The action of The Evil Within 2 takes place a few years after the end of the episode presented in the original Lighthouse episode, but for former detective Sebastan Castellanos time has stopped. Tormented by remorse for his daughter's death and the loss of his family, Sebastian dilutes his bitterness with a powerful dose of alcohol when, unexpectedly, an old friend of his finds out that his daughter is alive. What's more, fate gives him a second chance to save her, but the only way to do so is through the latest version of STEM. This one quickly turns out to be no less dangerous and unstable, yet filled to the brim with mutant enemies and a handful of individuals who want to take control of the entire system from within. If you haven't had a chance to play the first installment, you must know that STEM is something like Matrix - a simulation of real life, supervised by a powerful and elusive organization Mobius. It is worth noting, however, that everything that was an element of surprise in the original is now known from the beginning, and the size of the intrigue reveals the details acquired during the game.
In the course of the game we get to a town created inside the STEM Union, which turns out to be disintegrating into pieces. Selected fragments of something that was previously a coherent infrastructure of the city, we can explore in any way we want. Unlike the original, many stages have the structure of a semi-open world, in which we can move freely, bearing in mind the threats lurking in mind. We set the pace of the game and the way to reach the goals indicated by the game, and each deviation from the main path is rewarded with additional components, equipment or a side mission. The creators did not try to eliminate the linear stages, but the whole thing is a coherent, interesting and satisfying mix. Of course, there are two sides to everything - if you like to wander around open locations, you risk slowing down the pace of the main plot line and reducing tension. On the other hand, anyone who rushes directly into the embrace of further stages, resigns from additional amplification or armament. Fortunately, the whole thing can be very neatly centered, and the creation of the location and constantly changing circumstances make it difficult for us to find out what is going on. Lovers of horror films in constant tension may complain about the uneven climate, but with such a dose of freedom in entertainment, it would be difficult to do it better.
For the sequel, Tango Gameworks tried to outline the main characters of the series much more clearly - their motivations and character. There are no nondescript or inexpressive characters here, and Sebastian is no longer just a stereotypical detective in the past. While realizing his next feature goals, we get to know him as a loving husband or father and a man ready to do anything to get his family back. On the other hand, he is severely tormented by the events in Lighthouse, which continue to haunt him. The creators return to the threads from the past quite often and although the fans of the original will be happy to hear a lot of references, thanks to the notes or slides encountered along the way, anyone who missed the production in 2014 will easily catch the right context.
One of the most important decisions we have to make before the start of the game is to choose the level of difficulty. The Evil Within 2 is meant to be a survival horror movie, but it's our choice that determines which of these components will guide you through the game. It is worth noting that regardless of our style of play, we will quickly discover that there is simply not enough raw materials or components - we deliberately plan our actions, save ammo and try to sneak between our opponents in the hope of avoiding confrontation. Why do I mention this? Because the lack of equipment is directly proportional to the degree of challenge we have imposed on ourselves. The game itself is greatly simplified by the fact that at each stage of the game we have relatively easy access to the starting points, to which, as in the original, we move looking into broken mirrors. There we can strengthen the statistics, practice shooting, collect a lot of details about NPCs or improve the weaponry. As I mentioned before, exploration gives measurable results in the form of additional items of equipment or components to improve them, but it is also very important for the main plot line. During his stay at Union Sebastian can use the communicator, which is not only used to exchange information with the Kidman, but also serves as a kind of compass for tracking points of interest. These are usually limited to smaller finds, but in this way we also get to side missions or memories of Union residents, which give us a better background for what happened in STEM before our arrival.
Sebastian further strengthens his skills with the Green Gel gained from his enemies' bodies, and sometimes also finds a new variety of Green Gel, the Red Gel, which gives him access to new areas of a particular tree and thus to more powerful statistics or attributes. The acquired components can be used to improve weapons or produce ammunition, of course this only applies to the arsenal that we managed to find during the exploration. The whole thing is tailored to pass the game repeatedly - regardless of the chosen difficulty level we have no chance to unlock and improve everything in one approach. Even if you don't like to go back to the titles after you've learned all the plots, there's no denying that with such a game we have to seriously consider the choices we make in this context. Throughout the game we are not sure what will be useful and what strategy will be the most effective, so we make decisions in the dark, hoping that it will be somehow.
I was very pleased that this time the defeated opponents remain dead and we do not have to constantly look behind the fire to finish them off for good. Their appearance or properties are directly related to the characteristics of the system anomaly or, to put it another way, to the actions of a selected antagonist, and even if they could be a little more diverse, their number or location in particular areas does not give us the impression that we are fighting a mass of clones with an exceptionally rejective appearance. It is worth noting that our adversaries are quite observant and at the same time extremely fierce, and if they notice us, the confrontation is almost inevitable. Of course, there is nothing to prevent them from being eliminated from being surprised - usually a blow to the occipital plane with a knife is enough, but "usually" is the key here, because we never have certainty, and entering the direct range of the opponent guarantees that in case of failure we can get a solid blow. The creators have thrown into the game a mandatory Sebastian visibility indicator, so creeping is much easier, especially that we can use shields - of course, provided that our opponents do not get on our backs completely unwittingly. We still have bottles at our disposal, with which we can divert the attention of the group of enemies, but without a broader plan or good coordination, it will not seem to be too much.
Direct confrontation is quite difficult, because even a single shot from a firearm alerts nearby mutants and crosses our plans. The developers have given us a large arsenal of weapons, which we usually find if we deviate from the main plot path, but it is worth noting that despite all the improvements, killing an opponent with a single shot in the head is a miracle. Fortunately, we can also use environmental elements, and strategically spilled water in combination with an electrifying bolt or gasoline ignited by a shot can give the right results. As befits a survival horror, all actions must be planned in advance, observing the surroundings, opponents' behavior and setting traps, in the hope that scared by opponents we won't fall into them alone. The fight against the main antagonists, where the scripts known to fans of the original play an important role, is completely different. Sometimes we can bypass them with ordinary firepower, but sometimes we have to make a lot of unsuccessful attempts to find out what we have to do and in what order to send the adversaries into oblivion. Fights are characterized by quite uneven level of difficulty - sometimes the enemy's weak points are clearly exposed, and sometimes we have to work hard to emerge victorious from the match. When fighting bosses, there is no shortage of references to the nightmares known to our protagonist from the Lighthouse episode, which is a tribute to all those who have faced the horror of the original. The whole thing is well arranged and the artificial intelligence of the opponents is at a very good level, which will be particularly noticeable to enthusiasts of higher levels of difficulty.
This production, like the first installment, allows us to follow the action from the third person's perspective, and although this gives us a much better view of the surroundings, in tight spaces the camera gets too close to Sebastian's back and the protagonist fills a large part of the screen. However, these are very rare situations, as well as small decreases in liquidity, which are usually caused by a large number of adversaries in the field of view. The visual setting makes a pleasant impression, is refined and the animations are completely correct. It is worth noting that all our actions do not seem to be heavy, as it was the case in the previous part, and the black bars disappeared from the screen, which we can possibly turn on if we decide to continue the gameplay after finishing the plot line.
The Evil Within 2 is a truly successful game, which despite the great freedom in the game can maintain a tough climate, and at the same time we are interested in the story told and the fate of its main characters. The creators clearly drew conclusions from how the original was taken from us and threw off the yoke of outdated solutions, while remaining faithful to the characteristic mechanisms and laws governing STEM. The new work of Tango Gameworks undoubtedly aspires to be the horror film of the year, and although there were some minor mistakes, the whole thing may also interest those who had previously been completely alien to the atmosphere. And even if some people may be disturbed by uneven pace, fear will always find a way to cause a pleasant shiver on your back.