Shinji Mikami is one of the most respected names when it comes to horror video games. Not only did Mikami create the Resident Evil franchise at Capcom, but he also directed Resident Evil 4, which is widely considered to be one of the best and most innovative video games ever made. All eyes were on Mikami when he left Capcom to create his own studio, and unsurprisingly, he decided to dive back into the genre that helped establish his legendary career in the first place.
The first game from Mikami's Tango Gameworks studio was The Evil Within, a survival-horror game that shared many similarities with Resident Evil 4. However, a key difference between the two games is their tone. Whereas Resident Evil 4 was fairly light on horror elements and was more an action-adventure game than a survival-horror title, The Evil Within fully embraces horror, challenging players to survive with limited ammo and extremely deadly enemies while also having to play witness to all kinds of grotesque, terrifying imagery.
Some Evil Within reviews were somewhat negative at the time of the game's release, with some critics taking issue with the characters and cheesy story. However, longtime fans of Mikami's work can likely appreciate the cheesy, campy-vibe that the game achieves. It's not unlike the B-movie quality of the original Resident Evil games, and there is a certain charm to it.
The Evil Within is also notable for its enemy designs. One of the scariest sequences happens near the beginning of the game, where players have to hide from a brutal, horrifying enemy known as The Sadist. This section firmly establishes The Evil Within's devilish tone while also doing a great job of showcasing the stealth and survival mechanics that remain important from the start of the game to its conclusion.
While some aspects of it may be a bit rough around the edges, The Evil Within is still one of the scariest and goriest horror games that was ever released on PS4 and Xbox One, and it helped usher Mikami's career into the new generation of consoles. Not only that, but it helped establish a brand new horror game franchise, with Mikami and his team at Tango Gameworks following it up with The Evil Within 2 a few years later.
Whether or not The Evil Within 3 ever materializes remains to be seen, but fans of Mikami and Tango Gameworks have Ghostwire: Tokyo on PS5 to look forward to, at the very least.
The Evil Within is out now for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.