A truly stellar and criminally underrated Survival Horror masterpiece. Feels like a true spiritual successor to Resident Evil 4, carrying on the classic survival horror and Resident Evil staples with more modern gameplay design.

The story follows detective Sebastian Castellanos and his team. They get called to investigate a mass murder at Beacon mental hospital. What starts off as a rather routine crime scene investigation quickly turns into something more sinister, as all semblance of logic disappears and reality starts to literally break apart around them. The 15-20 hour long campaign will have you falling down a seemingly endless nightmarish rabbit hole, as you try to piece together exactly where you are and why. A special mention to the antagonist of the game, who manages to be one of the most interesting horror villains I've seen in a while.

Level and game design is a rather devisive topic with this game. It is fair to criticize the levels due to how they don't exactly flow into one another, leaving the impression that setpieces were made and then the rest of the game was added in to connect them. That said, the design also makes sense and very much makes you feel like you are in a nightmare with no concrete sense of progression or way out. That is one of the most fascinating aspects of the world of The Evil Within. As mentioned, the game carries on elements of classic survival horror with modern gameplay. It manages to create one of the most dangerous and deadly environments in a video game and not through old methods, such as fixed camera angles and tank controls, but rather by keeping the environment progression chaotic, leaving the player constantly guessing what's next. The environment is also littered with deadly traps and enemies, advising a much more cautious approach. A rushed playthrough will turn into a very frustrating one.

Gameplay feels very much built on the groundwork laid by RE4. It's third person survival horror, though unlike RE4, you can aim and move at the same time. The inventory seems to be kind of a half and half between RE4 and RE5, not exactly pausing the game, but slowing it down enough for you to be able to switch weapons and craft ammunition. The movement also feels a bit more sluggish than your normal third person shooter, though this may be to compensate for being able to aim and move. Weapon variety is rather standard with the exception of the Agony Crossbow. Each weapon carries different ammunition, which is distributed just enough so that you can make it through most fights with careful aiming and planning. The Agony crossbow and matches demonstrate a unique flexibility in the combat. As most enemies are vulnerable to fire, players can find creative and ammo efficient ways of killing them with just a match, such as shooting an enemy in the leg and lighting them on fire, while they are down.

As for the PC port, it seemed to have a very rocky launch, but seems to be quite good as of now, with some slight annoyances. Despite being able to switch off the letterboxes, they still appear occasionally in scenes, making transitions from cutscene to gameplay a bit more jarring than it needs to be. The 30 fps cap has also been lifted, though the game is now capped to 60. The game itself looks fantastic, despite being over 2 years old. Environment and enemy design is very well done, bringing to life some truly horrific locations and creatures. The gore effects are also very well done, featuring some of the most satisfying headshots I have experienced in a game.

Overall, while it may have some setbacks on a technical standpoint, it's a truly amazing return to form for third person survival horror games. With an amazingly paced lengthy campaign, multiple difficulty settings, ng+ as well as 3 DLCs with different gameplay elements, it's very easy to recommend. If you love RE4 and RE5 left you a bit cold, or if you just want a third person survival horror game with interesting level design and a very compelling villain, this game should be right up your alley.