The Evil Within

三上真司对资源管理类型游戏的最终答案,沉浸感很强，恐怖氛围也塑造得很好，美中不足的是游戏优化太差

scrary game .. ...... ..

The Evil Within is a weird game, not because it's particularly unique but because it occupies a weird spot in the history of survival horror. At a time when the Resident Evil series had diverged into action, Silent Hill was lost, and the horror genre was just Outlast clones it feels like a breath of fresh air. There are many positives and negatives for a game made by the guy who made RE4, one of the greatest video games of all time. For the positives, the game hits on atmosphere perfectly. It has far more gore than Resident Evil games, and well designed albeit linear levels. The weapons in the game are fun to use, especially the super versatile agony crossbow. Enemy designs are horrifying, akin to those from Silent Hill, and really embrace that feeling of insanity that game does a great job of conveying. The best combat mechanic are the matches, which allow you burn enemies and instantly kill them when they get knocked down. The first 10 chapters are very good with a few exceptions, and the game always feels like it fighting the player, for better or for worse. Ammo is in short supply, every fight feels like one for survival, and the game works its magic when it traps you in tight areas with groups of enemies. The Evil Within is probably the most stressful game I have played, far more than any Resident Evil game. The atmosphere is suffocating and forces you to play smart to conserve resources, like knocking down a group with the shotgun and using a match while they are on the ground. Unfortunately, you can tell that this game is overly ambitious and was not balanced in many ways. The main character is incredibly weak starting out, and can run for about 3 seconds before needing a breather. I guess this is an effect of his alcoholism, but like c'mon, this is such bs. You have to upgrade sprint to not break your monitor (although that may happen anyway), which just feels like the game laughing in your face. It never feels like you are upgrading Sebastian, just turning him into a slightly functional protagonist. I said that the first 10 chapters are great. The last 5 are not, and I wanted the game to end by chapter 13. The boss fights range from stressful but great (Laura and the Keeper) to frustrating and garbage (Sentinel and Amalgram Alpha). The shooting feels terrible at times, and the hit feedback is beyond horrendous. Often times, shots will go through an enemy, which almost never happens in Resident Evil games. This game also loves giving enemies instakills, which always feels cheap. My last main complaint is that you don't get the story truly revealed until chapter 9, a bit late for making an impact. I really wanted to love this game, but it has quite a few issues. The atmosphere is unparalleled and the graphics strike the perfect balance of old and modern. The lighting is phenomenal and environments were dark enough to be terrifying, but not dark enough to impede vision. The general lack of refinement is what holds the game back, resulting in a mixed experience. When the game is good, it is better than almost any other video game I have played. When it frustrates, you will lose your mind. Go and get it if you are a hardcore survival horror fan, but skip this if you don't like hard games. This one will test your patience, but the payoff will be worth it.