The Evil Within: Is It Worth Playing?

The man behind Resident Evil, Shinji Mikami, has a new game called The Evil Within, and basically, it’s scaring the living hell out of people across the world, but is it actually a good game?

The reviews from the international gaming media are rolling in and by the looks of things The Evil Within is truly a new must-play horror experience.

Check out what the journos are saying about the game:

GameTrailers: 9/10

“The Evil Within is a survival-horror masterpiece. Anyone concerned this is just another action game soaked in blood needn’t worry. Tense pacing, stunning atmosphere, and terrifying enemy encounters come together to create a journey you may never forget.”

CVG: 8/10

“Forget about the Resident Evil connection: The Evil Within stands alone and still manages to feel relevant, despite far more sophisticated contemporaries.”

OXM: 8/10

“Evil Within grafts Resident Evil 4’s gold standard survival action to a far less forgiving world. That it even comes close to matching Capcom’s masterpiece is cause to celebrate. And sweat. And quiver.”

GamesRadar: 3.5/5

“Despite letting some of its most compelling aspects die off, The Evil Within is still worth a shot for bringing some unique ideas in the first place, and giving us a new way to think about survival horror.”

VideoGamer: 8/10

“At times it feels like a Mikami megamix. It’s not unusual for directors in either film or games to recall past glories, and few do it better than Mikami. Even though this isn’t his best, The Evil Within has enough magic to make it a worthy investment.”

Joystiq: 2.5/5

“It manages a few moments of inspiration, but their scarcity makes them feel like fortunate accidents rather than deliberate elements of the overall design. It’s covered in blood, but the only thing truly horrifying about The Evil Within is how disappointing it is.”

IGN: 8.7/10

“While its story ends up buckling under its own ambition, there is little here that takes away from the joy of experiencing survival horror under the steady hand of a master of the craft.”

Game Informer: 9/10

“Horror fans shouldn’t let the disappointing story deter them one bit, however. The Evil Within excels at keeping your palms sweaty while delivering a harrowingly rewarding gameplay trial.”

Escapist: 3/5

“The Evil Within is a noble attempt at bringing back classic survival horror, but it could have learned a thing or two from games that aren’t almost ten years old. It has its moments of brilliance, scattered through periods of antagonizing design.”

Metro: 6/10

“Rather than the future of survival horror this is merely a retread of its defining moments, and even then it rarely manages to equal what has gone before – let alone exceed it.”

ShackNews: 6/10

“Resident Evil fans will have a serious case of déjà vu when playing The Evil Within. It offers much of the thrills and creepy environments that make the series so enticing, along with some of its frustrations.”

Polygon: 6.5/10

“There’s something to be said for respecting your past successes and building off of them, but The Evil Within is only ever completely successful at half of that equation.”

SixthAxis: 8/10

“Despite borrowing a lot of well-worn themes from other games and movies (Hello, creepy shop mannequins from Silent Hill), The Evil Within feels fresh and exciting. It’s easy to recommend to fans of the original Dead Space and the earlier Resident Evil games.”