​The Evil Within 2 Review

By Kevin Mitchell  |  Posted: October 17, 2017

A parent's love knows no bounds, and when former detective Sebastian Castellanos discovers his daughter Lily is alive, he ventures back into a world of nightmares. Developer Tango Gameworks has altered the formula with The Evil Within 2, borrowing design elements from other titles and adding a semi-open world while maintaining the intense, terrifying corridor sequences from the first game. Picking up years after the incident at Beacon Mental Hospital, Sebastian willingly enters an improved STEM system - an alternate reality turned living nightmare by the mysterious organization Mobius.

Tasked with finding and rescuing his daughter, Sebastian must also locate any surviving Mobius operatives trapped in the town of Union. Your first venture into Union leads directly to the handiwork of a self-proclaimed artist and resident psychopath. The game employs its signature psychological horror elements, guiding you through winding corridors complete with calculated jump scares and a tense musical score. While Union's hub-like streets clearly indicate story progression points, how you approach these objectives remains entirely in your hands. After gaining valuable insight from the first survivor, Sebastian must navigate mutant-infested streets. Though still chapter-based for narrative purposes, the game's open-world design allows for better flow than its predecessor, letting you set your own pace while exploring upgrades, items, and side activities.

Focusing solely on the main narrative means missing considerable lore and details that enrich the world. Exploration proves lucrative, with houses and locations offering crafting items, new weapons, and various collectibles. The game world consists of large, interconnected explorable areas, each containing numerous points of interest. These open regions serve as hubs, providing paths to interior locations. Beyond searching for scarce ammunition (particularly on higher difficulties), you'll discover worthwhile side-missions that offer insights into the missing Mobius team and the opportunity to explore the Marrow - the maze-like infrastructure beneath the town.

The Marrow's clinical laboratory corridors and cement walls contrast sharply with Union's suburban Anytown USA atmosphere. As the narrative progresses, the town fractures, with large sections floating upside down and sideways in the sky. Bodies and body parts litter the streets, with blood coating nearly every surface and vehicle.

Stealth plays a crucial role, especially early when your arsenal is limited. Tall bushes provide cover for knife or ax kills, while car alarms serve as distractions. My preferred tactic involves the smoke bolt, which blinds enemies and enables one-hit kills.

The game features numerous callbacks to its predecessor without alienating newcomers. Notable moments include an exciting return to Beacon Hospital, where the game adds letterboxing to reference The Evil Within's cinematic style. Nurse Tatiana returns via broken mirrors in safe havens, maintaining Sebastian's upgrade system. Traditional upgrades requiring green gel allow health and stamina improvements, while new action-based options include dodge chances, corner sneak kills, and finishing moves on stunned enemies. The new red gel collectible enables deeper advancement through health, combat, stealth, athleticism, and recovery skill trees.

Crafting becomes integral in The Evil Within 2, utilizing various components for ammunition, crossbow bolts, and recovery items. While crafting stations appear in most save locations, Sebastian can craft anywhere in emergencies at an increased component cost - potentially the difference between survival and death. Weapons, including the fan-favorite customizable crossbow, can be upgraded using weapon parts, with high-grade parts unlocking superior enhancements.

Simply Put

The Evil Within 2 surpasses its predecessor in every category. The compelling narrative, Union's open-world design, and well-developed supporting characters create a more realized environment. The game maintains high tension throughout, delivering more scares than anticipated. While the lack of PlayStation 4 Pro support seems an odd omission, hopefully Bethesda will address this in a future patch.