Connect with us

News

THE EVIL WITHIN 2: An Unrelenting Sustained Note of Terror

Published

on

Evil Within

Sophomore slumps are constantly real possibilities when moving onto the second phase/release of anything. The fear that something won’t connect on the same level as its predecessor, is a real concern that sits deeply nestled in all of fandom’s belly. In the case of The Evil Within 2, everyone can rest easy knowing that the game improves on every single one of the first games mechanics, story and general survival horror attributes.

You once again take on the role of Sebastian Castellanos, who almost immediately finds himself back in the alternate reality that is STEM. Turns out the spooky shadow organization Mobius has been experimenting with both alternate realities and Castellanos’s daughter who was presumed dead in a house fire. No time is wasted getting back into the new fabricated reality that comes in the form of “any town USA,” Union.

I appreciate how little time the game spends on typical exposition. It is a nice change of pace to not have to waste time with slack tutorials in order to re-familiarize you with controls. This game treats you as a gamer and doesn’t bog you down with a ton onscreen prompts right out of the gate. It gives you quick instructions as situations arise, as opposed to wasting   precious time.

When Castellanos arrives, he discovers that Union is breaking apart due to some corruption from within its construct. Yep, you guessed it. Despite Mobius telling you that this experience will be different than that of the first games STEM, you quickly find that things are actually way worse. Although for most of the game the reason why is kept a mystery.

The breaking apart of Union creates an urgency to find your daughter and attempt to get the heck out. But, the games open-world begs to differ with the narrative drive. There is a lot of exploration to be done. And if you like myself, are a completionist, then it is going to be tough forcing yourself to only hit up main objectives. Especially, when the side mission help to unfurl the story a bit more organically.

Your communicator acts both as your communication to your old pal Kidman at Mobius, and as a way of locating both side and primary objectives. Some of the side missions will lead to downed Mobius operatives and offer up a chance to get yourself some neato weaponry and much-needed crafting materials.  In order to mix things up in the variety of side missions, there are points where you begin to track spectral resonance. Those moments offer some of the scariest moments of the game as you are hunted by a David Cronenberg meets J-horror entity whose voice can be heard through the PS4 controller’s speaker. The combination of the entity spookily humming lullabies and its ability to move as fast as the devil if it locates you makes for some seriously hair-raising moments.

A lot of the fear factor doesn’t simply come for the fact that there are monsters in the dark. It predominantly comes from the character design of said monsters. Painstaking detail is injected into each encounter. Even the lower level guys are bursting with pulsating pustules. Knowing what these things look like, definitely lend to the dread of entering a dark room or cutting across an all too quiet alley. Even after you have explored an area, don’t be so quick to run back through, assuming all is safe. You never know when another creature will be spawned in the assumed safe zone.

Speaking of the bad dudes, this game has a huge nightmare cabinet variety of characters. A Priest that creates his own twisted kingdom out of a church and a photographer who freezes his victims in the moment of exectution for use in his art gallery are just a couple of the fine folks waiting for you in STEM. Each big bad comes with his distinctive distorted world and enemies who inhabit those realms.

The Evil Within 2

 

Sometimes small character animations can make all the difference. In this game, Sebastian looking nervously over his shoulder while sneaking through enemy infested areas, or him looking back over his shoulder while being chased makes all the difference in the wanting to pee your pants arena. The graphics are all superb here too. They rival the graphics of Resident Evil 7 when it comes to the use of light and shadow and overall atmosphere. In some cases, it even raises the bar in the survival horror genre by having a balance diet of survival and action based combat. If you are a survival horror fan, the idea of the amount of weaponry this game gives you may initially scare you off, but trust me. The game offers very little ammo and plenty of evil dudes that can take plenty of bullets. Personally, I have spent a lot of the game using stealth maneuvers to either sneak around or use one hit sneak attacks in order to save ammo. The game lets you choose your playstyle, which I a nice change up. Those familiar with the Hitman games are sure to benefit from being a veteran of stealth.

Crafting materials you find throughout can be used in different combinations to make ammo, meds, etc. In addition, weapon parts you find can be used to upgrade your weapons. I’m not a big fan of the simple crafting model that the game puts forth. With everything else being so polished and fresh this feels like an afterthought. I have seen this in a lot of games recently and none of them offer anything outstanding to the mix. In fact, crafting in this game sort of breaks the immersion spell.

Along the way, you will find a few safe houses that contain a bunch of goodies. Something I find pertinent being a huge coffee drinker myself, is how Sebastian is able to drink a huge mug of coffee in order to completely fill his health bar. These medicinal coffee machines can be found only in safe houses and take a little while to brew a new pot after you polish off a cup. So, you are going to have to wait a bit to refill your health by the same means again. Small portals in mirrors allow you to travel through the looking glass to an alternate reality of Sebastian’s old police department office. Here you are able to hone your skills at a firing range, spend time with your cat and upgrade physical attributes. Unlike the crafting table, these upgrades are a little more thought out and original. In order to begin upgrading, Sebastian must sit in a wheel chair that transports him back to Beacon Mental Hospital and includes a familiar face from his past. From this menu, you can upgrade things like stealth, combat, physical points. Green gel gathered from downed enemies is used as currency to perform these improvements.

The Evil Within 2 takes complete advantage of being a full on scary bastard of a game – with plenty of gore to accompany the time that you will spending scared witless. It is cerebrally terrifying and manages to piece together the otherworldliness of Silent Hill and the horrifying character design of a hodgepodge of your favorite horror films. I’m not susceptible to 99.8% of any and all jump scares, but this game’s creative ways of pulling them off made up for that small percentage I was lacking. It earns every beat that it goes for in both its scares and in its twisting turning and chilling narrative. Horror fans, this is going to be one of your favorite things this October.

The Evil Within 2 is out now on Playstation 4, Xbox One and Windows.

'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' Popcorn Bucket

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

News

New Poster Reveal For Nicolas Cage’s Survival Creature Feature ‘Arcadian’ [Trailer]

Published

on

Nicolas Cage Arcadian

In the latest cinematic venture featuring Nicolas Cage, Arcadian emerges as a compelling creature feature, teeming with suspense, horror, and emotional depth. RLJE Films has recently released a series of new images and a captivating poster, offering audiences a glimpse into the eerie and thrilling world of “Arcadian”. Scheduled to hit theaters on April 12, 2024, the film will later be available on Shudder and AMC+, ensuring a wide audience can experience its gripping narrative.

Arcadian Movie Trailer

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has given this film an “R” rating for its “bloody images,” hinting at the visceral and intense experience awaiting viewers. The film draws inspiration from acclaimed horror benchmarks like “A Quiet Place,” weaving a post-apocalyptic tale of a father and his two sons navigating a desolate world. Following a catastrophic event that depopulates the planet, the family faces the dual challenge of surviving their dystopian environment and eluding mysterious nocturnal creatures.

Joining Nicolas Cage in this harrowing journey are Jaeden Martell, known for his role in “IT” (2017), Maxwell Jenkins from “Lost in Space,” and Sadie Soverall, featured in “Fate: The Winx Saga.” Directed by Ben Brewer (“The Trust”) and penned by Mike Nilon (“Braven”), “Arcadian” promises a unique blend of poignant storytelling and electrifying survival horror.

Maxwell Jenkins, Nicolas Cage, and Jaeden Martell 

Critics have already begun to praise “Arcadian” for its imaginative monster designs and exhilarating action sequences, with one review from Bloody Disgusting highlighting the film’s balance between emotional coming-of-age elements and heart-pounding horror. Despite sharing thematic elements with similar genre films, “Arcadian” sets itself apart through its creative approach and action-driven plot, promising a cinematic experience filled with mystery, suspense, and relentless thrills.

Arcadian Official Movie Poster

'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' Popcorn Bucket

Continue Reading

News

‘Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3’ Is a Go with Enhanced Budget and New Characters

Published

on

Winnie the Pooh 3

Wow, they’re churning things out fast! The upcoming sequel “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3” is officially moving forward, promising an expanded narrative with a larger budget and the introduction of beloved characters from A.A. Milne’s original tales. As confirmed by Variety, the third installment in the horror franchise will welcome Rabbit, the heffalumps, and the woozles into its dark and twisted narrative.

This sequel is a part of an ambitious cinematic universe that reimagines children’s stories as horror tales. Alongside “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” and its first sequel, the universe includes films such as “Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare”, “Bambi: The Reckoning,” and “Pinocchio Unstrung”. These movies are set to converge in the crossover event “Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble,” slated for a 2025 release.

Winnie the Pooh Poohniverse

The creation of these films was made possible when A.A. Milne’s 1926 children’s book “Winnie-the-Pooh” entered the public domain last year, allowing filmmakers to explore these cherished characters in unprecedented ways. Director Rhys Frake-Waterfield and producer Scott Jeffrey Chambers, of Jagged Edge Productions, have led the charge in this innovative endeavor.

The inclusion of Rabbit, heffalumps, and woozles in the upcoming sequel introduces a new layer to the franchise. In Milne’s original stories, heffalumps are imagined creatures resembling elephants, while woozles are known for their weasel-like characteristics and a penchant for stealing honey. Their roles in the narrative remain to be seen, but their addition promises to enrich the horror universe with deeper connections to the source material.

'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' Popcorn Bucket

Continue Reading

News

How to Watch ‘Late Night with the Devil’ from Home: Dates and Platforms

Published

on

Late Night With The Devil

For fans eager to dive into one of this year’s most talked-about horror films from the comfort of their own home, “Late Night with the Devil” will be available for streaming exclusively on Shudder starting April 19, 2024. This announcement has been highly anticipated following the film’s successful theatrical release by IFC Films, which saw it earning rave reviews and a record-breaking opening weekend for the distributor.

“Late Night with the Devil” emerges as a standout horror film, captivating audiences and critics alike, with Stephen King himself offering high praise for the 1977-set film. Starring David Dastmalchian, the movie unfolds on Halloween night during a live late-night talk show broadcast that disastrously unleashes evil across the nation. This found footage-style film not only delivers scares but also authentically captures the aesthetic of the 1970s, drawing viewers into its nightmarish scenario.

David Dastmalchian in Late Night with the Devil

The film’s initial box office success, opening to $2.8 million in 1,034 theaters, underscores its wide appeal and marks the highest opening weekend for an IFC Films release. Critically acclaimed, “Late Night with the Devil” boasts a 96% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 135 reviews, with the consensus praising it for rejuvenating the possession horror genre and showcasing David Dastmalchian’s exceptional performance.

Rotten Tomatoes score as of 3/28/2024

Simon Rother of iHorror.com encapsulates the film’s allure, emphasizing its immersive quality that transports viewers back to the 1970s, making them feel as if they are part of the eerie “Night Owls” Halloween broadcast. Rother lauds the film for its meticulously crafted script and the emotional and shocking journey it takes viewers on, stating, “This whole experience will have viewers of the Cairnes brothers’ film glued to their screen… The script, from beginning to end, is neatly sewn together with an ending that’ll have jaws on the floor.” You can read the full review here.

Rother further encourages audiences to watch the film, highlighting its multifaceted appeal: “Whenever it is made available to you, you must attempt to view the Cairnes Brothers’ latest project as it will make you laugh, it will creep you out, it will amaze you, and it might even strike an emotional cord.”

Set to stream on Shudder on April 19, 2024, “Late Night with the Devil” offers a compelling blend of horror, history, and heart. This film is not just a must-watch for horror aficionados but for anyone looking to be thoroughly entertained and moved by a cinematic experience that redefines the boundaries of its genre.

'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' Popcorn Bucket

Continue Reading

Embed Gif with Clickable Title