10 Reasons The Evil Within 2 Is The Best Survival Horror Of The Decade
Sorry Resident Evil, it's time to pass the torch.
Although it was still an impressive title, 2014's The Evil Within had a lot of problems. Not only was it a technical disaster, littered with bugs and featuring a terrible frame rate, but it adopted many of the self-destructive traits that survival horror games had failed to shake off for many years prior. Copying other disappointing games like Dead Space 3 or Resident Evil 6, Tango Gameworks' debut effort was content to focus on all-out action and monotonous body horror rather than anything new.
With three years to learn from their mistakes however, the developers have completely ripped out aspects of the first game that fans didn't like (thank God those black letterboxes are gone). Tango have attempted to create a modern survival horror that retains the series' distinct, quirky personality alongside taking important strides of sheer innovation, resulting in a huge success.
Breathing new life into a classic genre that many in the industry thought was dead (at least in the triple A space), The Evil Within 2 feels like a step forward the genre has been begging for ever since Resident Evil 4, and has more than proven that survival horror can still be fresh in 2017.
10. Action Set-Pieces Never Become The Focus
Just like the first game, The Evil Within 2 features some major action beats throughout its campaign, but fortunately they happen far less frequently and they still manage to stay true to the title's blend of survival horror gameplay.
Focusing primarily on smaller enemy encounters, even one lonely monster is a capable threat if you underestimate them, making the combat much more intense than it beforehand. Consequently, because a common enemy can drain your health bar if you aren't on your toes, it means that moments where you do face off against large groups are exhilarating.
You're never supposed to feel powerful during these battles, and more often than not you'll scrape out the other end injured and with the most of your resources gone.
Unlike the first game, the sequel understands that enemies should continue to be a threat the longer the game goes on, which means that combat in The Evil Within 2 is always more substantial than just point-and-click target practice.