Metareview: The Evil Within

Reviews for The Evil Within are flowing like a slit throat, with scores splattered all over the walls. Our review of the survival horror/action game faulted it as a frustrating experience that "ignored its own rules." Others were similarly disappointed, but plenty of folks seem to be content with getting something new within the genre to play.

• Game Informer (90/100): "The Evil Within excels at keeping your palms sweaty while delivering a harrowingly rewarding gameplay trial. Watching the credits roll with a sigh of relief doesn't feel like winning; it feels like surviving."

• VideoGamer (80/100): "At times it feels like a Mikami megamix: it has the village with the chainsaw-wielding dude, another mansion, etc. But Mikami does this so well it's difficult to get annoyed."

• GamesRadar (70/100): "The Evil Within stumbles in a few too many places to be Mikami's magnum opus. It artificially forces players into punishing combat scenarios more times than can be ignored, and plots and themes with great promise end up sputtering out in disheartening fashion."

• Polygon (65/100): "The Evil Within has great moments where the excellent combat and creepy environmental design come together. But those moments are fleeting, inevitably sapped of their delightful terror by design choices that feel trapped in the glory days of a decade ago."

• The Escapist (60/100): "It does enough to be worth looking into for obsessive horror fans, but it isn't the outstanding example I'd have expected from Mikami and his crew. It's archaic without feeling nostalgic, it's harsh but not entirely fair, and while it tries its hardest to evoke classic survival horror, it lives in the shadow of the games it draws blatant inspiration from."

[Image: Bethesda]