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RTTP: The Evil Within (One) - Mikami's Flawed Masterpiece

Ywap

Member
I did a Nightmare playthrough and damn it was tough. True survival horror on that difficulty. I loved the match lighting mechanic they had in the game as well , it added good strategy and it was stupid they took it out of the 2nd game. Get a group of 3 enemies near you , blow them back with a shotgun blast then run up and drop a match on all 3 , great way to save ammo.

On Nightmare mode my key strategy was to prioritize leveling up to the flaming bolts as quick as possible ,almost all green gel to that except 2 or 3 sprinting upgrades. If you do it right you can get the flaming bolts by chapter 5 or 6. The flaming bolts basically melt any non boss enemy in 1 hit , including the pain in the ass Ruvik clones later in the game. Made the playthrough way more beatable for me.
Yeah, it was tough but in a fair way. And like you say, the match lighting mechanic was genius :messenger_bicep:

It was a long time ago but if i remember correctly on Akumo i think i spent all gel on the blinding bolts at the beginning so they were maxed out, or close to when i reached the burning house. On the bottom floor i used them to survive until i could proceed. Good times indeed 🥳
 
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Ywap

Member
This game was the first I've ever stopped playing due to performance issues. The horrible sub 25 frame rate on PS4 literally made my eyes hurt to where I could not look at the screen. Maybe I could finally replay on a PS5 for a locked 30fps.
Sorry to hear that. Hope you get a chance to play it with solid performance one day 👍

The PC version had it problems too. I think you had to use a framerate limiter at some odd number like 58 or something even when v-synced at 60fps. After that it was smooth as silk.
 
Bumping this thread because I finally finished the game and had some thoughts.

I actually bought this game years ago (not at launch) but was always put off by the first chapter. It sets up the mood and atmosphere well, but gameplay-wise I found that first chapter to be quite frustrating with how your character is stuck with a limp for the entirety of it. It's a bad gimmick to start with IMO, as it's put me off from continuing the game several times now.

Anyway, this time I decided to persevere and beat the game (been clearing my backlog these past few months) and... I don't think it's a bad game but it is a deeply, deeply flawed game that is not a worthy successor to Resident Evil 4. It has so many baffling design decisions that get in the way of being a truly good game. And I'm not talking just game design, I'm also talking visual design: this is an ugly-ass game aesthetically. Poor anti-aliasing, cranked up contrast, excessive film grain, a variety of post-processing crap covering up the screen at times, etc.

But yeah, I don't want to shit on the game completely because there are some bright spots. I really loved the more 'open' levels like Ch 3. I also loved the first 10 or so minutes of the Mansion level... until Ruvik appeared directly in front of me with no way to react and instantly killed me. Like I said: baffling design decisions.

In conclusion: I still think Dead Space 1 is the only worthy successor to Resident Evil 4.


7/10

Edit: Oh and I absolutely loved the fake ending in The Consequence. :messenger_grinning_smiling:
 
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Aggelos

Member
Did you guys know, that because of the success of the said game, Mikami-san can enjoy care-free night walks/strolls?
Had the game not been successful (as a survival horror game), Mikami-san would have suffered from restless nights and the works...



 

tassletine

Member
I think it's a masterpiece. I understand the criticisms but I think they're coming at the game from the wrong angle.

The game is designed to make you feel scared, and personally I've never been as scared or tense as I have here. The feeling of being chased / helpless is unparalleled.
What most people seem to criticise the gameplay, and it not being more of a power fantasy, when Mikami doesn't even seem to be aiming for that.

An example. The infamous letterbox black bars, that you couldn't remove when the game first came out. People HATED them, and from memory I seem to remember the main criticism being that you couldn't see the mantraps.

I thought the bars was a brilliant addition because it meant that you constantly had to be that much more aware of your surroundings. It added a lot of tension --When a trap came out of nowhere your heart ruptured!
So all the removal of the bars did really was remove that tension, and lean into the power fantasy a tad more, which I think hurts the intent of the game.

Ditto the dull characters. They're supposed to be detached. The whole game feels genuinely psychotic in a way few games do and the title goes way beyond the sum of it's parts.
 

fart town usa

Gold Member
I booted it up for PS5 a few months ago and played the first few chapters. I really appreciate the game but it's pretty rough.

I don't want to say it's too brutal cause I finished it twice on Normal when it first released but some of the mechanics just don't work well. The stealth is pretty awful and it just doesn't balance things out in a fun way with the lack of resources. I can't fault it too much considering it was Tango's first game. New Game+ really allows the game to shine.
 

FeastYoEyes

Member
I loved the first half and then there's a whole lot of garbage in the second half. The sections with the Vault head and the hook men are incredibly memorable though.
 
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