I don't think it's too bad of a thing that this game finished the story. Most things nowdays try to be a forever series that will go on indefinitely, so having something like RE, but with a whole and complete story is more valuable than more Evil Withins IMO.
I agree, but I do wish it could have ended intentionally so that it could wrap up the lose ends. If we do get a sequel one day, I'd hope that it actually wraps it up and moves on. Love the series, but I'm with you, not everything needs to have sequels until the end of time. We need new ips
Agree. I feel like Sebastian's story ended in this game, but the overall story has loose ends. Tango can make a sequel with a new protagonist, maybe Joseph
@@sacredsecrecy9620 I kinda forgot about it TBH. Let me rephrase it this way: this is a good end to Sebastians story and it would be fine if Evil Within stays as a 2 part story about him. Of course the thread of Ruvik and the post-credits(that implies the shady organisation isn't finished afterall IIRC?) can be spun into further stories, but I hope that would star Kidman and/or Oda. Seb deserves peace. Also his character arc is basically finished.
After star wars every piece of media in video games and movies has to be a trilogy or never ending. A 2 piece story is very unique. I can think of mgs and the Daniel Craig bond Era that wasn't a trilogy. Even star wars has 2 trilogies and a pile of shit split in 3 parts.
I kinda prefer that Father Theadore doesn't get a fight as himself and hides behind tricks and his brainwashed masses. That this cult leader, once you take away his cult and 'powers' is just a pathetic man desperate to be seen as some higher being. But Sebastian has fought greater and worse than Ted, and now that the mental attacks aren't working, he pretty much hard counters the fiery Father.
Stefano's chapters are my favourite. I wish he lasted longer as a villain and I wish we saw more of his art. He had potential to be the main villain of the game.
I agree with that, but also I don't really understand why Sebastian was able to beat him. I think it would have been much cooler (at least storywise) if Sebastian had to find out a way to pit the gods of STEM against each other and clean up the remains rather than just power through all of them solo using his plot armor. And then we could have Stefano for the whole game, and much more time to understand Theodore as well.
I always thought Castellanos was barely a character in the first game. Aside from him going "Huh... that's messed up" everytime something weird happens on screen there wasn't really much to his character. Voice actor change aside, in EW2 he feels like a completely different person in the sense that he's got an actual personality and character arc.
I adore this game. Sure it has some flaws, but it just has this irresistible charm. Maybe this is bold to say, but it’s my favorite game of that generation
I dont know maybe i put the hardest difficulty but i was suprised on how unfun this game was .especialy after playing the evil within one i really wanted to like the second one because i had such a great time but the second one was hell trash bosses you get like 2 amo sometimes you are left with nothing since you have to basicly unload half your mag into a zombies brain to kill it you have to run most of the game a boss whitch you spent over 10 min just shooting and barely killing can just spawn in the streets the amunition sistem is garbage the gun upgrades are fine but i really couldnt bring my self to enjoy it as much as i wanted to i just had to leave it i couldnt be bothered running half the game because i dont have enough amo or i have to save it while in the first game sure you had that but you fought every encounter you ran away from it at first but then you fight it and beat it it actually gives you a sence on progression unlike the second one tbh.
Stealth kill the mobs, loads everything you have to bosses. The only bullshit this game has is the flamethrower fuckers locking YOUR own flamethrower. And myra stage is just, meh.
In addition to being seen as the unconscious feminine side of men, Anima also refers to the traumas and feelings of guilt that are irrationally repressed. You can think of it haunting Sebastian in STEM as a sort of manifestation of his past holding him back, preventing him from moving on with his life until he accepts that the things he feels guilt for aren’t his fault, and that the traumas that bind him can’t be allowed to fester. Those who submit to their Anima/Animus in STEM become the Lost. They’re not necessarily creations of Myra, Stefano, or Theodore. They’re just the parts of the human mind that lay dormant and torment us in our unconscious mind, which within STEM is also the conscious mind. If anything, its presence in Union shows just how bad an idea making a community within STEM really is: a place where people can live in “safety”, sure, but also a place where their conscious and unconscious minds unite, and leave them physically vulnerable to things that previously just ate in the backs of their minds.
I also think it's a point in favour for Seb's therapist being a Mobius plant, with Union then getting based off his data, hence why Anima starts haunting other people before Seb gets there.
Stefano references Picasso when you first meet him. I can't remember the exact line, I haven't played this since it came out, but it's something to the effect of "Picasso had his blue period. I shall have one of red." Picasso's blue period was a point in the artist's life where the color that dominated his paintings was shades of blue. The dude was extremely depressed at this point in his life, and so he expressed that feeling in his art. Those pieces aren't just dominated by shades of blue, but the paintings themselves are pretty depressy. I take this to mean that Stefano's art is heavily influenced by his own feelings. Not just his desire for attention, but he expressed his emotions through his art to the point of obsession. He wants revenge for his treatment in STEM, and he wants control. Control not just of STEM, but of himself, his art, and the way people perceive his art. So, to me, his art represents those ideas, revenge and especially control.
Well, since you asked, I think Stefano's art is very surface level but that's reflective of the symbolism of the game as a whole. Everyone in an active warzone exists in a quantum state of being both alive and dead. Stefano is a physical manifestation of this idea having lost an eye during his time as a war photographer, IIRC. His eyes represent the dichotomy of life and death and his art is an attempt to capture the space inbetween (sometimes literally). However, the... "sculpture" at about 52:17 reminds me of pieces like Ludovico Carracci's painting "An Angel Frees the Souls of Purgatory" - tonally, it's not a 1:1 remake or anything. I find it amusing that Stefano is trying to capture a state of purgatory when Union itself is essentially Purgatory. Theodore wears all black and lives in the fiery underground. Myra wears pure white and guards the mountain to the heavens. Hell, Sebastian even gets a line carved into his face like Dante. Real subtle imagery, guys. Oh, let's get back to the eyes, though. Stefano has one eye to symbolize both omniscience and evil. Theodore has three eyes (counting the cult emblem) symbolizing enlightenment and malevolence. Myra's eyes are originally veiled to signify that she's blinded to the truth. Later, she regains her two eyes to show her return to normalcy, both spiritually and physically. Or none of that is true and Shinji Mikami just walked in and demanded they cater to his bizarre eye fetish again. I have to stop watching your videos when I'm really high because I don't remember what point I was trying to make. Good game, though.
I liked The Evil Within 2 when it came out. But I cannot stress enough how much more I’d like it if we actually got answers to what happened to Joseph after the first game. I mean, they could’ve abandoned his storyline altogether, but no, they clearly haven’t forgotten about him (based on the slides from TEW2), so?? Where’s my Joseph DLC, Bethesda? WHERE IS IT? …Anyway, great video, Monty!
I thought The Evil Within was good and enjoyable, but I actually loved The Evil Within 2. The story seemed more cohesive, the characters more relatable, the gameplay tighter and more fun... I put off playing it for too long because the first game just didn't make that much of an impression on me, but I was pleasantly surprised with how good the sequel actually was.
I agree. I didn't even finish the first game bc eventually it just felt like a slog. I enjoyed it for awhile but it lacked much depth. It felt like RE4 without the charm and extremely polished gameplay. The sequel I thought had way more going for it. More variety in the gameplay and a better story to have an emotional connection to.
The Evil Within 2 I think really took a lot of inspiration from Silent Hill Downpour, which has basically the exact same gameplay loop and even a similar story. I know a lot of people will balk at one of the "lesser" Silent Hills influencing anything, but Downpour had a lot of excellent ideas and many of them were even executed quite well. Some of it's side stories are extremely affecting and well paced or have great puzzles attached to them. The major difference was that the Evil Within 2 had a much more experienced team and enough time to actually make the game they wanted. As far the Evil Within 2 goes, it went a long way for me to scratch the itch Silent Hill left behind and I love it for that.
@@jharju2352 I think I’m gonna buy silent hill downpour because I’ve played all the other sonic hills are at least all the main nine games by Konami.. I’ve not played downpour or homecoming.. Or origins for that matter
@@turismofoegaming8806 I'm quite fond of Origins, it's got a standout soundtrack and some of the areas you visit are really cool. But try and play the PSP version, either by emulation or a PSTV or something, the PS2 version is a pretty terrible port. If you're going to try Downpour, try and get the PS3 version, it's the one Konami actually let the developers patch somewhat so it's more stable than the Xbox version. And yeah, Homecoming isn't really worth anyone's time. It's good for a laugh for though if you're cool playing bad games for fun.
Tbh I think Downpour is probably the best western developed Silent Hill game, so the influences in another one of my favorite survival horror games is pretty cool
As someone who lacks a stomach for horror I am still find myself able to fully enjoy your videos and your analysis of games I otherwise would have steered clear from. It's provided me a great insight into media I don't seek out often and your essays are top notch thank you so much for putting it out into the world!
Please keep making longform content like this. There is not a single video essayist that gets me thinking about the artistic value of this medium of video games the same way you do. This should speak volumes, as I am a moron whose feed mostly consists of MMA fights and training content. God bless
Impeccable timing. I’m on the last chapter right now and I’m so interested to see what other people have to say about the game and I see this an hour after it’s uploaded. Definitely watching this once the credits roll.
I feel like the recent RE: Village DLC, Shadows of Rose, might’ve taken some inspiration from Evil Within 2; not necessarily in terms of gameplay, but in the trippy, dream-like atmosphere of each stratum level Rose explores. One sequence at the halfway point even pulls some tricks to screw with the player’s mind in a way that reminds me of the opening photo gallery.
I feel like the og The Last of Us is where they got A LOT of inspiration for EW2. So by default then that would mean that RE8 also was inspired by The Last of Us. I mean in playstyle and emotions mainly.
Can I just mention how much I love Sebastian's run animation in Evil Within 2? I'm at 01:15:18 and I can't help but think how much I'm feelin this poor guy's desperation to get the fuck outta dodge.
I came to your channel recently after discovering your first video about The Evil Within. Love this franchise and the attention to detail you put in your analysis 👏🏼 Although the sequel appeared to mark the end of this franchise, I hope this art style and polished game engine can inspire other indie horror games
I discovered your channel after finishing TEW1 and I thoroughly enjoyed your video about it and its DLCs. I looked forward a lot watching this before starting TEW2 and after I finished it yesterday I immediately started watching this. Amazing work.
This was my 2017 (I think that was the year) GOTY by a long shot and I’m glad people like you are introducing it to more people. It deserves way more recognition than it gets. I feel like being a sequel caused a lot of people who hadn’t played the first one to skip it and that’s a shame. I only played like halfway through the original and it never really clicked with me but I loved this game.
Love the game, but I wish they did more of the side quests. My biggest issue with the game was it had a promise of less linear horror events but drops it. I remember wandering into the church and the whole thing with the preacher happened. It was an optional side mission that expanded the world that I fell into more organically due to curiosity, and it was a great experience coming across that. But except for some moments like that the game kind of drops the whole pretense of being an open hub with unexpected horror moments into a much more linear story progression. And while I still think it's an underrated gem it would have stood out much more if it leaned into the open ended aspects of it. I get they didn't want to do too much but I think it made things more interesting and should have been expanded.
What a fantastic analysis! The two Evil Within titles kinda blur together in my head, but you did a great job in pointing out how the sequel manages to stand of its own! The theme of motherhood being one of the biggest ones, of course.
I've had this game since launch, tried to start it and put it down 3 times now. I don't think it's a bad game or anything, just kept putting it down. This video has inspired me to finally go through it :L cheers Monty 👍
Monty - you did it again, man. This is one of my favorite games of all time, but I never stopped to ask myself "why?" Thank you, for wholeheartedly answering that question :) This wholesome essay that you decided to share with us is fantastic - depth, accuracy, sense of humor & genuine joy are the pillars of what is honestly one of the best gaming love letters I've ever heard. You should be proud of yourself for doing this video - I found a gentle smile blossoming while listening to you pinpoint from top to bottom all the lovely details & mechanics that make this game such a marvelous experience. I've played through it a few times, but even so it was delightful to learn more about a favorite. Thank you & good luck :)
I chose to walk the final section of the game and though it took a while, I think it ultimately that time to like contemplate the journey I'd been through to get there, I think the ending of this game is one of my favorite and personally I think it's the most powerful game ending I've ever played through
I will always love the first game for being so aggressively on brand with my personal aesthetic tastes (basically just if David Cronenberg had directed Hellraiser), and I love TEW 2 for developing the gameplay to make it more fluid. I just wish they had done a little more connecting of dots between itself and it's predecessor. Mainly, the fact that what happened to/with Ruvik is just sorta waved away has been a big frustration for me.
Had to finish the game myself before watching this critique ! I really enjoyed this one. Between the great variety of places you have to go through, the rather well paced story and the multiple approaches the game offers, it never felt boring. Instead I felt rewarded for exploration, either through the various drops or through some cool discoveries within the town. Even outside of the few scripted quests, most open buildings offer some specific setup that makes it feel special - a cutscene, a group of fallen grabbing corpses mid exploration, a place with a hidden computer accessible before it's part of a side quest, a key to an optional safehouse... The only issue I did have with the game was the fact I never truly felt vulnerable past the 15 minutes mark - the stealth mechanic seems way too unbalanced. Ennemies lose you whenever you go through a bush or two, even 3 meters from them all while you can perform stealth kills on them as they turn their backs to reset. In addition, killing them is encouraged since it leads to more upgrade material. Even most minibosses throughout the map (from acid spitters to guys with flame throwers) can be delt with easily by resetting their aggro and getting 2 or sometimes 3 stealth hit. There are some forced hiding sections of course, but the mechanic seems very forgiving (maybe because I upgraded stealth early ?). An exception can be made for the first boss and subsequent mini bosses that share it's design - these might be the only ennemy in the game that can hit you if you don't use stamina to run away - making them a more tense fight. All in all, Sebastian felt like too much of a superhero to me, as I killed litterally anything in my path with minimal ressources, for the game to feel scary. The tension was a bit higher in the closed environnements of the later third of the game but by this point you know most ennemies. I consider this game closer to an action game with a horror coat of paint (a bit like RE4 basically) than a terrifying experience. I don't think that takes much away from the game though. If the primary goal of a game is to be fun and interesting, then there is very little to regret here.
I really liked this game. I think it's kind of a hidden gem. Artistically it's awesome. It's been so long since I originally played it so I don't remember too much but I know I really enjoyed it. I would like to see a part 3 some day this is a promising franchise.
So what happened to Joseph and Ruvic? Their whereabouts are still unknown and that's a HUGE loose end that NEEDS to be tied up. If there ends up being a 3rd game, than it NEEDS to tie up EVERY loose end in this francise.
Ruvik transferred his mind into Leslie’s. That was the main thing at the end of the first game. Joseph is mentioned as alive, but we don’t know where he is.
Given my comment on the first Evil Within critique, i, at the time, never planned on playing Evil Within 2. But quite honestly, after this critique, im considering giving 2 a shot when i have an oppurtunity. Love these videos and the channel as a whole, hopefully i can join patreon soon as id love to help keep the roof over you and you fiances head and get nice, lengthy videos as this.
52:15 this art captivated me when I played the game. I was day 1 on evil within and day 1 for evil within 2, and I love the series, but this art captivated me, trapped me and I stopped playing and did admire it
TEW2 is up there among the best horror games of 2010's. Its influences are obvious and sometimes adorably on the nose, yet it has such a strong identity and unique visuals intertwined throughout its design.
As someone who loves both Evil Within games, watching these two videos, appreciating them both for what they are, and amount of heart and effort behind them, was such a joy. On a side note, The Evil Within 2's contained, semi open world is something I hope to see more survival horror games to try to replicate n the future.
Honestly had to leave a comment because I am so happy you covered this game series with love and appreciation for the risks it took artistically. Thank you so much for letting me relive Sebastian’s story again for the campy art nightmare it was!
I am a bit split myself, which game I prefer. The style of the first one was a bit better, but the gameplay and atmosphere of the second is genuinely amazing. However, personal note: I honestly really like Stefano's art. Gruesome, terrifying, gory... sure. But at the same time, it carries an intense beauty at the same time. Plenty of his work, if it wasn't just actually made out of real people, could have been genuine art pieces.
@@MontyZander Finished the video. Something I personally theorize... is that they are still in stem at the end. Something about that ending, something about it that I can't really put my finger on... feels artificial. As if they aren't out just yet. Maybe it is just me tho.
I absolutely loved playing through the evil within to the first time in 2017!! It’s one of my favorite horror games ever and it’s just one of my favorite games out of all of them period- Exploring the little segmented sections of the city was the perfect escape and breather for the tense survival horror action that would come and that was causing a constant threat to the hairs on the back of your neck!! It was just an absolutely awesome game and I have not enjoyed a survival horror game as much in recent years..
This is the first of your videos ive watched, and i gotta say i love the sass at the end. I wasn't able to finish the game myself, it's way too scary, but i like these games a lot. Thanks for spending the time to talk about these masterpieces
I liked both games! Mostly because the nurse was in both xD haha but I did enjoy the story of the first more. I thought we would learn more about what happened with Leslie, but nope. Didn't matter though because the nurse was back xD she was my favorite character for some reason
51:06 regarding the question: It tells me that there is beauty in death. Not the quiet ones but the violent ones as well. The dark nature of each death, is a counter-argument to the false nature of this Utopia. There’s no such thing as a perfect world, if the existing beings are flawed as well. The perfect mold for such thing cannot be manufactured, it has to exist organically without interference. As such, he tears it down with each murder by introducing the “truth” which is death. I also think that the matter of each death being artfully staged is his way of merging the flase utopia with the “truth” to mock the individuals/Mobius in the face thinking they can escape their true nature (evil/greedy etc…) I also feel the idea of being part of the play is a way to show the protagonist is just a character and not the writer of the play. He cannot control his fate nor predict the next scene. It indirectly presents to the protagonist that he is in no control of his life while under Mobius’s eyes. Sorry for the long comment😅 but seriously love the video essay! Great job👏🏼definitely subbing🙏🏻
Loved the video, I'm happy this one came out so soon after your first. You make some bangers. You should really do a video on Signalis. It just came out and it's an amazing survival horror I feel like you'd enjoy it
I rolled credits on Signalis last night! LOVED the game. Not sure I'll do a full video on it any time soon, but it's one of my favourites this year for sure.
Just started and holey hell those 1'ers are stunning. That fall into STEM is just a mindbendingly gorgeous shot, and how the fuck was this not all people were talking about in 2017?
How did I not find you earlier? Your reviews are amazing! I can listen to you talk about games forever: and seeing the backlog I'll have some listening to do, cheers! Im super interested in the evil within 2 but I have anxiety, so not exactly something I can play, so I really appreciate such an in depth review.
The answer to the Anima's existence lies within Jung's work: she is an archetype, a consequence of the collective unconscious. The reason why she haunts STEM is that she is the background radiation of the people who live there, an unacknowledged believed reality that the people there share. She brings Sebastian to Beacon because that is what the consequence is. Her character modeling and animation suggests separation from the main antagonists and their minions, meaning that either she is her own entity, or that the entity manifests certain characteristics in a sort of set of archetypes, what the victim perceives as the "thing" that the Anima should be. Or someone really like Moira from EW1 and said "lets have that be like a side quest thing".
I remember watching Two Best Friends play this game and became completely enraptured. The first one struggled to keep my attention, but this one had everything I was looking for. The "Open-world" was a great change of pace and I never considered how similar it was to Silent Hill. The combat was infectious, while trying to platinum the game on the hardest difficulty, I had no issues replaying hours worth of chapters to spread out the limited save files. The story was simple yet endearing, I found myself attached to the characters, especially in those conversations and moments of reprieve. That last chapter was the icing on the cake as the game transitioned between the two protagonist's. I was in complete awe at how smoothly the segments connected. I really appreciate you taking the time to dissect and analyze this game. It was heartbreaking to reach the end of this adventure and find so few videos talking about it, or so few friends to share the conversation with. I appreciated your critiques that didn't whittle down to "It's not the first game", although I can understand how that could be a turn off for those who loved it. As much as I want a third one to tighten all the elements, I'm content with this ending. This felt like a wholesome goodbye to Sebastian and the happy ending he deserves after two full nightmares. What a ride. Excited for your next video Monty!
I love the art direction for this game the Beauty they showed in these chilling scenes is unparalleled and we really haven’t seen anything like this since this game
I am pretty sure the white goop is supposed to represent plaster. That stringy quality of her Ruvik dress or her eye covering is similar to a single decayed layer of it. Probably reminiscent of her trying to keep her daughter safe and hold everything together, but like with a simple single layer, we get too see the cracks in that ideal, particularly the exchange of dialogue between Seb and Myra and what it means to live life and necessity of fear and love to grow.
Great video so far, but on Myra I have to disagree. The psychoplasm isn't milk it's wax, it's symbolizing how the trauma she's experienced is causing her to meltdown, to warp and distort into a horrible facsimile of the woman she once was, her personality burning down as the trauma of Union and those inside makes her dribble and bleed away. It even works with the priest and his fire theme, as the cult's actions are literally melting the town down and Myra herself. By the end of it, the town is made up of so much dripping white goo because it's essentially a candle that has sputtered out to it's last, dying form. I'd even say it works with the ads for the game, with Seb soaked in wax that's trying to cast him in a static shape, frozen in the man he was post game 1 & unable to change, but unlike his wife who's life completely deteriorates via the events of 2, Seb is actively trying to escape the wax shell he's stuck in by the end of it, and breaks free.
Evil within 2 is one of my favorite games. I decided to platinum it a few years ago. Really was worth my time and I wouldn’t take it back! I would play this game back to back to get unlockables or sometimes just because I enjoyed playing the game! Something about it is so unique compared to other games around the time. The ending with the cliffhanger was aggravating in a good way, knowing mobius and stem were still alive 😤. Idk if you cover it but it was supposedly going to have three dlcs but since it didn’t sell as good as they hoped, they ditched it. I would’ve loved to hear about Joseph and Sykes especially since they hint at Joseph and we never hear about sykes after. But alas we won’t ever get it and I’ll always be a little upset.
Evil Within is really underrated imo and the funny thing is both games have very positive reviews on Steam, they're just not loved by enough people quantitively speaking I guess. Still hoping against hope for EW3. I want to play Kidman, dive into her childhood, family, that village cult, its Victoriano connection and have a reunion with Joseph.
i tried to get into tew1 but the jank just made it inaccessible for me especially since it would've been my first horror game, but your video on the first game influenced me to try the sequel and holy fuck am i glad i did, it didn't terrify me as much as i had expected it to but damn it had me invested every step of the way
I actually played through all of the evil within 2 which is big for me bc I got the evil within 1 but it wasn’t catching me in a way that a lot of other games do. I’m a big fan of horror games, I like to be scared sometimes and be able to fight back if combat is actually a part of it. EW1 is technically a scary game but the combat and slow play and other odds and ends made me enjoy it so little so I never got around to finishing it. But THIS ONE!? EW2 was like a dream and a nightmare and the game itself gave me the ability to actually play the damn game to SEE it. The monsters are frightening bc they’re incredibly varied and they actually have some meaning as you go into in the vid. And I could see that in game without any video before I played it! Each boss was clearly able to dominate STEM when they were able to set their hooks in and you feel that naturally as they tear the world apart into their personal dreamscapes. I went through so much in this game bc I like to collect things and I’m curious. And without playing the first game I was still invested in the story! I hated how Theodore was shoved in the last section bc Stefano was fantastic. Theodore absolutely deserved more things, notes, hints that he even exists, ya know stuff! His voice actor is amazing and able to carry a lot of his presence but his hold on the world is presented only through O’Neil and his domain and the changes in fire that affected Union. Stefano is incredibly powerful as a villain and a showcase in terror. He’s played as a serial killer and he is and that’s it. He’s not a power hungry whatever, he’s his own source of horror and presence. His camera based skills and his preference for just using his knife and powering through the gunfire is just what we expected and it’s still good! And we deal with his stuff almost the entire game so I desperately wish Theodore had gotten a chance to corrupt more of Union and make his presence felt before he was officially the next roadblock. Like Stefano had his artwork all over the place and we got one church lost fight that coulda been missed and doesn’t lead into a cult investigation? Sad. Myra is perfectly placed. That’s all. She is technically the deepest being in STEM beyond Lily and she’s been melded with the marrow. So when we see her influence we realize she’s been visible in all the monsters and the psytoplasm we’ve seen everywhere and she holds more weight than Theodore. It’s tragic that we probably won’t see another sequel but I’d love for more games to take on the truly dream based nightmare work that the Evil Within 2 did so well.
I like the segment with the old bosses since I saw it as a way of saying Theodore has lost all power over Sébastien since the past no longer haunts him if you have done his side quest
53:10 in a way stefano’s bossfight reminded me of walter sullivan’s bossfight in silent hill 4. Overall stefano is “sh4 coded” and probably my favorite villain in the whole evil within series (a tad biased because i’m italian myself but jesus his character is so good)
Monty, I've been binging your analysis videos and I just wanted to say how much I enjoy them and your lore dump channel. With that said, thank you for giving the Evil Within series such a great analysis. While I don't necessarily agree with everything you put forth, for about 95% of it I agree or was given new understanding of things I never considered. I always thought the Anima (who I just called Ghost Lady) was a manifestation of Sebastian's trauma from Stem. I must have missed the stuff about Anima when I played this game last. Speaking of, I replayed Bioshock 1 and 2 recently because of your videos. I'll probably do the same with the Evil Within games...once I finish God of War Ragnarok. Either way, keep up the amazing work, my friend!
im kind of late but get this lately i was looking through some works of Francis Bacon(the painter, not the midlle age guy) and i found quite a lot of simularies between him and Stefano: 1. the both excel at picturing a moment of body change, pain and fear 2. You feel thoes vectors and movment of the object 3. both like to use perpendicular lines (often cubes) to separate and highlight body so i realy think that the insperation is comming from Bacons painting (i also recommend to look up his art)
i'm so happy for this video as i've always loved your reviews and the game too. it's a flawed game but it's the first ever survival horror i ever played when i was a kid, it totally sparked my love for survival horror and i keep coming back to this game!
Great video! My personal theory for the Anima is that it is a monster created by Sebastian, more specifically a literal remnant from his first time in STEM. Anima is the hidden feminine in the masculine, implying it came from a man, and it brings up the horror of Sebastian's past. As for the mechanics of it, perhaps during the last game STEM was corrupted enough to hold onto a piece of Sebastian's experiences, and it manifested in union as a result.
I absolutely adore TEW2. I wasn't much a fan of the first game for many years until eventually giving it a play myself. It was fun and goofy and creative but confusing and dull at times. The DLCs were fantastic though, and TEW2's new story-focused direction was just so damn stellar. Its art direction, voice acting, environments, enemy design, music, sfx, atmosphere and ofc its story and focus on multiple characters (Stefano was awesome, Theodore not so much). Much like the first game, TEW2 juggles a lot of apples, and again like the first game, drops a few on the way. But Sebastian's journey of self-discovery and character building, and his chemistry and relationship with Myra are excellently and maturely handled. Not very many games have made me cry, but the ending of this game was one of them. While I'd love a third game, Sebastian's story has seemingly come to a close. There's still lots of threads TG could pull (Ruvik, Joseph, Kidman) but maybe we don't really need a sequel. Though part of me secretly hopes they'll pull a Hi-Fi Rush and just release the entire game out of nowhere, having been baking it in the oven for years unannounced. I doubt that would happen but it'd be a fun surprise. Anyway, great analysis, fantastic game, Papa John's
I remember watching someone play this game and being absolutely fascinated by the world. Sure, I found the "milk" kinda weird and there were flaws in how the story was presented but I felt so invested in the characters and story, even if I didn’t fully understand what was happening most od the time. Well, time to go look up what the studio has gotten up to since 2017.
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I don't think it's too bad of a thing that this game finished the story. Most things nowdays try to be a forever series that will go on indefinitely, so having something like RE, but with a whole and complete story is more valuable than more Evil Withins IMO.
I agree, but I do wish it could have ended intentionally so that it could wrap up the lose ends. If we do get a sequel one day, I'd hope that it actually wraps it up and moves on. Love the series, but I'm with you, not everything needs to have sequels until the end of time. We need new ips
Agree. I feel like Sebastian's story ended in this game, but the overall story has loose ends. Tango can make a sequel with a new protagonist, maybe Joseph
The story isn't finished though?! Has noone seen the post-credits scene?
@@sacredsecrecy9620 I kinda forgot about it TBH. Let me rephrase it this way: this is a good end to Sebastians story and it would be fine if Evil Within stays as a 2 part story about him. Of course the thread of Ruvik and the post-credits(that implies the shady organisation isn't finished afterall IIRC?) can be spun into further stories, but I hope that would star Kidman and/or Oda. Seb deserves peace. Also his character arc is basically finished.
After star wars every piece of media in video games and movies has to be a trilogy or never ending. A 2 piece story is very unique. I can think of mgs and the Daniel Craig bond Era that wasn't a trilogy. Even star wars has 2 trilogies and a pile of shit split in 3 parts.
I kinda prefer that Father Theadore doesn't get a fight as himself and hides behind tricks and his brainwashed masses. That this cult leader, once you take away his cult and 'powers' is just a pathetic man desperate to be seen as some higher being. But Sebastian has fought greater and worse than Ted, and now that the mental attacks aren't working, he pretty much hard counters the fiery Father.
Fun fact:Tatiana appears at the end of Evil Within 1 as a Mobius agent. She's easily missed tho given Sebs hazy vision after waking up
Stefano's chapters are my favourite. I wish he lasted longer as a villain and I wish we saw more of his art. He had potential to be the main villain of the game.
I agree with that, but also I don't really understand why Sebastian was able to beat him. I think it would have been much cooler (at least storywise) if Sebastian had to find out a way to pit the gods of STEM against each other and clean up the remains rather than just power through all of them solo using his plot armor. And then we could have Stefano for the whole game, and much more time to understand Theodore as well.
@MIS_behave Oh did I hallucinate the story? whoops my bad
He was so boring and poorly written compared to Ruvik though.
Just play it on the hardest difficulty, he sticks around quite a bit then-
@turismofoegaming8806 played it on nightmare
I always thought Castellanos was barely a character in the first game. Aside from him going "Huh... that's messed up" everytime something weird happens on screen there wasn't really much to his character. Voice actor change aside, in EW2 he feels like a completely different person in the sense that he's got an actual personality and character arc.
I think through the collection of his journal entries. He becomes somewhat more fleshed out
I adore this game. Sure it has some flaws, but it just has this irresistible charm. Maybe this is bold to say, but it’s my favorite game of that generation
japanse studios always seem to be able to give their games plenty of charm
I dont know maybe i put the hardest difficulty but i was suprised on how unfun this game was .especialy after playing the evil within one i really wanted to like the second one because i had such a great time but the second one was hell trash bosses you get like 2 amo sometimes you are left with nothing since you have to basicly unload half your mag into a zombies brain to kill it you have to run most of the game a boss whitch you spent over 10 min just shooting and barely killing can just spawn in the streets the amunition sistem is garbage the gun upgrades are fine but i really couldnt bring my self to enjoy it as much as i wanted to i just had to leave it i couldnt be bothered running half the game because i dont have enough amo or i have to save it while in the first game sure you had that but you fought every encounter you ran away from it at first but then you fight it and beat it it actually gives you a sence on progression unlike the second one tbh.
Stealth kill the mobs, loads everything you have to bosses.
The only bullshit this game has is the flamethrower fuckers locking YOUR own flamethrower.
And myra stage is just, meh.
@Auran Crash wtf are you talking about?
@Auran Crash well its made by a japanese studio so i wouldn't expect it to
In addition to being seen as the unconscious feminine side of men, Anima also refers to the traumas and feelings of guilt that are irrationally repressed. You can think of it haunting Sebastian in STEM as a sort of manifestation of his past holding him back, preventing him from moving on with his life until he accepts that the things he feels guilt for aren’t his fault, and that the traumas that bind him can’t be allowed to fester.
Those who submit to their Anima/Animus in STEM become the Lost. They’re not necessarily creations of Myra, Stefano, or Theodore. They’re just the parts of the human mind that lay dormant and torment us in our unconscious mind, which within STEM is also the conscious mind. If anything, its presence in Union shows just how bad an idea making a community within STEM really is: a place where people can live in “safety”, sure, but also a place where their conscious and unconscious minds unite, and leave them physically vulnerable to things that previously just ate in the backs of their minds.
Nice post, I never really thought about the creation of non-Ruvik lost this way. They are lost to their nightmares.
Men don’t have feminine sides
@@lewispooper3138 shut up
@@lewispooper3138 Nice bait.
I also think it's a point in favour for Seb's therapist being a Mobius plant, with Union then getting based off his data, hence why Anima starts haunting other people before Seb gets there.
Stefano references Picasso when you first meet him. I can't remember the exact line, I haven't played this since it came out, but it's something to the effect of "Picasso had his blue period. I shall have one of red." Picasso's blue period was a point in the artist's life where the color that dominated his paintings was shades of blue. The dude was extremely depressed at this point in his life, and so he expressed that feeling in his art. Those pieces aren't just dominated by shades of blue, but the paintings themselves are pretty depressy. I take this to mean that Stefano's art is heavily influenced by his own feelings. Not just his desire for attention, but he expressed his emotions through his art to the point of obsession. He wants revenge for his treatment in STEM, and he wants control. Control not just of STEM, but of himself, his art, and the way people perceive his art. So, to me, his art represents those ideas, revenge and especially control.
My crimson period
wow... I absolutely LOVE this analysis! Also my favorite cutscene of his lol
Well, since you asked, I think Stefano's art is very surface level but that's reflective of the symbolism of the game as a whole. Everyone in an active warzone exists in a quantum state of being both alive and dead. Stefano is a physical manifestation of this idea having lost an eye during his time as a war photographer, IIRC. His eyes represent the dichotomy of life and death and his art is an attempt to capture the space inbetween (sometimes literally). However, the... "sculpture" at about 52:17 reminds me of pieces like Ludovico Carracci's painting "An Angel Frees the Souls of Purgatory" - tonally, it's not a 1:1 remake or anything. I find it amusing that Stefano is trying to capture a state of purgatory when Union itself is essentially Purgatory. Theodore wears all black and lives in the fiery underground. Myra wears pure white and guards the mountain to the heavens. Hell, Sebastian even gets a line carved into his face like Dante. Real subtle imagery, guys.
Oh, let's get back to the eyes, though. Stefano has one eye to symbolize both omniscience and evil. Theodore has three eyes (counting the cult emblem) symbolizing enlightenment and malevolence. Myra's eyes are originally veiled to signify that she's blinded to the truth. Later, she regains her two eyes to show her return to normalcy, both spiritually and physically. Or none of that is true and Shinji Mikami just walked in and demanded they cater to his bizarre eye fetish again.
I have to stop watching your videos when I'm really high because I don't remember what point I was trying to make. Good game, though.
Ok bro, I’m going to sleep, and you’re a nerd
Why do you need to get high
@@tiffanywyatt5137 *_!?_*
@@tiffanywyatt5137Why not?
I liked The Evil Within 2 when it came out. But I cannot stress enough how much more I’d like it if we actually got answers to what happened to Joseph after the first game.
I mean, they could’ve abandoned his storyline altogether, but no, they clearly haven’t forgotten about him (based on the slides from TEW2), so?? Where’s my Joseph DLC, Bethesda? WHERE IS IT?
…Anyway, great video, Monty!
Ghostwire Tokyo started out as EW3 where you played as Joseph but sadly that didn’t happen
@@austinmakohon6935 That's insane if that's actually true! I would have given it a chance.
I thought The Evil Within was good and enjoyable, but I actually loved The Evil Within 2. The story seemed more cohesive, the characters more relatable, the gameplay tighter and more fun... I put off playing it for too long because the first game just didn't make that much of an impression on me, but I was pleasantly surprised with how good the sequel actually was.
I agree. I didn't even finish the first game bc eventually it just felt like a slog. I enjoyed it for awhile but it lacked much depth. It felt like RE4 without the charm and extremely polished gameplay.
The sequel I thought had way more going for it. More variety in the gameplay and a better story to have an emotional connection to.
relatable?? How?? TEW2 characters were all poorly written, one-dimensional trash.
I've just discovered your channel like two days ago and i'm binge watching your long-form essays, it's criminal that you only have 65k subs.
Thanks!
Exactly the same here, only 10 months later
The Evil Within 2 I think really took a lot of inspiration from Silent Hill Downpour, which has basically the exact same gameplay loop and even a similar story. I know a lot of people will balk at one of the "lesser" Silent Hills influencing anything, but Downpour had a lot of excellent ideas and many of them were even executed quite well. Some of it's side stories are extremely affecting and well paced or have great puzzles attached to them.
The major difference was that the Evil Within 2 had a much more experienced team and enough time to actually make the game they wanted.
As far the Evil Within 2 goes, it went a long way for me to scratch the itch Silent Hill left behind and I love it for that.
Downpour would have been a relatively good horror game had it not been forced into the Silent Hill canon, imo.
@@jharju2352 I think I’m gonna buy silent hill downpour because I’ve played all the other sonic hills are at least all the main nine games by Konami..
I’ve not played downpour or homecoming..
Or origins for that matter
@@turismofoegaming8806 Right on, enjoy! I'd recommend skipping Homecoming and Origins, though.
@@turismofoegaming8806 I'm quite fond of Origins, it's got a standout soundtrack and some of the areas you visit are really cool. But try and play the PSP version, either by emulation or a PSTV or something, the PS2 version is a pretty terrible port. If you're going to try Downpour, try and get the PS3 version, it's the one Konami actually let the developers patch somewhat so it's more stable than the Xbox version.
And yeah, Homecoming isn't really worth anyone's time. It's good for a laugh for though if you're cool playing bad games for fun.
Tbh I think Downpour is probably the best western developed Silent Hill game, so the influences in another one of my favorite survival horror games is pretty cool
When stephano blew all those peoples heads off, I let out a good laugh because the way I saw it the message was "he blew the audiences minds"
Really appreciated the Twin Peaks references, the black lodge looking area early on and the Fire Walk with Me trophy/achievement.
As someone who lacks a stomach for horror I am still find myself able to fully enjoy your videos and your analysis of games I otherwise would have steered clear from. It's provided me a great insight into media I don't seek out often and your essays are top notch thank you so much for putting it out into the world!
Please keep making longform content like this. There is not a single video essayist that gets me thinking about the artistic value of this medium of video games the same way you do. This should speak volumes, as I am a moron whose feed mostly consists of MMA fights and training content. God bless
Impeccable timing. I’m on the last chapter right now and I’m so interested to see what other people have to say about the game and I see this an hour after it’s uploaded. Definitely watching this once the credits roll.
That last boss, the generator remix is so gorgeous looking
I feel like the recent RE: Village DLC, Shadows of Rose, might’ve taken some inspiration from Evil Within 2; not necessarily in terms of gameplay, but in the trippy, dream-like atmosphere of each stratum level Rose explores. One sequence at the halfway point even pulls some tricks to screw with the player’s mind in a way that reminds me of the opening photo gallery.
I was thinking the same. The new zombie designs look ripped from Myra.
Rose going into the mold matrix looks so similar to Seb's entry into STEM.
I feel like the og The Last of Us is where they got A LOT of inspiration for EW2. So by default then that would mean that RE8 also was inspired by The Last of Us. I mean in playstyle and emotions mainly.
"A studio where young and talented creators get smothered in the crib" - Microsoft, 2024.
1:30:27 I loved the little touch where your controller-face just got a lot more bloody after the chainsaw kill. *chef's kiss*
Stefano reminds me so much of Sander Cohen. Love ‘em both, they’re so fascinating.
I really love this game so much, and I loved your coverage. Subscribed!
Can I just mention how much I love Sebastian's run animation in Evil Within 2? I'm at 01:15:18 and I can't help but think how much I'm feelin this poor guy's desperation to get the fuck outta dodge.
I came to your channel recently after discovering your first video about The Evil Within. Love this franchise and the attention to detail you put in your analysis 👏🏼 Although the sequel appeared to mark the end of this franchise, I hope this art style and polished game engine can inspire other indie horror games
Thank you Monty for the irresistable urge to play the The Evil Within series. brb in 30-40 hours.
I discovered your channel after finishing TEW1 and I thoroughly enjoyed your video about it and its DLCs. I looked forward a lot watching this before starting TEW2 and after I finished it yesterday I immediately started watching this. Amazing work.
This was my 2017 (I think that was the year) GOTY by a long shot and I’m glad people like you are introducing it to more people. It deserves way more recognition than it gets. I feel like being a sequel caused a lot of people who hadn’t played the first one to skip it and that’s a shame. I only played like halfway through the original and it never really clicked with me but I loved this game.
Been waiting for this - you, Sir, have just made my work day easier to sit through :)
Love the game, but I wish they did more of the side quests. My biggest issue with the game was it had a promise of less linear horror events but drops it.
I remember wandering into the church and the whole thing with the preacher happened. It was an optional side mission that expanded the world that I fell into more organically due to curiosity, and it was a great experience coming across that.
But except for some moments like that the game kind of drops the whole pretense of being an open hub with unexpected horror moments into a much more linear story progression.
And while I still think it's an underrated gem it would have stood out much more if it leaned into the open ended aspects of it. I get they didn't want to do too much but I think it made things more interesting and should have been expanded.
What a fantastic analysis! The two Evil Within titles kinda blur together in my head, but you did a great job in pointing out how the sequel manages to stand of its own! The theme of motherhood being one of the biggest ones, of course.
Evil Within 2 is one of my all time favorite games
I've had this game since launch, tried to start it and put it down 3 times now. I don't think it's a bad game or anything, just kept putting it down.
This video has inspired me to finally go through it :L cheers Monty 👍
Monty - you did it again, man. This is one of my favorite games of all time, but I never stopped to ask myself "why?"
Thank you, for wholeheartedly answering that question :)
This wholesome essay that you decided to share with us is fantastic - depth, accuracy, sense of humor & genuine joy are the pillars of what is honestly one of the best gaming love letters I've ever heard. You should be proud of yourself for doing this video - I found a gentle smile blossoming while listening to you pinpoint from top to bottom all the lovely details & mechanics that make this game such a marvelous experience. I've played through it a few times, but even so it was delightful to learn more about a favorite.
Thank you & good luck :)
I chose to walk the final section of the game and though it took a while, I think it ultimately that time to like contemplate the journey I'd been through to get there, I think the ending of this game is one of my favorite and personally I think it's the most powerful game ending I've ever played through
I will always love the first game for being so aggressively on brand with my personal aesthetic tastes (basically just if David Cronenberg had directed Hellraiser), and I love TEW 2 for developing the gameplay to make it more fluid. I just wish they had done a little more connecting of dots between itself and it's predecessor. Mainly, the fact that what happened to/with Ruvik is just sorta waved away has been a big frustration for me.
I love this channel so much! You deserve to go viral! You make some of the best video essays out there.
I adore this video, your music choice was perfect!
1:28:34 the music you put over this part for Theodore speaking fits better than the music they actually used and I love it
Heh 1:40:30
"The total opposite of horror"
That game was hi-fi rush...
And it is amazing.
Had to finish the game myself before watching this critique ! I really enjoyed this one. Between the great variety of places you have to go through, the rather well paced story and the multiple approaches the game offers, it never felt boring. Instead I felt rewarded for exploration, either through the various drops or through some cool discoveries within the town. Even outside of the few scripted quests, most open buildings offer some specific setup that makes it feel special - a cutscene, a group of fallen grabbing corpses mid exploration, a place with a hidden computer accessible before it's part of a side quest, a key to an optional safehouse...
The only issue I did have with the game was the fact I never truly felt vulnerable past the 15 minutes mark - the stealth mechanic seems way too unbalanced. Ennemies lose you whenever you go through a bush or two, even 3 meters from them all while you can perform stealth kills on them as they turn their backs to reset. In addition, killing them is encouraged since it leads to more upgrade material. Even most minibosses throughout the map (from acid spitters to guys with flame throwers) can be delt with easily by resetting their aggro and getting 2 or sometimes 3 stealth hit. There are some forced hiding sections of course, but the mechanic seems very forgiving (maybe because I upgraded stealth early ?). An exception can be made for the first boss and subsequent mini bosses that share it's design - these might be the only ennemy in the game that can hit you if you don't use stamina to run away - making them a more tense fight.
All in all, Sebastian felt like too much of a superhero to me, as I killed litterally anything in my path with minimal ressources, for the game to feel scary. The tension was a bit higher in the closed environnements of the later third of the game but by this point you know most ennemies.
I consider this game closer to an action game with a horror coat of paint (a bit like RE4 basically) than a terrifying experience.
I don't think that takes much away from the game though. If the primary goal of a game is to be fun and interesting, then there is very little to regret here.
I binge these videos while I work and I love it keep up the dope work man
I really liked this game. I think it's kind of a hidden gem. Artistically it's awesome. It's been so long since I originally played it so I don't remember too much but I know I really enjoyed it. I would like to see a part 3 some day this is a promising franchise.
So what happened to Joseph and Ruvic? Their whereabouts are still unknown and that's a HUGE loose end that NEEDS to be tied up. If there ends up being a 3rd game, than it NEEDS to tie up EVERY loose end in this francise.
Ruvik transferred his mind into Leslie’s. That was the main thing at the end of the first game. Joseph is mentioned as alive, but we don’t know where he is.
@@77jamess that's not what I mean with "there whereabouts are unknown"
Word. If another game gets made, we gotta get those two things addressed
Dude you’re on fire with these uploads
Given my comment on the first Evil Within critique, i, at the time, never planned on playing Evil Within 2.
But quite honestly, after this critique, im considering giving 2 a shot when i have an oppurtunity.
Love these videos and the channel as a whole, hopefully i can join patreon soon as id love to help keep the roof over you and you fiances head and get nice, lengthy videos as this.
52:15 this art captivated me when I played the game. I was day 1 on evil within and day 1 for evil within 2, and I love the series, but this art captivated me, trapped me and I stopped playing and did admire it
We all know that the rebootquel 15 years from now will be The Evil Without.
Brilliant goatee on the avatar Monty
TEW2 is up there among the best horror games of 2010's. Its influences are obvious and sometimes adorably on the nose, yet it has such a strong identity and unique visuals intertwined throughout its design.
I know I'm late to this party, but this video inspired me to make a fresh couple of runs through EW1&2. I had forgotten how much fun they were.
As someone who loves both Evil Within games, watching these two videos, appreciating them both for what they are, and amount of heart and effort behind them, was such a joy. On a side note, The Evil Within 2's contained, semi open world is something I hope to see more survival horror games to try to replicate n the future.
Honestly had to leave a comment because I am so happy you covered this game series with love and appreciation for the risks it took artistically. Thank you so much for letting me relive Sebastian’s story again for the campy art nightmare it was!
✨️Agreed✨️
OMG i'm a huge fan of jennifer Carpemter but i never knew she voiced Kidman in part one....what a surprise(for me)
No way early on a Monty Video Christmas really did come early
I am a bit split myself, which game I prefer.
The style of the first one was a bit better, but the gameplay and atmosphere of the second is genuinely amazing.
However, personal note:
I honestly really like Stefano's art.
Gruesome, terrifying, gory... sure.
But at the same time, it carries an intense beauty at the same time. Plenty of his work, if it wasn't just actually made out of real people, could have been genuine art pieces.
THANK YOU
@@MontyZander Not finished the video yet, you also like Stefanos art?
@@tnecniw I do for sure!
@@MontyZander
Finished the video.
Something I personally theorize... is that they are still in stem at the end.
Something about that ending, something about it that I can't really put my finger on... feels artificial.
As if they aren't out just yet.
Maybe it is just me tho.
I absolutely loved playing through the evil within to the first time in 2017!!
It’s one of my favorite horror games ever and it’s just one of my favorite games out of all of them period-
Exploring the little segmented sections of the city was the perfect escape and breather for the tense survival horror action that would come and that was causing a constant threat to the hairs on the back of your neck!!
It was just an absolutely awesome game and I have not enjoyed a survival horror game as much in recent years..
You can't interact with Layers of fear's horror indeed, but you can with it's comedy, triggering the doll jumpscare ad infinitum
This is the first of your videos ive watched, and i gotta say i love the sass at the end. I wasn't able to finish the game myself, it's way too scary, but i like these games a lot. Thanks for spending the time to talk about these masterpieces
I liked both games! Mostly because the nurse was in both xD haha but I did enjoy the story of the first more. I thought we would learn more about what happened with Leslie, but nope. Didn't matter though because the nurse was back xD she was my favorite character for some reason
51:06 regarding the question:
It tells me that there is beauty in death. Not the quiet ones but the violent ones as well. The dark nature of each death, is a counter-argument to the false nature of this Utopia. There’s no such thing as a perfect world, if the existing beings are flawed as well. The perfect mold for such thing cannot be manufactured, it has to exist organically without interference.
As such, he tears it down with each murder by introducing the “truth” which is death. I also think that the matter of each death being artfully staged is his way of merging the flase utopia with the “truth” to mock the individuals/Mobius in the face thinking they can escape their true nature (evil/greedy etc…)
I also feel the idea of being part of the play is a way to show the protagonist is just a character and not the writer of the play. He cannot control his fate nor predict the next scene. It indirectly presents to the protagonist that he is in no control of his life while under Mobius’s eyes.
Sorry for the long comment😅 but seriously love the video essay! Great job👏🏼definitely subbing🙏🏻
Loved the video, I'm happy this one came out so soon after your first. You make some bangers. You should really do a video on Signalis. It just came out and it's an amazing survival horror I feel like you'd enjoy it
I rolled credits on Signalis last night! LOVED the game. Not sure I'll do a full video on it any time soon, but it's one of my favourites this year for sure.
I just beat this a few days ago after the first game... This is a really brilliant video critique! I subbed and looking forward for more!
Just started and holey hell those 1'ers are stunning. That fall into STEM is just a mindbendingly gorgeous shot, and how the fuck was this not all people were talking about in 2017?
20:40 Nice Rocky Horror reference lol! Great video as always!
The evil within two was my favorite game of 2017!!
How did I not find you earlier? Your reviews are amazing! I can listen to you talk about games forever: and seeing the backlog I'll have some listening to do, cheers!
Im super interested in the evil within 2 but I have anxiety, so not exactly something I can play, so I really appreciate such an in depth review.
Cheers!!
I love both of these games to death. EW1 is my favorite by a large margin, but both are full of charm.
I really wish we'd get another entrance.
The answer to the Anima's existence lies within Jung's work: she is an archetype, a consequence of the collective unconscious. The reason why she haunts STEM is that she is the background radiation of the people who live there, an unacknowledged believed reality that the people there share. She brings Sebastian to Beacon because that is what the consequence is.
Her character modeling and animation suggests separation from the main antagonists and their minions, meaning that either she is her own entity, or that the entity manifests certain characteristics in a sort of set of archetypes, what the victim perceives as the "thing" that the Anima should be.
Or someone really like Moira from EW1 and said "lets have that be like a side quest thing".
I remember watching Two Best Friends play this game and became completely enraptured. The first one struggled to keep my attention, but this one had everything I was looking for. The "Open-world" was a great change of pace and I never considered how similar it was to Silent Hill. The combat was infectious, while trying to platinum the game on the hardest difficulty, I had no issues replaying hours worth of chapters to spread out the limited save files. The story was simple yet endearing, I found myself attached to the characters, especially in those conversations and moments of reprieve. That last chapter was the icing on the cake as the game transitioned between the two protagonist's. I was in complete awe at how smoothly the segments connected.
I really appreciate you taking the time to dissect and analyze this game. It was heartbreaking to reach the end of this adventure and find so few videos talking about it, or so few friends to share the conversation with. I appreciated your critiques that didn't whittle down to "It's not the first game", although I can understand how that could be a turn off for those who loved it.
As much as I want a third one to tighten all the elements, I'm content with this ending. This felt like a wholesome goodbye to Sebastian and the happy ending he deserves after two full nightmares. What a ride.
Excited for your next video Monty!
I love the art direction for this game the Beauty they showed in these chilling scenes is unparalleled and we really haven’t seen anything like this since this game
I am pretty sure the white goop is supposed to represent plaster. That stringy quality of her Ruvik dress or her eye covering is similar to a single decayed layer of it.
Probably reminiscent of her trying to keep her daughter safe and hold everything together, but like with a simple single layer, we get too see the cracks in that ideal, particularly the exchange of dialogue between Seb and Myra and what it means to live life and necessity of fear and love to grow.
Great video so far, but on Myra I have to disagree. The psychoplasm isn't milk it's wax, it's symbolizing how the trauma she's experienced is causing her to meltdown, to warp and distort into a horrible facsimile of the woman she once was, her personality burning down as the trauma of Union and those inside makes her dribble and bleed away. It even works with the priest and his fire theme, as the cult's actions are literally melting the town down and Myra herself. By the end of it, the town is made up of so much dripping white goo because it's essentially a candle that has sputtered out to it's last, dying form.
I'd even say it works with the ads for the game, with Seb soaked in wax that's trying to cast him in a static shape, frozen in the man he was post game 1 & unable to change, but unlike his wife who's life completely deteriorates via the events of 2, Seb is actively trying to escape the wax shell he's stuck in by the end of it, and breaks free.
i love how monty’s logo get bloody as the video went on as well
Evil within 2 is one of my favorite games. I decided to platinum it a few years ago. Really was worth my time and I wouldn’t take it back! I would play this game back to back to get unlockables or sometimes just because I enjoyed playing the game! Something about it is so unique compared to other games around the time. The ending with the cliffhanger was aggravating in a good way, knowing mobius and stem were still alive 😤. Idk if you cover it but it was supposedly going to have three dlcs but since it didn’t sell as good as they hoped, they ditched it. I would’ve loved to hear about Joseph and Sykes especially since they hint at Joseph and we never hear about sykes after. But alas we won’t ever get it and I’ll always be a little upset.
Evil Within is really underrated imo and the funny thing is both games have very positive reviews on Steam, they're just not loved by enough people quantitively speaking I guess. Still hoping against hope for EW3. I want to play Kidman, dive into her childhood, family, that village cult, its Victoriano connection and have a reunion with Joseph.
i tried to get into tew1 but the jank just made it inaccessible for me especially since it would've been my first horror game, but your video on the first game influenced me to try the sequel and holy fuck am i glad i did, it didn't terrify me as much as i had expected it to but damn it had me invested every step of the way
Nice critique. The game looks so beautiful and interesting that I want to try it despite having trouble playing horror games. You do great work 😃
One of my all-time fav games. Sebastian is a character i really like
I actually played through all of the evil within 2 which is big for me bc I got the evil within 1 but it wasn’t catching me in a way that a lot of other games do. I’m a big fan of horror games, I like to be scared sometimes and be able to fight back if combat is actually a part of it.
EW1 is technically a scary game but the combat and slow play and other odds and ends made me enjoy it so little so I never got around to finishing it.
But THIS ONE!? EW2 was like a dream and a nightmare and the game itself gave me the ability to actually play the damn game to SEE it.
The monsters are frightening bc they’re incredibly varied and they actually have some meaning as you go into in the vid. And I could see that in game without any video before I played it! Each boss was clearly able to dominate STEM when they were able to set their hooks in and you feel that naturally as they tear the world apart into their personal dreamscapes.
I went through so much in this game bc I like to collect things and I’m curious. And without playing the first game I was still invested in the story! I hated how Theodore was shoved in the last section bc Stefano was fantastic. Theodore absolutely deserved more things, notes, hints that he even exists, ya know stuff! His voice actor is amazing and able to carry a lot of his presence but his hold on the world is presented only through O’Neil and his domain and the changes in fire that affected Union.
Stefano is incredibly powerful as a villain and a showcase in terror. He’s played as a serial killer and he is and that’s it. He’s not a power hungry whatever, he’s his own source of horror and presence. His camera based skills and his preference for just using his knife and powering through the gunfire is just what we expected and it’s still good! And we deal with his stuff almost the entire game so I desperately wish Theodore had gotten a chance to corrupt more of Union and make his presence felt before he was officially the next roadblock. Like Stefano had his artwork all over the place and we got one church lost fight that coulda been missed and doesn’t lead into a cult investigation? Sad.
Myra is perfectly placed. That’s all. She is technically the deepest being in STEM beyond Lily and she’s been melded with the marrow. So when we see her influence we realize she’s been visible in all the monsters and the psytoplasm we’ve seen everywhere and she holds more weight than Theodore.
It’s tragic that we probably won’t see another sequel but I’d love for more games to take on the truly dream based nightmare work that the Evil Within 2 did so well.
I just saw pt1 of Evil Within critique, this video is a nice treat.
Love your long form critiques even though it takes me literal weeks to get through 😂❤
I am obsessed with both games and your video was a joy to watch! Subscribed!
I like the segment with the old bosses since I saw it as a way of saying Theodore has lost all power over Sébastien since the past no longer haunts him if you have done his side quest
53:10 in a way stefano’s bossfight reminded me of walter sullivan’s bossfight in silent hill 4.
Overall stefano is “sh4 coded” and probably my favorite villain in the whole evil within series (a tad biased because i’m italian myself but jesus his character is so good)
Monty, I've been binging your analysis videos and I just wanted to say how much I enjoy them and your lore dump channel. With that said, thank you for giving the Evil Within series such a great analysis. While I don't necessarily agree with everything you put forth, for about 95% of it I agree or was given new understanding of things I never considered. I always thought the Anima (who I just called Ghost Lady) was a manifestation of Sebastian's trauma from Stem. I must have missed the stuff about Anima when I played this game last.
Speaking of, I replayed Bioshock 1 and 2 recently because of your videos. I'll probably do the same with the Evil Within games...once I finish God of War Ragnarok. Either way, keep up the amazing work, my friend!
Still criminally under-rated, I see. Another excellent video 🤘
This dude is so underrated, amazing content 🙏
Would love to hear your critique of Deadly Premonition.
3:47 hearing that after the recent news hurts even more
Stefano very much reminds me of one of my favorite League champions, Jhin.
“I live for the applause, you will die for it!”
im kind of late but get this
lately i was looking through some works of Francis Bacon(the painter, not the midlle age guy) and i found quite a lot of simularies between him and Stefano:
1. the both excel at picturing a moment of body change, pain and fear
2. You feel thoes vectors and movment of the object
3. both like to use perpendicular lines (often cubes) to separate and highlight body
so i realy think that the insperation is comming from Bacons painting (i also recommend to look up his art)
Anima from Evil Within 2, still the best part of the game, just thinking about that character and interactions has me in chills
I was just wondering when this video would come out, i was thirsting for it
I absolutely loved this game when I got around to playing it. Fingers crossed for a third, however unlikely.
i'm so happy for this video as i've always loved your reviews and the game too. it's a flawed game but it's the first ever survival horror i ever played when i was a kid, it totally sparked my love for survival horror and i keep coming back to this game!
Great video! My personal theory for the Anima is that it is a monster created by Sebastian, more specifically a literal remnant from his first time in STEM. Anima is the hidden feminine in the masculine, implying it came from a man, and it brings up the horror of Sebastian's past. As for the mechanics of it, perhaps during the last game STEM was corrupted enough to hold onto a piece of Sebastian's experiences, and it manifested in union as a result.
This game is beautiful and made me cry my eyes out in the end...
I absolutely adore TEW2. I wasn't much a fan of the first game for many years until eventually giving it a play myself. It was fun and goofy and creative but confusing and dull at times. The DLCs were fantastic though, and TEW2's new story-focused direction was just so damn stellar. Its art direction, voice acting, environments, enemy design, music, sfx, atmosphere and ofc its story and focus on multiple characters (Stefano was awesome, Theodore not so much). Much like the first game, TEW2 juggles a lot of apples, and again like the first game, drops a few on the way. But Sebastian's journey of self-discovery and character building, and his chemistry and relationship with Myra are excellently and maturely handled. Not very many games have made me cry, but the ending of this game was one of them.
While I'd love a third game, Sebastian's story has seemingly come to a close. There's still lots of threads TG could pull (Ruvik, Joseph, Kidman) but maybe we don't really need a sequel. Though part of me secretly hopes they'll pull a Hi-Fi Rush and just release the entire game out of nowhere, having been baking it in the oven for years unannounced. I doubt that would happen but it'd be a fun surprise. Anyway, great analysis, fantastic game, Papa John's
I remember watching someone play this game and being absolutely fascinated by the world.
Sure, I found the "milk" kinda weird and there were flaws in how the story was presented but I felt so invested in the characters and story, even if I didn’t fully understand what was happening most od the time.
Well, time to go look up what the studio has gotten up to since 2017.