs. Ouch

So far I'm having lots of fun with The Evil Within. I found there to be a bit of a learning curve with the controls at first, especially in the stealth elements where I was staggered by my injuries, but we'll see if that remains an issue as I move ahead in the game. Keep your eyes peeled for some more "Let's Play" footage, as I'll be recording some of my favourite sequences as we go along through the story mode. Luckily you won't get to hear my screaming on the other end.

Check out the first video of our coverage here, a cool little Easter egg for Resident Evil fans:

-Will