The Evil Within

Last updated

The Evil Within
The Evil Within boxart.jpg
Developer(s) Tango Gameworks
Publisher(s) Bethesda Softworks
Director(s) Shinji Mikami
Producer(s) Masato Kimura
Designer(s) Shigenori Nishikawa
Programmer(s)
  • Hideaki Nakata
  • Hideyuki Miyashita
Artist(s) Naoki Katakai
Writer(s)
  • Itaru Yokoyama
  • Keith Dwyer
Composer(s) Masafumi Takada
Engine id Tech 5
Platform(s)
Release
  • EU/NA: October 14, 2014
  • AU: October 16, 2014
  • JP: October 23, 2014
Genre(s) Survival horror
Mode(s) Single-player

The Evil Within [lower-alpha 1] is a 2014 survival horror game developed by Tango Gameworks and published by Bethesda Softworks. It was directed by Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami. The game centers on protagonist Sebastian Castellanos as he is pulled through a distorted world full of nightmarish locations and horrid creatures. Played in a third-person perspective, players battle disfigured nightmare-like enemies, including bosses, using guns and melee weapons, and progress through the levels, avoiding traps, using stealth, and finding collectables.

Contents

The Evil Within was released for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox 360, and Xbox One in October 2014. Upon release, the game received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the game's horror elements, gameplay and atmosphere, while criticism was directed at the game's story, characters, and technical issues. A sequel, The Evil Within 2 , was released in October 2017.

Gameplay

The Evil Within utilizes a 2:35:1 aspect ratio for display, though a patch released in 2015 allowed players to play the game in full-screen, besides the menus and the cutscenes. The Evil Within gameplay screenshot.jpg
The Evil Within utilizes a 2:35:1 aspect ratio for display, though a patch released in 2015 allowed players to play the game in full-screen, besides the menus and the cutscenes.

The single-player story is arranged in 15 chapters, which players complete in order to progress through the story. The game is played from a third-person perspective in which scavenging for supplies and learning when to fight or run are key factors in surviving the dangers of the game. [2] Such dangers include: bear traps, barbed wire traps, bombs, and spike traps; 'The Haunted', the game's most common enemy; 'Reborn Laura', a multi limbed, long haired, crawling creature; Ruvik, the game's main antagonist; 'The Keeper', a large humanoid with a safe as a head who wields a large meat tenderizer hammer; and 'Sadist', a large humanoid wearing a spiked metal mask on his face, wielding a chainsaw covered in blood. [3] [4]

Sebastian Castellanos, the protagonist, needs to make use of the environment and things he may find in order to survive. The game world can transform during scripted events and as a result of player actions, altering locations and creating new paths or teleporting the player to new areas. Sebastian can find and use Syringes and Medical Kits to heal himself when injured. The Medical Kit expands Sebastian's health, but causes hallucinations to occur for a short time. Collecting vials of 'Green Gel' hidden throughout the game, players can upgrade Castellanos' abilities; more ammunition, extra stamina, and additional health are some of the upgrades. [5]

Players have a safe house called 'Safe Haven' that can be accessed during scripted events and by finding bright glowing mirrors. The safe house is a mental hospital and has several accessible areas such as a save point, an upgrade room (where the player may upgrade Sebastian's skills), and the safe room where keys are used to open storage safes which contain useful items such as green gel and ammunition. These keys are collected by finding and breaking 'Madonna' statues hidden throughout the game's levels. There is a nurse called Tatiana who greets Sebastian when he teleports to the safe house. [6]

The player has access to various weapons such as a revolver, shotgun, sniper rifle, knife, grenades, and the 'Agony Crossbow', a projectile weapon that fires bolts capable of freezing, blinding, electrocuting, or exploding enemies. Ammunition for weapons is very scarce, but mechanical components can be harvested to craft additional bolts. One source of components, bombs, are traps that react to the player's proximity or movement. Bombs can be stuck to walls or the floor, in chests, and in vending machines. The bombs can be disarmed via a minigame. [5] Melee combat is designed only to create distance between the player and enemies, although the player can instantly kill some unaware enemies after sneaking behind them. [7] Enemies that are downed or incapacitated are capable of reviving; to avoid this, players may set fire to the downed enemy using a limited supply of matches to permanently defeat them. [5] [7] Certain items in the environment, such as bottles, can be thrown to stun or distract enemies. [8]

There are seven different types of collectables in The Evil Within: 'Personal Documents'; Sebastian's personal log, detailing his life as a detective and his life with his wife and daughter. 'Documents'; the personal logs of other characters. 'Map Fragments'; pieces of the game's map; once collected, they are stored at the safe house. If the player collects all 28 map fragments, they will unlock the Burst Handgun and the High-Penetration Sniper Rifle. 'Newspapers'; newspapers detailing events concerning or involving Sebastian. 'Missing Persons Posters'; posters of characters Sebastian encounters throughout the game who have been reported missing. 'Audio Tapes'; tapes containing a recording that can be played which are recorded by characters through the game. Collectables can be found in levels themselves or in the safe house. [9] [10]

The player unlocks several bonuses for completing the game. Extra weapons, character models and bios, 'Nightmare' and 'AKUMU' difficulties (the game's hardest difficulty levels, AKUMU being the hardest), and New Game+ are some of the unlocks. If the player completes the game on AKUMU mode, they'll unlock the Brass Knuckles weapon. [11]

Plot

While investigating the scene of a mass murder at Beacon Mental Hospital, Krimson City Police Detective Sergeant Sebastian Castellanos, his partner Joseph Oda, police officer Oscar Connelly, and Junior Detective Juli Kidman find themselves suddenly thrown into an unreal world, after hearing a high-pitched noise. Shortly after this occurs, Sebastian is separated from his partners and is forced to flee from a monstrous man wielding a chainsaw. Upon reuniting with his colleagues, they attempt to escape via ambulance while Krimson City is destroyed by a massive earthquake, eventually causing them to crash. Freeing himself from the wreckage, Sebastian wanders through dark forests and abandoned buildings full of monstrous creatures and witnesses the apparition of a disfigured man in a white hood. Sebastian runs into Oscar, who is suffering from a strange form of transformation which compels him into a murderous rage. Sebastian is then forced to kill Oscar in self defense. Sebastian soon encounters one of Beacon's doctors, Marcelo Jimenez, who is searching for his patient, Leslie Withers. Jimenez identifies the hooded stranger stalking them as Ruvik.

Sebastian eventually reunites with Joseph, though it is shortly revealed that Joseph is suffering from a strange form of transformation which compels him into a murderous rage, similar to Oscar's. While he is able to control it for the most part, Joseph warns Sebastian to be wary of him if he turns. The two eventually find and rescue Kidman from drowning in a crude contraption, though they are soon separated again after hearing the high pitched noise.

Sebastian learns of the story of Ruvik, born Ruben Victoriano, through various memories that Ruvik places him in. Ruben was an intellectually gifted but mentally unstable child, and was close to his sister, Laura. While playing in a barn on their family's estate, Laura was killed, and Ruben was severely burned after the barn was set on fire by some farmers as an act of revenge against their parents. Due to his disfigurement from the fire, Ruben's father hid him in the basement of the family manor. Deeply traumatized over Laura's death, Ruben eventually killed both of his parents, took control of their fortune, and continued to "donate" money to Beacon Mental Hospital in exchange for test subjects for his experiments into the human psyche.

Ruvik began designing STEM as a means for him to reshape reality, so that he could physically travel back into his memories and live his life again with Laura. Jimenez then took notice of Ruvik's work, and revealed it to Mobius, who wished to use it for their own purposes. As a safety measure, Ruvik calibrated STEM to work with only his brain as the core. In retaliation, Mobius simply killed him and extracted his brain for installation in order to use the machine, thus allowing Ruvik to maintain control of the STEM world. Kidman realizes that Mobius in fact wants the meek Leslie as a replacement for Ruvik's brain – an easily manipulated 'blank slate' mind, which they can use to power STEM and create a world of their own design.

When Jimenez, aided by Sebastian, tries to use Leslie to return to reality, he realizes that Ruvik wants to transfer his mind to a compatible host, and escape into the real world. A beast created from Ruvik's subconscious kills Jimenez, and Ruvik scatters the group across his mind. Kidman finds Leslie first and is about to shoot him to prevent Ruvik from using him as a host, when Sebastian and Joseph intervene, prompting her to shoot Joseph, before Ruvik separates them again.

Sebastian finds Leslie and guides him back to the hospital. At the top of the lighthouse, he sees his own body in a bathtub hooked to the STEM machine. Kidman arrives and attempts to convince Sebastian that Leslie has to die. Ruvik interrupts them, gets hold of Leslie, and absorbs him.

Sebastian battles a gigantic creature created from Ruvik's subconscious and defeats it, waking up in the bathtub. He pulls himself off the machine, removes Ruvik's brain from the STEM, and crushes it. He wakes up in the tub again with Kidman by his side, monitoring him. Kidman motions for Sebastian to stay quiet. Sebastian falls unconscious, and later wakes up in the same tub, with no one around except for the bodies of Jimenez and Connelly. As police and S.W.A.T. reinforcements arrive, Sebastian exits the hospital and notices Leslie walking out of the main gates.

The Assignment and The Consequence

Entering the machine, Kidman is attacked by Oscar Connelly (Kiff VandenHeuvel / Keiji Hirai) while in the forest and falls off a cliff. She hears Mobius talking to her and attempts to use a keypad. Blocked out by the keypad, she is forced to find a way to get access, avoiding several creatures along the way. After being trapped by Ruvik and subsequently rescued by Sebastian and Joseph, she is separated from the former, while the latter turns into a Haunted and attacks Kidman. After she defeats him, the world changes and after getting past several obstacles, she finds Leslie and takes him to the church, to be confronted by Ruvik who attacks Kidman through Leslie. She learns that Ruvik can leave STEM through Leslie by overriding himself into Leslie's body, and he informs Kidman that Mobius has been keeping tabs on her as much as he once was. Kidman tries to shoot Leslie, for both to disappear, and a figure known as the Administrator (Rob Brownstein / Jin Yamanoi) begins talking to Kidman, demanding her to extract Leslie instead of killing him regardless, but Kidman refuses to complete the mission, warning him that they do not know what Ruvik is capable of. He then appears in front of her as a dark misty figure and pursues her until Kidman manages to escape him. Outside the church, she sees Beacon Mental Hospital in the distance, before its lighthouse blinds her.

Waking up in the Safe Haven and meeting Tatiana Gutierrez (Julie Granata / Yūko Kaida), Kidman explores the area before being able to leave. Ending up back at the Mobius headquarters, she decides to go the bottom floor to the STEM terminal because she thinks Leslie is heading there. Along the way she learns more about Ruvik's relationship with Mobius and the way they treated him. Reaching at the terminal, she is led back to Krimson City and goes through the police department, where she sees memories of Sebastian and Joseph and begins feeling sympathy for the former. Heading back towards Beacon Mental Hospital, she meets up with Sebastian who gets turned into a Haunted by Ruvik but manages to save him and find Leslie. The Administrator chases her until she gets to a school bus and drives away, but Ruvik telepathically launches the bus into the hotel. Kidman recovers and is separated from Sebastian and Joseph, losing her handgun in the process. Along the way, she encounters paintings of Ruvik that are trying to take control of Leslie. Kidman manages to save Leslie, but he runs out of fear. Proceeding further, she finds more paintings trying to take control of Leslie. While trying to fend them off, hands of Laura burst from the ground and ensnare Kidman, and Leslie points a gun towards her, but he manages to resist Ruvik's control and shoots the painting, saving Kidman. Retrieving the handgun from Leslie, Kidman takes him along, hoping that this way he will be safe. Following this, a scene from the main game plays, but from Kidman's perspective, as she sees the Administrator instead of Sebastian, who informs that they know what Leslie will become and that Ruvik is a corpse. After Leslie's outburst, she pursues Leslie, but is brought back to Mobius HQ.

She goes through a door and is brought to Beacon, where she accesses other rooms and learns about Leslie's synchronization with Ruvik's brainwave due to his loss of family, and her being an expendable agent that could potentially neutralize Ruvik. Rushing through dozens of Haunted, Kidman is able to get in an elevator that leads up to the apex of Beacon where the Mobius facility is, as the Administrator taunts Kidman, explaining that STEM was built on the premise of fear as a way to control individuals, with the true purpose of her mission serving as a test run for the Administrator's new method of infused control. Having broken out of his influence, she faces the Administrator, who makes a final attempt to end Kidman but is defeated, who remarks how he will always be a part of Kidman before being shot.

Awakening in the real world, Kidman sees Leslie emerge from a STEM terminal and being taken away along with Joseph, as well as the vessel that housed Ruvik's brain now empty, much to her confusion. A woman then calls out to Kidman from behind, who is revealed as Myra (Tasia Valenza / Rica Fukami), Sebastian's wife. Myra says "he" will need a debriefing as soon as Kidman gets back. With no one watching her, Kidman frees Sebastian, and tells the Mobius members to leave Sebastian, Connelly, and Jimenez there, as they were not going anywhere. The Administrator's voice is heard and says that "No one is".

Development and marketing

The Evil Within began development in late 2010 under the codename "Project Zwei". [12] Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami served as the game's director, with development taking place at his studio Tango Gameworks. [5] [13] [14] The studio was bought by ZeniMax Media in 2010, shortly after development began. [14] Initially, Mikami had no interest in making another survival horror game but after realizing there was a demand for one, he felt compelled to respond. [15] The other reason was because he believed that contemporary horror games relied more on action than survival. [16]

The game was announced in April 2013. [17] Believing that the tropes of the survival horror had become predictable over time, the design deliberately attempts to make the player feel powerless by taking place in confined spaces, limiting ammunition, and presenting near-invincible enemies that promote running and hiding over engaging in combat. [18] Art director Naoki Katakai said that the design concept of enemies, such as those wrapped in barbed wire or filled with glass shards, is that they are victims suffering under a greater evil. The asylum itself was inspired by the Winchester Mystery House, a Californian mansion famous for its architectural curiosities. [8] The Evil Within is built on the id Tech 5 modified by Tango Gameworks with a new dynamic renderer enabling dynamic lighting to the game. [5] [19] Tessellation is also added. On April 15, 2013, and over the next few days, Bethesda Softworks revealed a series of short cryptic videos teasing the new game, [20] officially announcing it on April 19, 2013, revealing the title, the platforms it will be released on, and a live-action teaser trailer. [19] A second trailer was released on September 17, 2013 [21] and an extended gameplay video was revealed on September 27, 2013. [22] Bethesda announced that the game had gone gold on September 25, 2014. [23]

Release

The Evil Within was released for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox 360, and Xbox One in October 2014. [24] [25] In Japan, the game was released as Psycho Break. [17] The Japanese version had to remove gore-related content to receive a D-content rating (allowing its sale to customers 17 years of age or older) to avoid limiting its potential audience; this content can be restored via optional DLC. [26]

Warner Bros. Movie World in Queensland, Australia, created a maze populated with real-life characters from the game as part of its annual Fright Nights event to promote the game. [27] Prior to the game's release, Titan Comics released a four-part miniseries set before the events of the main game [28] The Art of the Evil Within, a book collecting concept art and behind-the-scenes material from the game, was released by Dark Horse Comics alongside the game on October 14, 2014. [29]

The game also features downloadable content (DLC) missions which feature Juli Kidman and the enemy, the Keeper, as playable characters. A story-based campaign following Kidman was released as two separate DLC packs, which introduced new enemies, locations, and focus on unsolved mysteries from the main game. [30] The first of the two DLCs, titled The Assignment was released on all platforms in March 2015 worldwide, while The Consequence followed later in April 2015. [31] [32] The final DLC content, The Executioner, follows the character called The Keeper through a series of mission-based levels with sadistic objectives. The content allows players to play in a first-person perspective and was released on May 25, 2015. [33]

Reception

Critical reception

The Evil Within received "generally favorable" reviews from critics for the Xbox One and PS4 versions, while the PC version received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator website Metacritic. [36] [35] [34]

Computer and Video Games (CVG) described it as "the game Resident Evil 5 should have been", although they were critical of some technical issues. [37] VideoGamer.com liked the gunplay and horror, but disliked the story and its pacing, stating: "The Evil Within has enough magic to make it a worthy investment." [52] Destructoid said: "[The game] will definitely scratch the itch of someone who has been pining for a return to the older days of gaming, but everyone else who has come to expect that certain layer of polish likely won't be amused." [38] Polygon 's Philip Kollar summed up his thoughts by saying: "The Evil Within has great moments where the excellent combat and creepy environmental design come together. But those moments are fleeting, inevitably sapped of their delightful terror by design choices that feel trapped in the glory days of a decade ago." [51]

GamesRadar 's Ashley Reed gave the game a 3.5/5, commending the game for providing innovation and a story that keeps the player involved. Even though she mostly liked the game, Reed had several criticisms, stating: "The Evil Within stumbles in a few too many places to be Mikami's magnum opus. It artificially forces players into punishing combat scenarios more times than can be ignored, and plots and themes with great promise end up sputtering out in disheartening fashion. Still, it would be wrong to dismiss all the things it does right. Between a gorefest that's thoroughly engrossing, amazing feelings of triumph created by the imposing difficulty, and a plot that gets to the core of some very unsettling themes, The Evil Within brings enough to the table that it deserves a taste." [43]

Lucy O'Brien of IGN gave it a positive score of 8.7 out of 10 in her review of the game. She praised the gameplay and horror of the game, but criticized the boring protagonist, Sebastian, and the saggy and convoluted plot, stating that "while its story does end up buckling under its own ambition, there is little here that takes away from the joy of experiencing survival horror under the steady hands of a master of the craft." [47]

Christopher Livingston from PC Gamer gave it a mixed review, praising the survival portions of the game, tense and often exciting atmosphere, satisfying stealth, exciting action sequences, as well as the nicely detailed environment, but criticizing the recycled, and very often, not scary bosses, poor character models, late texture pop-ins, sluggish control, frustrating camera angles, limited video options and poor decision on the aspect ratio. He stated that all these technical issues have dragged The Evil Within from enjoyably challenging to needlessly frustrating. [50]

Tim Turi from Game Informer praised its high replay value, jump scares, well-executed lighting, dark, unpredictable world, as well as the sounds of enemies, but criticizing the distracting texture pop-in and disappointing story. He summarized the game as "an unnerving experience that keep your palms sweaty while delivering a harrowingly rewarding gameplay trial." [41]

Shaun McInnis of GameSpot spoke well of its striking atmosphere, tense combat that encourages resourcefulness, and rewarding skill progression system, but criticizing the nonsensical story and forgettable characters, autosave system, and a few frustrating boss fights. [42]

As the aspect ratio of the game received criticism, a patch was released on June 23, 2015, that allows players to play the game in full screen. [53]

Sales

In Japan, The Evil Within sold 176,691 physical units across all platforms, [54] along with an estimated 4,138 digital units. [55]

In the United Kingdom, the game was the second best-selling game on the all-formats chart during its week of release. [56]

In the United States, it was the third best-selling game of October 2014. It set the record for the highest-selling first month of sales for a new survival horror intellectual property, [57] until the record was later broken by Dying Light , when it was released in January 2015. [58]

Sequel

At E3 2017, Bethesda revealed The Evil Within 2 . The game takes place three years after the events of the original game and features Sebastian returning to STEM to look for Lily, his believed-to-be dead daughter. It was released PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on October 13, 2017. [59]

Notes

  1. Known in Japan as PsychoBreak (Japanese: サイコブレイク, Hepburn: Saiko Bureiku)

Related Research Articles

Survival horror is a subgenre of horror games. Although combat can be part of the gameplay, the player is made to feel less in control than in typical action games through limited ammunition or weapons, health, speed, and vision, or through various obstructions of the player's interaction with the game mechanics. The player is also challenged to find items that unlock the path to new areas and solve puzzles to proceed in the game. Games make use of strong horror themes, such as dark mazelike environments and unexpected attacks from enemies.

<i>Resident Evil 4</i> 2005 video game

Resident Evil 4 is a 2005 survival horror game developed and published by Capcom for the GameCube. Players control the special agent Leon S. Kennedy on a mission to rescue the US president's daughter, Ashley Graham, who has been kidnapped by a religious cult in rural Spain. Leon fights hordes of enemies infected by a mind-controlling parasite and reunites with the spy Ada Wong. In a departure from the fixed camera angles and slower gameplay of previous Resident Evil games, Resident Evil 4 features a dynamic camera system and action-oriented gameplay.

<i>Resident Evil</i> (1996 video game) Survival horror game

Resident Evil is a 1996 survival horror game developed and published by Capcom for the PlayStation. It is the first game in Capcom's Resident Evil franchise. Players control Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, members of the elite task force S.T.A.R.S., who must escape a mansion infested with zombies and other monsters.

<i>Resident Evil – Code: Veronica</i> 2000 video game

Resident Evil – Code: Veronica is a survival horror video game developed and published by Capcom and originally released for the Dreamcast in 2000. It is the fourth main installment in the Resident Evil series and the first to debut on a separate platform from the PlayStation. The story takes place three months after the events of Resident Evil 2 (1998) and the concurrent destruction of Raccoon City as seen in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999). It follows Claire Redfield and her brother Chris Redfield in their efforts to survive a viral outbreak at a remote prison island in the Southern Ocean and a research facility in Antarctica. The game retains the traditional survival horror controls and gameplay of previous installments; however, unlike the pre-rendered backgrounds of previous games, Code: Veronica uses real-time 3D environments and dynamic camera movement.

<i>Dino Crisis</i> (video game) 1999 survival horror video game

Dino Crisis is a 1999 survival horror game developed and published by Capcom originally for the PlayStation. It is the first installment in the Dino Crisis series and was developed by the same team behind Capcom's Resident Evil series, including director Shinji Mikami, and shares many similarities with it. The story follows Regina, a special operations agent sent with a team to investigate a secluded island research facility. Finding the place overrun with dinosaurs, Regina must fight through the facility to discover its secrets and ultimately escape alive with her team.

<i>Resident Evil 5</i> 2009 video game

Resident Evil 5 is a 2009 third-person shooter video game developed and published by Capcom. It is a major installment in the Resident Evil series, and was announced in 2005—the same year its predecessor Resident Evil 4 was released. Resident Evil 5 was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles in March 2009 and for Windows in September 2009. It was re-released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in June 2016. The plot involves an investigation of a terrorist threat by Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance agents Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar in Kijuju, a fictional region of West Africa. Chris learns that he must confront his past in the form of an old enemy, Albert Wesker, and his former partner, Jill Valentine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shinji Mikami</span> Japanese video game designer, director and producer

Shinji Mikami is a Japanese video game designer, director, and producer. Starting his career at Capcom in 1990, he has worked on many of the company's most successful games. He directed the first installment of the Resident Evil series in 1996 and the first installment of the Dino Crisis series in 1999, both survival horror games. He returned to Resident Evil to direct the remake of the first game in 2002 and the third-person shooter Resident Evil 4 in 2005. In 2006, he directed his final Capcom game God Hand, a beat 'em up action game. Mikami founded PlatinumGames and directed the third-person shooter Vanquish in 2010. The same year, he founded his own studio Tango Gameworks which has since been acquired by the American company ZeniMax Media. Under his studio, he directed the third-person horror game The Evil Within in 2014. He has also served the roles of producer and executive producer for many games.

<i>Sweet Home</i> (video game) 1989 role-playing video game

Sweet Home is a role-playing video game developed and published by Capcom for the Family Computer in 1989. It was developed alongside the horror film of the same name and tells the story of a team of five filmmakers exploring an old mansion in search of precious frescos hidden there. As they explore the mysterious mansion, they encounter hostile ghosts and other supernatural enemies. The player must navigate the intricately laid out mansion, battling with the enemies, and the five main characters with the limited weapons and health restorative items available. The narrative moves forward regardless of whether the characters stay alive, and leads to its five different endings.

<i>Resident Evil 6</i> 2012 video game

Resident Evil 6 is a 2012 third-person shooter video game developed and published by Capcom. A major installment in the Resident Evil series, Resident Evil 6 was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in October 2012, and for Windows in March 2013. It was re-released with all downloadable content for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in March 2016, and for the Nintendo Switch in October 2019. Players control Leon S. Kennedy, Chris Redfield, Jake Muller and Ada Wong as they confront the force behind a worldwide bio-terrorist attack. The story is centred around their four interwoven campaigns, and every campaign features a unique style in both tone and gameplay.

<i>Vanquish</i> (video game) 2010 video game

Vanquish is an action third-person shooter video game developed by PlatinumGames and published by Sega for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It began development in 2007 and was released worldwide in October 2010. A Windows port was released on May 25, 2017. A compilation titled Bayonetta & Vanquish 10th Anniversary Bundle was released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on February 18, 2020, including remastered versions of the game and PlatinumGames' Bayonetta.

<i>Resident Evil: Revelations</i> 2012 video game

Resident Evil: Revelations is a 2012 survival horror video game developed and published by Capcom originally for the Nintendo 3DS handheld game console. Set shortly after the events of Resident Evil 4, the game follows counter-terrorism agents Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield as they try to uncover the truth behind a bioterrorist organization that plans to infect the Earth's oceans with a virus. The game features a single-player mode where the player must complete a series of episodes that involve solving puzzles and defeating enemies, and a multiplayer mode where players may fight their way through altered single-player scenarios.

<i>Shadows of the Damned</i> 2011 action-adventure video game

Shadows of the Damned is a 2011 action-adventure video game developed by Grasshopper Manufacture and published by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It was directed by Massimo Guarini, produced by Shinji Mikami and written by Suda51. The game follows Garcia Hotspur, a Mexican demon hunter who goes to the City of the Damned to battle its evils in order to save his girlfriend Paula, who was captured by the Lord of Demons, Fleming.

<i>Resident Evil</i> (2002 video game) Survival horror game

Resident Evil is a 2002 survival horror game developed and published by Capcom for the GameCube. It is a remake of the 1996 PlayStation game Resident Evil, the first installment in the Resident Evil video game series. The story takes place in 1998 near the fictional Midwestern town of Raccoon City where a series of bizarre murders have taken place. The player takes on the role of either Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine, S.T.A.R.S. officers sent in by the city and the R.P.D. to investigate the murders.

Tango Gameworks is a Japanese video game developer based in Tokyo. Founded in March 2010 by Shinji Mikami, previously of Capcom, the company was acquired by ZeniMax Media in October that year after suffering financial issues.

<i>Resident Evil 7: Biohazard</i> 2017 video game

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is a 2017 survival horror game developed and published by Capcom. The player controls Ethan Winters as he searches for his long-missing wife in a derelict plantation occupied by an infected family, solving puzzles and fighting enemies. Resident Evil 7 diverges from the more action-oriented Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6, returning to the franchise's survival horror roots, emphasizing exploration. It is the first main Resident Evil game to use a first-person view.

<i>Dead by Daylight</i> 2016 video game

Dead by Daylight is an online asymmetric multiplayer survival horror video game developed and published by Canadian studio Behaviour Interactive. It is a one-versus-four game in which one player takes on the role of a Killer and the other four play as Survivors; the Killer must hunt and impale each Survivor on sacrificial hooks to appease a malevolent force known as the Entity, while the Survivors have to avoid being caught and power up the exit gates by working together to fix five generators.

<i>The Evil Within 2</i> 2017 video game

The Evil Within 2 is a 2017 survival horror game developed by Tango Gameworks and published by Bethesda Softworks. The game is the sequel to 2014's The Evil Within.

<i>Resident Evil 2</i> (2019 video game) Video game remake

Resident Evil 2 is a 2019 survival horror game developed and published by Capcom. A remake of the 1998 game Resident Evil 2, it was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in January 2019 and for Amazon Luna, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch in 2022. Players control the rookie police officer Leon S. Kennedy and the college student Claire Redfield as they attempt to escape Raccoon City during a zombie outbreak.

<i>Resident Evil Village</i> 2021 video game

Resident Evil Village is a 2021 survival horror game developed and published by Capcom. It is the sequel to Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (2017) and the tenth main game of the Resident Evil series. Players control Ethan Winters, who searches for his kidnapped daughter in a village filled with mutant creatures. Village maintains survival horror elements from previous games, with players scavenging environments for items and managing resources while adding more action-oriented gameplay, with higher enemy counts and a greater emphasis on combat.

<i>Resident Evil 4</i> (2023 video game) 2023 survival horror game

Resident Evil 4 is a 2023 survival horror game developed and published by Capcom. A remake of the 2005 game Resident Evil 4, players control the US agent Leon S. Kennedy, who must save Ashley Graham, the daughter of the United States president, from the mysterious Los Illuminados cult. The remake has an updated plot, new visuals, characters, cast, and altered gameplay.

References

  1. Pereira, Chris (June 23, 2015). "At Long Last, You Can Play The Evil Within in Fullscreen". GameSpot . Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  2. O'Brien, Lucy. (April 22, 2013). "The Evil Within – First Look" Archived April 5, 2023, at the Wayback Machine . IGN . Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  3. All Monsters In The Evil Within – ULTIMATE ENEMIES GUIDE! Archived July 10, 2015, at the Wayback Machine (July 24, 2014).
  4. Reed, Ashleyon. (October 15, 2014). "Every horrible monster you’ll meet in The Evil Within" Archived September 24, 2015, at the Wayback Machine . Games Radar. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 McWhertor, Michael (2014). "The Evil Within mixes survival horror with psychological terror, then steeps it in gore". Polygon. Archived from the original on September 24, 2014. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
  6. "The Evil Within guide: walkthrough and tips for survival" Archived May 8, 2015, at the Wayback Machine . (October 15, 2014). VG247. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  7. 1 2 Whitehead, Dan (May 27, 2014). "The familiar fear of The Evil Within". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on September 15, 2014. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
  8. 1 2 O'Brien, Lucy (April 22, 2013). "The Evil Within – First Look". IGN . Archived from the original on September 7, 2014. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
  9. "Collectables". April 19, 2013. Archived from the original on February 16, 2015. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  10. Arif, Shabana. "The Evil Within collectibles locations guide" Archived September 24, 2015, at the Wayback Machine . Games Radar. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  11. The Evil Within Cheats For PC Archived March 21, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  12. Purchese, Robert (April 27, 2012). "Resi creator "extremely confident" about new game Zwei's graphics". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on September 3, 2014. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
  13. Gilbert, Ben (April 25, 2012). "Resident Evil's Mikami welcomes Bethesda to the world of survival horror". Joystiq . Archived from the original on April 8, 2013. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
  14. 1 2 Yin-Poole, Wesley (April 25, 2012). "Resident Evil creator's new game is a survival horror codenamed Zwei". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on September 7, 2014. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
  15. Dark Horse Comics (2014). The Art of The Evil Within. Dark Horse Comics. p. 8. ISBN   978-1-63008-003-7 . Retrieved July 4, 2022.
  16. Phillips, Tom (April 22, 2013). "Resident Evil creator Mikami: "There aren't any real survival horror games in the world right now"". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on September 7, 2014. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
  17. 1 2 Phillips, Tom (April 19, 2013). "Shinji Mikami's The Evil Within announced for cross-gen, 2014 release". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on September 3, 2014. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
  18. "Father of survival horror Shinji Mikami promises fresh terror with The Evil Within". Edge . Future plc. December 5, 2013. Archived from the original on November 3, 2014. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
  19. 1 2 Goldfarb, Andrew (April 19, 2013). "Shinji Mikami's New Game is The Evil Within". IGN . Archived from the original on August 25, 2014. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
  20. Wylde, Tyler (April 16, 2013). "Bethesda tweets cryptic Vine video, says "guess again" to Fallout 4 rumors". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on July 13, 2014. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
  21. "The Evil Within – TGS Trailer". YouTube . September 17, 2013. Archived from the original on May 4, 2016. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
  22. "The Evil Within – Extended Gameplay Video". YouTube . September 27, 2013. Archived from the original on August 1, 2016. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
  23. "The Evil Within Goes Gold Ahead of October Launch". Gamespot. September 25, 2014. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  24. Nakamura, Toshi (April 25, 2013). "The Evil Within Will Be More About Using Your Brain Than Your Gun". Kotaku . Archived from the original on May 19, 2013. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
  25. Lien, Tracey (May 28, 2013). "The Evil Within's first 15 minutes sets a spooky and suspenseful tone". Polygon. Archived from the original on November 28, 2021. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
  26. Phillips, Tom (July 8, 2014). "Japanese gamers must download DLC to get The Evil Within's uncensored version". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on October 17, 2014. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
  27. "The Evil Within Becomes a Real Horror Story thanks to Warner Bros. Movie World". AusGamers. September 4, 2014. Archived from the original on September 6, 2014. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
  28. Makuch, Eddie (May 1, 2014). "Bethesda's The Evil Within getting a prequel comic". GameSpot . Archived from the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  29. Schedeen, Jesse (August 20, 2014). "Exclusive: The Art Of The Evil Within Hc Preview". IGN . Archived from the original on September 19, 2014. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
  30. Ray Corriea, Alexa (August 13, 2014). "The Evil Within's season pass will let you play as one of its bloodiest enemies". Polygon. Archived from the original on September 6, 2014. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
  31. Makuch, Eddie (March 24, 2015). "Evil Within's Next DLC Dated, Watch a Creepy Teaser Trailer Now". GameSpot . Archived from the original on March 26, 2015. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
  32. Tom Phillips (February 25, 2015). "The Evil Within: The Assignment DLC release date". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on February 25, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
  33. Hussain, Tamoor (May 12, 2015). "The Evil Within's Final DLC Dated, Watch a Gruesome First-Person Teaser". GameSpot . Archived from the original on May 15, 2015. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  34. 1 2 "The Evil Within for PC Reviews". Metacritic . Red Ventures. Archived from the original on October 17, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
  35. 1 2 "The Evil Within for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic . Red Ventures. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
  36. 1 2 "The Evil Within for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic . Red Ventures. Archived from the original on October 20, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
  37. 1 2 Matthew Elliot (October 14, 2014). "Review: The Evil Within is the game Resident Evil 5 should have been". CVG . Archived from the original on February 19, 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  38. 1 2 Chris Carter (October 15, 2014). "Review: The Evil Within". Destructoid . Archived from the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  39. Sebastian Thor (October 14, 2014). "The Evil Within – Test". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  40. Sal Romano (October 14, 2014). "Famitsu Review Scores: Issue 1350". Gematsu. Archived from the original on May 20, 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  41. 1 2 Tim Turi (October 14, 2014). "The Evil Within review: A Masterwork Of Absolute Insanity". Game Informer . Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
  42. 1 2 Shaun McInnis (October 21, 2014). "The Evil Within review". GameSpot . Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
  43. 1 2 Ashley Reed (October 15, 2014). "The Evil Within review". GamesRadar . Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  44. Michael Huber (October 14, 2014). "The Evil Within review". GameTrailers . Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
  45. Patrick Klepek (October 29, 2014). "The Evil Within Review". Giant Bomb . Archived from the original on May 15, 2015. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  46. Hannley, Steve (October 13, 2014). "Review: The Evil Within". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on January 12, 2020. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  47. 1 2 Lucy O'Brian (October 14, 2014). "The Evil Within review: The Horror survives". IGN . Archived from the original on October 22, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
  48. Susan Arendt (October 14, 2014). "The Evil Within review: Keep out". Joystiq . Archived from the original on February 21, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
  49. Matthew Castle (October 14, 2014). "The Evil Within Xbox One". Official Xbox Magazine . Archived from the original on February 21, 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  50. 1 2 Christopher Livingston (October 17, 2014). "The Evil Within Review". PC Gamer . Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
  51. 1 2 Philip Kollar (October 14, 2014). "The Evil Within review: Head Games". Polygon . Archived from the original on March 16, 2021. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
  52. 1 2 Steven Burns (October 12, 2014). "The Evil Within Review". VideoGamer.com. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  53. Pereira, Chris (June 23, 2015). "At Long Last, You Can Play The Evil Within in Fullscreen". GameSpot . Archived from the original on June 25, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  54. "Game Search". Game Data Library (Famitsu sales data). Archived from the original on April 24, 2019. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  55. "Digital Estimates". Game Data Library (Famitsu sales data). Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  56. Tom Phillips (October 20, 2014). "FIFA 15 holds off The Evil Within, Borderlands in UK chart". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  57. Rachel Weber (November 13, 2014). "NPD: NBA 2K15 is #1, hardware and accessory sales up". GamesIndustry.biz . Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  58. Jeffrey Matulef (February 12, 2015). "Dying Light tops US retail sales for January". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on February 13, 2015. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
  59. Frank, Allegra (June 12, 2017). "The Evil Within 2 launches this October". Polygon . Vox Media. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved June 14, 2017.