The Evil Within 1 VS 2 – Which Game Is Better?

Thanks to Epic Games releasing both games for free during the Halloween season, I finally got the chance to play The Evil Within and its sequel. I had a good time with both games, as each one demonstrated how to get survival horror right, but some aspects varied in quality across both entries.

I’ll be looking at both Evil Within games and evaluating them in specific categories, giving a score out of ten for each. By the end, if the maths has worked, we’ll be able to work out which game is statistically the greatest!

Before we begin, you can check out some of my related blog posts below:

Plot

Winner: The Evil Within 2 [8]

It might not have been as complex as the first game’s plot, but The Evil Within 2’s simplicity was what I appreciated most.

It’s a more focused tale about a father trying to save his daughter, and that emotional connection did wonders in driving the urgency of the plot forwards.

Runner-Up: The Evil Within [7]

I appreciated the complexity of the plot The Evil Within tried to tell, but the vagaries and beating-around-the-bush for 95% of the runtime really hurt the experience.

You spend the majority of the game completely in the dark about your situation and the other characters’ motives, and while that can be fun for a time it drags out to a comedic degree. I like how the ending tied it all together, but it was too little too late.

Characters

Winner: The Evil Within [8]

Despite how convoluted the plot ended up being, I really liked how the eclectic cast of characters in the first game grounded the whole thing.

Sebastian is a great lead character, Kidman and Joseph are competent allies, Doctor Jimenez and Nurse Tatiana had a fun mystery about them, and Leslie was erratic and unpredictable in the best ways.

Runner-Up: The Evil Within 2 [7]

Sebastian really comes into his own in the second game – his love for his daughter and his lingering trauma from the first game really rounded out his character, and I also liked how Kidman got a bit more development too.

Sadly, the supporting cast were a bit forgettable. You never get to spend enough time with Sebastian’s family to truly bond with them, and the Morpheus agents hardly make a mark.

Atmosphere

Winner: The Evil Within [9]

If there’s one thing the first Evil Within game excels in, it’s the terrifying atmosphere.

Every location you visit is inexplicably creepier than the last, and I was on my toes every time I had to enter a dark room or turn a tight corner. The world design and art direction popped off.

Runner-Up: The Evil Within 2 [8]

While not necessarily as scary as the first game, some of the individual locations and set-pieces in The Evil Within 2 certainly got the blood pumping.

The creative art direction from the first game returns, and the open world is a fun gameplay addition – granted, it doesn’t feel as scary when you can just run away from danger down a wide city street.

Gameplay

Winner: The Evil Within 2 [8]

All the same survival horror elements from the first game return, but the design is cleaner across the board.

I really like how they separated the character and weapon upgrade trees, but I think some of the character abilities you can get break the horror immersion.

Runner-Up: The Evil Within [7]

Some of the gameplay elements in The Evil Within could feel clunky and slow, but they got the job done.

The main critique I have is that Sebastian has the stamina of an asthmatic octogenarian, but otherwise it’s just standard survival horror stuff.

Villains

Winner: The Evil Within [8]

You meet various nefarious entities across The Evil Within, but only one stands head and shoulders above the rest.

Ruvik is a terrifying tour-de-force of a villain – a seemingly unkillable entity that wants nothing else but to inflict harm and suffering on others. You learn tidbits of his tragic backstory across the game, and while I wish we got more of him I’m happy with what we got.

Runner-Up: The Evil Within 2 [6]

The Evil Within 2 was fairly solid across the board, but one department in particular left a sour taste in my mouth.

It has the classic problem of spreading too many villains across too thin a run-time – Stefano is awesome but under-developed, Myra isn’t really a villain in the grand scheme of things, and Father Theodore is hyped up as the big bad and falls flat completely.

Bosses

Winner: The Evil Within [8]

Most of the survival horror games I’ve played (namely the Resident Evil series) haven’t had particularly noteworthy bosses, so I was surprised when almost ever boss in The Evil Within scared my pants off.

The Sadist is a terrifying first encounter, Laura is one of the scariest creatures I’ve ever faced in gaming, and the Keeper provided the best atmosphere I’ve experienced for a boss in a long time.

The only thing holding the score back, sadly, is that the final boss was anticlimactic as hell. Why make the final battle of your scary horror game a meaningless shoot-em-up?

Runner-Up: The Evil Within 2 [7]

I like how varied The Evil Within 2’s bosses were, but they didn’t hit nearly as hard as the first game’s.

Myra was a good set-piece, Stefano had good build-up and pay-off, Obscura was probably my favourite, but then Father Theodore’s fight ended up being a boss rush repeat of the first game’s best offerings! Which just goes to show how superior the first game was in this category.

Ending

Winner: The Evil Within 2 [8]

You can probably guess exactly where The Evil Within 2 is heading within the first few hours of the game, but that didn’t make the ending any less impactful.

The game cutting seamlessly between Sebastian rescuing his daughter and Kidman fending off the Morpheus agents was an inspired directorial choice, as my blood was pumping for the entire last hour of the game.

Runner-Up: The Evil Within [6]

I get what the writers were trying to do with The Evil Within’s ending and Ruvik in particular – after all, it’s the mysteries we never work out that are scariest of all – but I would’ve liked more closure.

The final boss is underwhelming, the reveal that it was all a dream (or thereabouts) came out of nowhere, and the implication that Ruvik escaped was a bit random – and was never brought up in the sequel!

Fun

Winner: The Evil Within [8]

Some of the gameplay could feel a little slow and janky, and the story wasn’t always as engaging as it should have been, but I still had a great time with The Evil Within.

The bosses were terrifying, the enemies posed a real threat and constantly drained my ammunition, and the atmosphere was second to none.

Joint-Winner: The Evil Within 2 [8]

In terms of the enjoyment I had while playing it, I couldn’t pick between the first and second games – although I liked The Evil Within 2 for slightly different reasons.

The story was a lot more tangible, for starters, but the open world and improved gameplay made it a worthwhile horror experience on the whole.

Final Scores

Winner: The Evil Within [61/80]

With an average score of 7.6, The Evil Within is statistically the better of the two games (albeit not by much). In the end, its sublime atmosphere was what separated the two.

Runner-Up: The Evil Within 2 [60/80]

Averaging 7.5, The Evil Within 2 barely missed out on being the best game. I still really enjoyed it, though, and I hope they make a third game one day!

Aaaand that’s my list! You can check out some of my latest blog posts below: