The Evil Within

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. There's something to be said for respecting your past successes and building off of them, but The Evil Within is only ever completely successful at half of that equation.

Instead of creating a genuinely fearful environment, the game simply attempts to frustrate the player and hopes that this will result in the desired effect. Still, the gameplay might not be unique, but it is solid and enjoyable in its own way, and the wildly varying level and character designs helps to create a game that keeps you coming back just to see what will be around the next corner. If only the shifts had been better explained along the way, players might be able to enjoy the ride a little bit more.

Horror fans shouldn’t let the disappointing story deter them one bit, however. Few Paranormal Activity fans care how these malevolent demons come back again and again – what truly matters is that the audience’s nerves are frayed until they’re raw. The Evil Within excels at keeping your palms sweaty while delivering a harrowingly rewarding gameplay trial. Watching the credits roll with a sigh of relief doesn’t feel like winning; it feels like surviving.