Survival horror Psychological horror Stealth horror Surreal horror

The Evil Within 2

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Go back into a dream world built from minds to save your daughter.

Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox
Stores: Steam, GOG
Price: Paid
Rated: Very Positive on Steam (92% of 31,147 reviews); Metacritic 80 on PC; 4.55 of 5 on PlayStation Store (36,176 ratings); 4.2 of 5 on GOG (260)
Length: About 14 hours for the main story
Players: 1
Controls: Gamepad or mouse and keyboard; third-person aiming, crouch to sneak, crafting from the menu.
Made by: Tango Gameworks
Released: 2017

Get it on Steam PlayStation Store Xbox Official site (Bethesda)GOG

What frightens Sebastian Castellanos goes back into STEM to find his daughter and finds the town of Union torn apart: the Lost roam the streets, a photographer freezes his victims in moments of death and calls it art, and the town itself twists and breaks around you while you scrape together ammunition and hide.
Content: gore, blood, violence, body horror, jumpscares, strong language, nudity.

The Evil Within 2 is a 2017 survival horror game from Tango Gameworks. Detective Sebastian Castellanos enters STEM, a shared dream world shaped by minds, to rescue his daughter Lily, and must sneak, scavenge and fight through the broken town of Union while killers turn it into their own nightmare.

About The Evil Within 2

The Evil Within 2 was made by Tango Gameworks and published by Bethesda Softworks in October 2017 for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. John Johanas directed it, and Shinji Mikami, creator of Resident Evil and director of the first game, was its producer. In Japan it came out as PsychoBreak 2.

Sebastian Castellanos, a former detective, has lost his family. Then the organisation Mobius tells him his daughter Lily is alive, used as the core of STEM, a machine that links minds into one shared world. STEM's small town of Union has fallen apart, and Sebastian has to go in to get her out.

Union is more open than the first game: it is split into several large areas with buildings to search, side stories and caches. A radio Communicator tracks Lily's signal, points to side jobs, weapon parts and caches, and reveals Resonance points. You choose whether to fight, sneak or run. Hiding in long grass shows Sebastian as a grey silhouette, a new cover system keeps you out of sight, and thrown bottles pull enemies away.

Ammunition is scarce, so you craft bullets, crossbow bolts and healing items from scavenged parts, at a workbench or more expensively in the field. Safe houses hold workbenches, and a mirror in each leads to Sebastian's office, where Green Gel buys upgrades across five skill trees. Between the open areas come tighter nightmare sequences where rooms and streets twist into new shapes.

Its horror mixes grotesque creatures with human villains: a photographer who freezes his victims at the moment of death, and a power-mad priest who leads a cult. The gore starts early and stays strong. There are five difficulty levels, from Casual to Akumu, where any hit kills, and a free update in 2018 added a first-person mode. A demo is on Steam and a trial on PlayStation.

How to play The Evil Within 2

Explore Union's neighbourhoods and follow the radio signals to clues and supplies.
Sneak through grass and shadows and take enemies down quietly from behind when you can.
Gather parts and craft ammunition, bolts and healing items at workbenches or in the field.
Rest and upgrade at safe houses, and use green gel to improve Sebastian's skills.
Push through the story's set nightmare chapters, where the world bends around you.

Screenshots

The Evil Within 2 screenshot: a victim frozen mid-air in an arc of blood and petals before a camera on a tripod and a studio light

The Evil Within 2 screenshot: Sebastian in Union's town square at night, by a clock tower and fountain, under a giant glowing eye in the sky

The Evil Within 2 screenshot: Sebastian fires an electric crossbow bolt at a creature in a weedy lot with containers and wrecked cars

The Evil Within 2 screenshot: Sebastian aims a shotgun at a creature with an old bellows camera for a head

The Evil Within 2 screenshot: Sebastian checks a radio communicator beside a shadowy child figure in a wet street

The Evil Within 2 screenshot: a bald man in dark robes and a red stole, holding a cane beside a tall stand of lit candles

Tips

Explore side areas: they hold most of the parts and ammunition you will need later.
Prefer stealth kills early on; they cost nothing.
Throw bottles to pull enemies away from your path.
Upgrade stealth and health skills first if you are low on ammunition.

Questions

Do I need to play The Evil Within first?

It helps with the backstory of Sebastian and STEM, but the sequel tells you what you need about Mobius, STEM and his family as it goes.

Is The Evil Within 2 scary?

Yes. It mixes tense stealth in open areas with nightmare sequences, grotesque creatures, strong gore from the first minutes and disturbing human villains.

How long is The Evil Within 2?

About 14 hours for the main story and around 29 hours to do everything. PC Gamer put its review playthrough at 15 to 20 hours.

Can I avoid combat in The Evil Within 2?

Often. Many areas can be crossed by sneaking through grass, using cover and throwing bottles to distract enemies, though some fights cannot be avoided.

Is there a first-person mode?

Yes. A free update in February 2018 added a first-person view as an option.

Can I try it before buying?

Yes. There is a demo on Steam and a free trial on the PlayStation Store.

What platforms is it on?

PC on Steam and GOG, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. On PlayStation it is part of PS Plus Extra.