The Evil Within 2 - Review | Blog | Tomney - Online Reviews, for the most popular, Movies, TV Shows, Games and Music.

"This is the photo that took one of my eyes but gifted me with vision" – A review of The Evil Within 2.

I truly wanted to love The Evil Within, but if you read my review of it, you'll know I just didn't. It was fine, but I had issues with the gameplay – would the second be an improvement?

Developed by Tango Gameworks and published by Bethesda, The Evil Within 2 builds upon the legacy of its predecessor while creating its own identity in the survival horror genre. Legendary director Shinji Mikami, who I love for his work on Resident Evil, was responsible for this title that truly expands upon the series' unsettling atmosphere.

You follow detective Sebastian Castellanos, who is still haunted by the traumatic events of the first game. This time, he is drawn back into the nightmarish world to rescue his daughter, Lily, who was believed to be lost but is now serving as the central figure in a distorted reality. The story delves deeper into Sebastian's psyche and personal struggles, offering a more emotional journey where the stakes are intensely personal.

This game stands apart from its predecessor with a more open structure, which I was so happy about. The sequel offers larger environments that encourage exploration and multiple approaches to combat and stealth, making it feel slightly less repetitive. This shift gives you greater freedom and amplifies the sense of dread, as threats can emerge from anywhere – exactly what I want from horror.

There is still resource management and stealth to be found, but I think the open world feel makes it way more fun. This game felt less trial and error and more tactical, and I felt that the controls, crafting and upgrades had been massively improved. There's still plenty of psychological horror to be found alongside the action, and overall, I just found this game to be way more enjoyable.

The Evil Within 2 is by no means perfect. The pacing is sometimes a bit uneven, the open world feels a little sparse and some of the encounters feel repetitive given the limited enemy variety. The story sometimes feels a little undeveloped and the emotional impact isn't always there. Despite these flaws, I definitely preferred this game to the first, and if you enjoy good survival horror, I think you'll enjoy this.

Written by Tam Page