The Evil Within | Xbox One

About the Game

The Evil Within is an action survival horror game that draws inspiration from the Resident Evil series with a grimy look with exaggerated gore. You control detective Sebastian Castellanos who is called to a crime scene of multiple homicides at the Beacon Mental Hospital together with his partners Joseph Oda and Julie Kidman. When they arrive they find all police cars abandoned and almost everyone killed in a gruesome way. When reviewing security footage he spots a hooded man called Ruvik.

Story & Setting

Many confrontations can and should be avoided through sneaking.

Gameplay & Core Systems

Enemies have an awareness level and can be lured away by throwing a bottle. There are environment based puzzle elements involving items and notes, and small stone statues can be destroyed to find keys to open item lockers. Castellanos can perform melee combat and uses regular weapons such as a revolver and a shotgun, as well as grenades. Many level parts offer multiple approaches, with the ability to silently sneak or to hide. While exploring jars of green gel can be picked up that act as upgrade points.

Standout Features

• Many confrontations can and should be avoided through sneaking.
• Enemies have an awareness level and can be lured away by throwing a bottle.
• There are environment based puzzle elements involving items and notes, and small stone statues can be destroyed to find keys to open item lockers.
• Castellanos can perform melee combat and uses regular weapons such as a revolver and a shotgun, as well as grenades.
• Health can be replenished through a limited amount of syringes and matches burn defeated enemies, permanently killing them.
• While exploring jars of green gel can be picked up that act as upgrade points.
• There the game can be saved and it has a chair where he sits down to upgrade weapons and abilities with up to five levels.
• Points can be spent to improve weapons with a damage multiplier, faster firing rate, shorter reload time, large clip capacity, improved accuracy or a larger chance for critical hits.

Presentation & Atmosphere

There are environment based puzzle elements involving items and notes, and small stone statues can be destroyed to find keys to open item lockers. The camera hovers closely behind Castellanos. There are traps and bombs in the environment that can be disarmed to earn trap parts, used to craft crossbow ammo.