10 Reasons The Evil Within 2 Is The Best Survival Horror Of The Decade

4. A Mix Of Genres

The Evil Within
Bethesda

Thanks to the surreality of the STEM system that's created the unstable world of The Evil Within 2, the game can jump between different brands of horror without having to explain why.

With reality constantly in flux and the manifestations of Sebastian's mind projecting his worst fears into the world, you have no idea what's waiting behind any corner.

Thankfully, this open, anything-goes style of design means that the game can dip in and out of multiple different genres and draw from a wide range of inspirations. For instance, on the surface exploring the infested town of Union looks like it could have been ripped straight out of Dawn of the Dead, while the long red curtains and otherworldly design of a villain's lair a bit later is Twin Peaks through and through.

Horror is at its best when it's fresh, and finding a way to constantly switch up style and focus means The Evil Within never succumbs to predictable patterns, always remaining scary and keeping players on the back foot.

Contributor

Josh has over 11 years of experience as a published writer, having worked nine of those years as a full-time content producer at WhatCulture. In that period he has created hundreds of articles, videos and podcast episodes for multiple WhatCulture channels, specialising in gaming, horror and film & TV. He now primarily works as a senior content producer and presenter on WhatCulture Gaming where he co-hosts the WhatCulture Gaming Podcast, a top 3 UK most listened to gaming podcast that he co-created in 2018. Over the years he has reviewed several high-profile gaming releases, covered industry events with on-site reporting, opined on breaking news, and even kicked off his interviewing career by chatting to childhood hero, Tommy Wiseau.