Shinji Mikami is well known to survival/horror fanatics, because he is survival/horror. To many, he’s the human embodiment of the term, as he created the revolutionary and iconic Resident Evil . Over the years, the niche genre has started to fade and twist; many games that claim to be “survival/horror,” including entries in the famed RE franchise, have felt more like action. Now, Mikami steps up and tries to remind everyone that in fact, the industry still has room for slower-paced yet absolutely terrifying experiences.
Mikami acknowledged the lack of true survival/horror titles on the market; as a result, he started work on The Evil Within , a creepy, freaky adventure that should be an homage to the olden days of horror. The game stars detective Sebastian, who must investigate a strange and terrible force that appears to be invading the human world. Something very dark and very bad is lurking around the corner, and the protagonist – along with a partner – will have to somehow survive and unravel the mystery. Dubbed as a “pure” survival/horror game, fans of the series should be excited.
For control, we’ll get the standard over-the-shoulder third-person camera, which worked exceedingly well in Resident Evil 4 . Movement should be relatively straightforward, as the classic “tank” controls are now a thing of the past. However, this isn’t about running-and-gunning; it’s about struggling to survive, which means that every bullet counts. As you might expect, ammunition will be limited, and there will be times when you’re simply not equipped to handle a fearsome denizen of the night. Given the grotesque imagery you will encounter, being ill-equipped is gonna be extremely unsettling.
Obviously, that’s the point. Your environment will play on your nerves and emotions; it’s designed to rattle you. Keeping your cool, proceeding with caution, and being on the lookout for both enemies and traps will keep you alive. Tango Gameworks is even incorporating some stealth elements, because staying quiet is another key to survival. Maybe you can’t take on that giant freak with a chainsaw but if you’re very careful, you can sneak past without alerting him. You’ll have access to a standard pop-up inventory ring but for the most part, the developers are trying to create the most immersive atmosphere possible.
For the record, there is no multiplayer planned for the title, although Mikami has hinted that his team might experiment with asynchronous multiplayer reminiscent of Dark Souls . And yes, we’ll be able to move and shoot at the same time, so it’s not like they’re trying to bring us back in time. They’re not saying everything was better in the old days ‘cuz clearly, that isn’t true. They’re simply taking a fantastic concept that has started to ebb, and utilizing the modified idTech 5 engine to realize their vision. If the game is successful, publisher Bethesda wants Tango to turn this into a series.
Is it the new Resident Evil ? Will the latter simply go the way of Dead Space and appeal almost exclusively to mainstream gamers, most of whom have never even played a pure survival/horror title? Maybe. But remember one thing: Unlike other companies that will remain nameless, these guys understand that while they’re embracing an “old” premise and style, there’s no need to revert to old technology. Perhaps The Evil Within will indeed mark the resurrection of survival/horror. It’ll be a challenge but at the very least, they’ve got the right man for the job.
Tempted to do this day 1.
Speaking of horror I started Outlast. Now THAT'S horror. Reminds me of Call of Cthulhu, great stuff!
Playing Outlast at night with a headset = Epic
I'm really going to have to get on that.
This game is great with headphones. I've really enjoyed this game so far. I may have to check out call of cthulhu
I've been playing it on PC and the idiot in me first tried it out at night with the lights off…OMG
Honestly reminded me of the Clocktower series. Absolutely scared the hell out of me.
@World:i read somewhere that there would be a new Call of Cthulhu game,i liked that too
I heard of that too but it's being done by Frogware who handled Sherlock Holmes, so it will probably be a mystery game instead of first person horror.
Ooh, I downloaded Outlast this week but haven't started yet. Can't wait!
Ya outlast is great so far ( opening doors slowy sure make it even more nerve wracking ) , i want to continue the adventure but i m waiting for my next weekend to play it at night 🙂 .
The best thing about it is how the character react to stuff by breathing heavily for example , you really feel the fear he is experiencing .
Dead Space 3 was a huge letdown, I'm hoping for the best with this.
YEAH!!! Looks amazing.
so happy to see someone do survival horror right, and not this run and hide defenseless bullsh*t!
outlast and amnesia while might have a great atmosphere, and some cheap predictable jump scares, but they get old really quickly and lose there effect because you quickly lose your fear of the enemies.
the big ugly dude pursuing you, first your terrified of him, its there he is, oh crap can he see me, oh crap he saw me, the run, the oh god please tell me ive lost him, quick, quick, F*CKING HIDE!
quickly that turns into oh hes seen me, ok, hide, oh good his gone.
then that quickly turns into oh f*ck this sh*t, seriously this is boring as f*ck!
its funny, last night i spent like literally 20 minutes just running in circles mocking him.
come on, your suppose to be scared of this sh*t!?
i find myself deliberately stopping and turning around so he can catch up at me, just so i can play cat and mouse with him.
to be honest im more scared of my black cat who has lived with me for 7 years now than i am of this guy!
theres no suspense, no fear, if he sees you so f*cking what just run and hide problem solved!
if he corners you can just run straight past him and somehow hes unable to touch you even though you just ran into him.
if he catches you so what he hits you, you loose a little health, and continue running.
theres no punishment, to be scared of something you have to feel threatened by it, you have to fear for your life, theres really not enough of a punishment to invoke that fear.
the repetition and cliches dont help either, just making it even more boring, been there done that predictable.
the good old horror cliche, how many horror games do we have, and how many of them have at least 10 missions in them where you have to turn on 10 generators to restore electricity?
seriously?
LAME!
the obligatory theres a dead body, as soon as i walk up to it its going to leap at me.
the obligatory theres a closed door, as soon as i open the door, a dead bodys going to fall from the ceiling.
the obligatory theres a tight space i have to crawl through, as soon as i do hes going to magically appear behind me and grab me.
the only horror cliche i havent seen yet is the medicine cabinet mirror theres no one there, you open the cabinet and grab something, than when you close it someone apears in the mirror.
but the games still not done yet, and theres DLC coming, so theres still time.
so thank god the father of survival horrors come to his senses, and is returning back to what survival horror is suppose to be!
because quite frankly i was starting to get worried we would never see a true survival horror game ever again!
I'm into it! Hope Mikami delivers the goods.
Can't wait for this!
Really can't wait for this and Dying Light, nice to see some fresh horror IP's coming to the table. I can't help but think ______ (blankline) hasn't tried Outlast on any difficulty other than normal. I started it the other day on hard and am having a great time with it, very intense late at night and a good challenge in places, I recommend people to check it, and free if you're a PS Plus member!
Apparently it's called Psycho Break in Japan. I'm very much looking forward to this game.
I am cheering this game on big time