For 5 euros in the sale: By buying a horror classic, you pay your last respects to its studio

At Epic, you can currently get the best horror game from the recently closed developer studio Tango Gameworks for an absolute bargain price

With the closure of Tango Gameworks, not only am I heartbroken, but one of the most important development studios for unusual AAA titles has left us forever. Now is probably the best time to pay your farewell tribute to the horror studio. Because their entire portfolio of games is heavily discounted in the Epic Games Store

Many of you probably know the studio with the snail logo from the surprise hit Hi-Fi Rush. But the dynamic rhythm game is not their only masterpiece. WithThe Evil Withinthe Japanese developer released what is probably the best survival horror game sinceResident Evil 4in 2014, which you can now pick up for a bargain price.

The game we all needed

I remember sending a detailed voice message to a friend on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. In it, I explained that I was a big fan of Bethesda because the publisher had two of my very favorite developer studios, Arkane Studios and Tango Gameworks. As if I had conjured up a curse, I learned of their closures just three hours later

A shame, because Tango Gameworks showed with their debut The Evil Within that they don’t have to hide behind the survival horror icons Resident Evil and Silent Hill. The then current series spin-offsResident Evil 6andSilent Hill: Downpourclearly came out on top in terms of quality and made The Evil Within the game that all horror fans needed.

You can’t get more survival horror than this

Story:The story of The Evil Within is complex and it took me two playthroughs to understand everything. You’ll be confused at first and that’s a good thing. To make a long story short: You take on the role of American police officer Sebastian Castellanos and wake up in a bizarre world where you are confronted with your past and fight for your survival.

Gameplay: In terms of gameplay, The Evil Within is strongly reminiscent of a modern take on Resident Evil 4. No wonder, as video game legend Shinji Mikami was the creative director of both titles. From a third-person perspective, you run through tubular levels, upgrade your weapons and shoot at anything that moves. Nothing special so far

However,

The Evil Within expands this basis with a good dose of psychological horror. Not only is the soundscape much more menacing than in Resident Evil 4, the environment is also peppered with numerous traps, making it much more hostile. At the same time, you fight against the most gruesome spawn of hell you can imagine

Terror: You are constantly under stress and rarely feel safe in Mikami’s horror world. Even your hub, from which you start new levels and carry out upgrades, usually gives you a queasy feeling. As our tester Kai Schmidt aptly put it, youll be at the mercy of sheer terror at times.

When I played The Evil Within for the first time, I had a feeling of loss of control and hopelessness. No game has ever triggered that in me before.

But over time, I learned to deal with the abstruse environment and became more confident and relaxed. This also means that the second playthrough offers a completely different experience and is therefore highly recommended

Not recommended for everyone

Not everything is perfect: The Evil Within has two major weaknesses. Unfortunately, it sometimes jerks, especially outdoors, and the frame rate often drops. But that’s bearable

Much worse is the perspective of your character. When you are sneaking, your camera is severely restricted as it is placed much closer to the ground and your character takes up a lot of the frame. This can lead to frustration, especially in the first two chapters, where you are partly dependent on sneaking.

For whom is The Evil Within suitable? Anyone who is even remotely interested in morbid survival horror and has a robust stomach should definitely take advantage of this offer. You can’t get much more fun for five euros

I recommend everyone else to stay away from The Evil Within for the time being and play Hi-Fi Rush or get into the survival horror genre with Resident Evil 4 Remake, for example.