The Evil Within 2 has its problems, but it's definitely worth playing if you're an action-horror fan. Not as scary or dark as the first game, but that's alright. The first one was so vicious and unforgiving that the brutality of it felt oppressive. All that excess horror got swapped out for prolonged action sequences, sacrificing fear for fun. Six one, half a dozen another for me, personally. It's a simmering stew of its influences. Take The Last of Us, the post-RE4 formula, and a dash of Twin Peaks and this is what you got. Silent Hill, too. If somebody over at Konami decided to quickly make a Silent Hill remake in the style of the newer Resident Evil remakes, you'd get something like this. It's a little clunky. The movement was a bit janky for me, mostly due to the weapon wheel being assigned to R3. Facial and movement animations were pretty weak. Everyone looked and acted stiff. Minimally expressive. The dialogue at the beginning was like a bad cop movie from the 80's and I loved it. The environment did the talking though. The surreal imagery washes over you and immerses you in its terror. Weirdly enough, the style of the imagery was based on the current villain. Three in total which, by the way, makes the game feel bloated. You can't keep killing important antagonists and then keep adding Acts to the story. Anyway, the phantasmagoric set pieces are the cornerstone of the game. You never know what to expect and if you're not safe and smart with your progression and conservation, you're gonna have a bad time. I've complained a lot, but there was no better feeling than sneaking into a crowded room of of monsters and dispatching them all with the competent stealth system and the vast arsenal at your disposal. You can set traps, use environmental hazards, and utilize the RPG skills to wreak havoc. I loved the crossbow. Freeze, lightning, smoke, and explosive arrows got me out of tough spots. Despite the bloat, I liked the story. It had a great emotional payoff during the climax and the character's motivations were sympathetic and moving. The side characters were surprisingly easy to root for and I found myself interacting with them as much as I could. Not like, Mass Effect level, but above average. Totally worth playing and the fun and thrills outweigh the annoying sequences (mostly bosses). If you like the genre, you can't go wrong here. The Evil Within 2 is solid survival horror, smooth stealth, and groundpounding action that doesn't quite live up to its varsity peers, but stands proud above the middle crowd.