@@MontyZander Now this is epic! Loved your Bioshock series and can already tell I will like this series too. TEW2 is one of my favourite all-time favourite survival horror games so I want to hear your thoughts on the matter as well!
Dude. DUUUDE. The fact you took into account that a lot of your audience listens to videos like this one to fall asleep. I'm actually going to be watching your channel for a while at night. You deserve it.
Thank you! I've never heard a content creator actually say that, and the fact that he's thinking about us really means a lot. I posted in gmanlives comment section asking him to please stop the jump scare noises he disperses in every single video. He commented saying if I didn't like it to not watch his videos... Pretty lame, cause I like his content, but when me and my girlfriend have been woken up multiple times while one of his videos is auto playing, I've had to stop watching.
@@Idolhands360gmans kind of toxic, hes known to berate and talk down to viewers. Guarantee he’ll catch himself into drama soon. But yeah, good to know some yters recognize people like to listen at work, to sleep etc. pretty cool
@@camy3493 When did I say I expected him to take it out? I asked him politely to stop doing it and he told me to quit watching his videos. I think you lack reading comprehension skills. Giving constructive criticism doesn't mean that you assume or expect the person to change. My issue was him responding like DSP would, being immature and telling me to fuck off.
I think the nurse and the save room itself was a result of Leslie’s ability to influence STEM. Like when he created that playground with all the bubbles, he made a safe place for Sebastian with his old nurse
@@itchytomato Well, same thing happened with Devil May Cry and Resident Evil, yet we still got sequels for both since that happened, so it's definitely not out of the picture
@@Falas5898 I respect your opinion. I found both of them very enjoyable. They both have their pros and cons. Respectfully I do enjoy the first one better but I do like the freedom the second one has where I can play at my own beat.
I think the first part is thee best part of the game. Every other chapter tho except the last one i feel can be rearanged in any random order and it really wouldn't matter to the story.
From the history of interactive horror, to basic psychological theory, to one of the best E3 presentations ever, to the surrealism art movement, to why inventory limits work, to autopsy analogy. What a wide variety of writing Monty!
This game is so criminally underrated. I still love it so much. I feel like this is gonna end up as one of Mikami’s cult classic titles as time goes on.
I find the second one better. But to each there own. I didn't really liked this one. And I found the second 2 more ""scarier"" than this one. Not that a horror game or movie scares me anymore. But they defenitly intrigue me.
This came out at an important time where Silent Hill and Resident Evil had been long gone abd/or a shadow of its former self. It would be awhile before RE would make a triumphant return. I love this game and it's sequel despite the flaws.
as a survivor of childhood trauma, it's the dread of encountering someone who torments you and could make it worse if they catch you not doing what they told you to while the fear is from enabledly hoping for the figured good outcome hoped for while being paranoid about the prominence of the presence dreaded, of which encountering would cause jump scares. the circumstances they impose are intended to convey helplessness for pain but at some point accepting hopelessness for it being different makes it easier to figure making changes.
I did listen to this while falling asleep and came back to relisten today and let out a big “aww” when I got to the sweet dreams part. Bless up to that and to not getting woken up by shrieks✨
I hate to say it, but the jank is what makes me love evil within. As a fan of horror who watches every horror movie I can, works for haunted houses, and plays every horror game I can get my hands on, EVIL within truly is a love letter. And still stands as my favorite horror game.
Congrats Monty on the success of all these critique videos! It's super obvious how much time, energy, and thought you put into making these and we appreciate the hell out of you for it. I came for your fiance's suffering, but I'm staying for your incredible critiques
My favorite transition is at the end of chapter 4 where you fall down the pit and it changes from a pit to a hallway. One big complaint I have are the pre order bonuses. You get a double barreled shotgun that's initially stronger than the one you find. However you can't upgrade it, so the vanilla shotgun will be stronger eventually. The big one though are the incindiary bolts, they make it to where Laura is not a threat, but that's only if you preordered this game from 8 years ago.
The alter ego weakpoint is the monster head. You don't need to shoot both heads Also you can plant explosives on surfaces. U can also shoot haunted legs to make them fall. Then burn them. If timed right u can kill multiples of them with a single match since the fire spreads. U can also use bottles to stun enemies by throwing it into their faces. Then crouch and use the knife Some genius mechanics Edit 2: The water monster is not that bad .. You're supposed to shoot the corpse nearest to you because the monster prefers the corpse over you
Honestly I've forgotten 80% about this game. Every time I watch an essay about it, I go 'what? I can't recall this happening or that enemy or this item being a thing'. However, I do always remember the crossbow. Crossbow is best bud in this game for sure
Great video. I always love seeing other folks opinions on one of my favorite games. I'm a huge survival horror fan and TEW really feels like a love letter to the genre and I love the high skill ceiling the gameplay has. Its a very satisfying game to get good at. I did have one thing I wanted to bring up. This is not your fault because the game just doesn't tell you like at all but you were actually brute forcing the Amalgam boss. You can stealth the 1st phase. If you hide and pop the eye it grows to search for you and the heads on the boss, you go to phase 2 in like 3-4 sniper shots or explosive arrows. Then its just a freeze/shock bolt and like one more sniper round on the eye and you're done. It's a very frustrating fight if you dont stealth kill it and the IK stuff (throughout the whole game, not just here) is very annoying but that fight can be really cool once you know how it works. Again I'm not trying to hit you with the "lol skill issue" or whatever because the game doesn't tell you this at all. Not your fault. Could make your next playthrough more fun though.
I think the game does 'tell' you that. The cutscene ends with Seb hiding and the boss in a 'searching' state. But what's cool is you can absolutely get aggressive if you know how to use your tools. I love how many different ways there are to play this game.
At 13:30 you state "clear signposting and linearity" and I think it's incredibly interesting how your prior experiences with video games shape how you experience it. People who don't have any experience recognizing game design might have instead still felt very, very scared there as a result of just taking in the moment. It's funny; genre savvy eventually starts to harm the experience eventually because after consuming too much of any kind of media it becomes BLATANTLY apparent what's going to happen next, and that really ruins the experience for some people.
So well said. I came to the comment section because this was one of the first horror games I played and I remember thinking how strong the opening was, and was kind of surprised to hear that someone read it as predictable when it was the complete opposite for me. Beauty really is in the eye of the beholder I guess.
@@Bigskitch Thank you. I agree, I only stated this because watching my sister play games as a "non-genre savvy" player, it becomes obvious to someone like me where to go and what to do in difficult situations where the solution isn't spelled out, but she tends to wander in circles for an answer because she doesn't have the same kind of experience with games that I do. It's an interesting thing to see, watching someone go blind into a game with no experience versus a lifetime of gaming experience behind them. You can gain a lot of insight into quality assurance by doing just that.
Just wanted to say you've done a great job perfecting your audio/EQ/levels/etc. Jumping from your Avengers video to this one was like night and day. I like to go to sleep to long commentary videos so you've been a godsend! Preciate you
The design of the upgrade wheelchair isn’t supposed to make you more comfortable with torture and the aesthetics of fear, but instead convey a loss of humanity in exchange for power. You are altering your personhood and subjecting yourself experimentation in order to survive. To beat the enemy, you must use their tools and the remnants of their mind, without losing yourself to this madness. Great video btw! Only half way through but loving it!
It’s a shame this game wasn’t loved upon release. I remember the resident evil remaster coming out shortly after, while this eventually became forgotten about until the sequel. I didn’t even play it until 2018 simply because I forgot it existed and to this day it’s my absolute favorite survival horror game.
Okay, gotta mention that the slow walk through the lobby makes sense because these are police officers moving through what is very obviously a crime scene. They have to walk slowly and carefully so as to avoid stepping in blood or on evidence. Until they know what is going on, they have to be careful so that they don't accidentally contaminate the crime scene. Because seriously, you don't want the guy who filled a lobby with corpses to get away with it because you put your foot in the wrong place.
The beginning of the game IS terrifying, and I died on it more than once. You may not have realized it’s possible to die because you just lucked out into the right answer, but I was struggling about where to go. I remember thinking I might have to stop playing because it was simply too scary and I couldn’t figure out how to progress. And to clarify, I’ve played other scary games prior to this (RE7, The Dead Space series). Maybe you just psyched yourself out of the immerson Edit: regarding the upgrade chair, I do feel that the upgrade system was unimpressive, the actual chair still made me cringe every time it injected Sebastian. It never felt safe, and it was probably the one thing that made the sage room feel unwelcoming and cold
I really really NEED The Evil Within 3 nowwww. Its been 5 years since the sequel and I'm dying to know what happened to Joseph. Eventho Sebastien himself has a happy ending, i think he has one more run left in him.
Despite my love of horror movies, I'm not a huge fan of horror games. Probably because the horror relies on me to continue through it instead of it just continuing on. But I do love video essays on horror games! The Evil Within has always been one of those games where I love looking at the creature and character designs, and the atmosphere has always been intriguing to me. Great work as always! Looking forward to whatever you publish next!
Great review, the only thing I really have a different opinion about is the final Ruvik fight. I think it is fantastic. The way I took the very end of the base story is, once Leslie is liquefied, Ruvik has escaped. I think there is a lingering shadow of Ruvik and his control as Leslie tries to grasp whats going on around him, but your not fighting Ruvik, your fighting Leslie as Ruvik. His mind isn't equipped to be the core of stem, he isn't sure of where he is and whats going on, he is scared and confused, and the arena reflects that, its a whirlwind of a fight ontop of a brain, trying to put a suffering individual out of their misery, not the big bad guy. Leslie is probably restructuring what he knows, and has seen in the hellscape without the Nuance Ruvik could. Also I do believe a shadow of Ruvik Lingers behind, not just letting Leslie run wild, just enough of a memory Leslie doesn't have full control of Stem, plus it gives Ruvik enough subterfuge those involved would think he is dead and why not, something died at the core of stem and everything went offline, and Ruvik just, walked out in the confusion, he got what he want. He may have even slipped out earlier before the hussle and bussle and was waiting for the right moment to slip away like Seb. You are right that the game doesn't have the cheese for it, and the rocket launcher isn't earned, and I think you are right, it isn't earned, your given it, your given the means to kill the core cause Ruvik's checked out and you're suppose to, your suppose to be empowered your suppose to kill Leslie as Ruvik, your suppose to cause chaos and bring down the project so Ruvik can slip away.
i had a love hate relationship with this game. but after this other game I was hyped for that came out. I began to appreciate it more. it may not be as good as everyone says but I'll agree and admit it has so much more heart than most games these days.
1:23:41 Musique Concrète has actually been a term in electronic music since the late 40's and is traced back to France not Japan. It was some of the earliest electronic music technique, using chopped up and spliced sounds of the real world to create modernist soundscapes.
I think I got a idea of what the nurse is, and it's kinda based off Leslie and her disappearing at the end. She is a Sebastián's mental defense. She shows up in a place that is originally safe, tricks him into upgrading himself and acts like she shouldn't have to say anything but point. She's his subconscious taking a form he can trust and get better and ultimately survive. Why does Leslie correspond? Leslie is ryvik's humanity or last bit of it. Attempting to bring ryvik's mind back to reality. It's why ryvik is wanting Leslie, so he can gain his humanity to attempt an escape into a body, possibly Sebastián. To end it off, the nurse dissappears because his subconscious has nothing more to make sure he understands. The threat is just ahead, Leslie's goal is understood and what is at stake is completely understood.
This was so good. I have tried to watch a few other retrospectives on this game from creators I love and have not been able to get through them. However, your particular insight and perspective made it a very interesting listen. Thanks for putting this out there, fantastic work.
Always thought of the evil within games as the spiritual successors to resident evil 4. Absolutely adored both games despite a few niggles here and there. Love your videos too man! The bioshock videos are what helped me find your channel and so glad I did!
I can't wait to see your thoughts on The Evil Within 2. Personally, although it lacks some of what made the first games special, I think that overall the sequel blows the original out of the water. I think it's one of the best survival horror games ever made and I desperately wish we could get a TEW3 that further evolves on the great ideas presented in 2.
The second game felt too predictable to me. It was so straight forward and simple in terms of storytelling. Don’t get me wrong, the first story was told quite badly. But once I got my head around it I was interesting, ruben as an interesting villain. It was interesting dissecting who he was. But the second game just didn’t feel like that for me. I also thought it to be nowhere near as scary! If the first had been told a little better I think it would so much better than 2
To me, the tew2 did feel more like a survival horror game, until I played nightmare difficulty for the first game. It felt like I had to be more careful with combat scenarios because the ammo was really scarce and the enemies felt extremely dangerous. It was a really fun experience. One thing I didn't really like about the second game was that the higher difficulties felt, for lack of a better word, too easy compared to the higher difficulties of the first. Not to say that the higher difficulties of the second were not difficult, they were, just not to the same effect that the first was. I could just be super lucky, but enemies dropped a lot of gunpowder so I was never super low on ammo for my main weapons, unlike the higher difficulties of the first where I was always fairly low on ammo so I had to be strategic about combat encounters which gave the higher difficulties a new layer of fun and complexity. With the second, I didn't feel it as much with the second game. Overall, tew2 is the better survival horror game, while, in my opinion the first game is better
@@iluvmyoosik entitled to your opinion. I didn’t think the first one was told very well at all and it was reviewed that way by many people at the time. Second is much clearer but then it is also a very basic and simple story that I found boring
I discovered your channel a couple months ago, juuuust before the Infinite video released. I binged every video essay you have, and I applaud you for the work you put into them. I know they're time consuming to create. I appreciate that you don't shy away from discussing your own worldviews or politics when discussing the ones that games present. Too many people are too scared to present how they look at the world in their videos, to avoid scaring off the "hurr durr anything I don't like is political and therefore bad, but anything I like is completely normal and good" crowd. Thank you for the wonderful content, and for having the courage to speak for yourself and what you think is right.
I adored this game! A shocking lack of in-depth, high quality analysis (analysi? Whatever the plural is..) of this game out there. Seeing these pop up in the subscription feed makes my week.
Big fan of your content. I feel so seen with the wind-down comment! I like to watch your videos in their entirety first, but later I'll go back to listen as I'm falling asleep. I've lost count of how often I've played your Bioshock series. Your analysis videos are certainly more soothing than Lore Dumps, but I do occasionally fall asleep to those too! Thanks for all you do. Always fascinating and entertaining, and amazing for my insomnia
This game is very special to me, it's the first game I played like it and it got me into survival horror. I also just really like Sebastian, he gives me Call of Cthulhu character vibes
I just wanted to say I really enjoyed the video! I just beat both games for the first time in the last two weeks so it was really perfect timing that this video was waiting for me at the end of my playthroughs. I more or less completely agree with entirety of the critique. I can't say I *loved* playing TEW1, but I've sure been thinking about it a lot since I beat it. Keep up the great work, I look forward to diving into your video backlog!
I mentioned on a previous video how much more I felt I could gather and experience from games from listening to your critiques. That still holds true - to an extent. Try as I might, as soon as I hop onto any game my brain immediately switches to goopy goblin gamer brain mode and I just wanna punch, stab, shoot and break stuff. Neverless, your videos are amazing and make me want to play every single game that I watch one of your critiques of.
Aw, man, I'm so glad people haven't forgotten about this game! I only got into it this past year, but wherever I looked there was just so little out there talking about it. For all its warts, I love it--and I love the second one even more, so I can't wait to hear your thoughts on that. Loved how thorough and well-thought-out this critique was.
I know this is an overused meme by this point but if they ever make an Evil Within 3, they should make the antagonists say "it's mobin time" at some point (if Mobius still has a presence after The Evil Within 2)
Really enjoyed this one just like the others. I do not play horror games, watch horror movies, or anything close but I am usually intrigued by the story lines. Usually I have to watch TH-camrs play games through a blanket and then still get scared by jump scares. Because of the editing of this video I got to enjoy both the video and the audio since the game play chosen was really friendly, I think, for people like me. Can't wait to see what game you do next!
Amazing video, as always! I love how thoughtfully you structure all your critiques. I typically watch these over a few days, and the way you organize your chapters is perfect. For a classic description of the "call of the void" phenomenon, I always recommend reading Edgar Allan Poe's "The Imp of the Perverse" :)
I absolutely adore that you put together a video coming to bat for this game. It's one of my all time favorites and I'm so tired of people dumping on it. Can't wait to watch this one, man!
Monty - You really outdid yourself in the writing of this piece. The way you smoothly transitioned story into commentary segments and back was awe inspiring. Also terrified of what you'll have to say about the second game, because God I love it so much lol
I'm replaying this one right now for my own analysis and review so perfect timing. Definitely a lot of stuff to think about here. Great work dude! I love every second of your breakdowns.
Man I’ve been listening to this video when I can’t sleep ever since you uploaded it, and I just have to say I really appreciate how much thought you put into it. We don’t necessarily agree on every facet of the game, but we definitely share the same level of love and nostalgia for it as a whole.
I’ve been watching these types of video essays since I discovered Matthewmatosis nearly a decade ago and just started getting recommended the channel. Based on this video alone I can already tell you’re one of the best I’ve seen
I wanted to mention something about the anachronistic nature of Ruvik's nightmare. With cults typically being seen as a "thing of the past" I'm willing to bet a huge reason why the village and a lot of the lost seem old and antiquated are because Ruvik associates the deliberate murder of his sister by the villagers with a less advanced society. It makes me personally think about vengeful burnings of property driven by religious mobs, and even to some degree the murder of innocent women with belief they were witches. While it's written out that the fire was done to "show the Victorianos that the land isn't theirs" and the people who started it intentionally ignored the sound of children inside, given that ruvik and Laura were younger at this point his mind could've gone through so many places trying to rationalize what happened. I can't recall how clear it is but on the wiki it says only two people started the fire, but Ruvik talks about it like it was a mob that burned that barn down. He's an unreliable narrator and likely projected his feelings about societal advancements on everything.
Here I was thinking I didn't have time to watch a movie I wanted to watch, and then you go ahead and upload a 2 hours critique of the evil within. Damn you and your awesome content 🫠
I appreciate the dedication and effort put into this video! I was (and still am) a huge TEW fan and when the game came out I was bumped out cause it seemed to me like it didn’t get the attention it deserved. Now, looking back… nah, it got all the attention it needed (and a pretty loyal fan base as well). It’s not a masterpiece of a game, but it’s just enjoyable enough to be somewhere around the good ones.
Synchronizing Leslie's brainwaves with those of Ruvik makes sense if you assume that something about Leslie's thought processes allowed him to break free. I think that's the logic behind it. This one person managed to escape this mental labyrinth, so sync people up with him and they might be able to do the same.
The Evil Within is easily my fav Survival Horror franchise today. One thing that makes Shinji Mikami such an amazing game director is that he's able to create, along side his team, games that are immersive in the theme and fun at the same time. To me, the man is one of the best in the industry because he's still doing FUN games
The paintign you show at 1:08:40 is from Bosch, not Escher. You're still right about Berserk referencing Eshcer - I think most notably at the first appearance of the Godhand they use the escher stairs.
I remember when this launched and I never got into it cause I was over with horror but then as I slowly got back into it I remembered this game and so I got it and 2 on gp and man what a ride I absolutely loved it even though it was frustrating. I can gladly say I'm part of that fan base too! I even discovered the pc gamepass version fixed some issues and it's tough to even max achieve the xb version cause of the constant restarting where pc let's ya get the pre order stuff and infinite ammo but I still love the jank. Loved the critique you always make bangers.💙
I swear, Monty, this is a brilliant project you're sharing with us - I love the campiness entwined with pure dread in the Evil Within series, the monsters, the atmosphere, the gameplay (PCMR here). Your critique is magnificently accurate, shows that you definitely know what you're talking about. Finally a smart gamer who's actually "gud". Personally, I find the game a bit too scary to enjoy it too many times - the second game has nothing of the original spirit, but it's a fun powertrip true a bizarre world nonetheless. Thank you so, so much for this critique - you're amazing. p.s. I indeed fell asleep during my first watch, the melody of your voice can have such an effect on a sometimes tired soul. It's appreciated despite that ... scratch the last part - especially because of that.
I think one of the reasons it might be forced is because a lot of people doesn't try to meet the game on its own terms, they would just speed past anything and not appreciate it and soak in the atmosphere. Now having it all forced doesn't solve that and yes it can overstay its welcome if done poorly, but a lot of this is also up to the player, like have the lights on, have friends around you, stream, low volume, bunnyhop if that's possible, or as I saw someone describe how he just ran up to the first monster he saw in Soma, and therefore it wasn't scary and blamed the game. If you're not willing to try to immerse yourself in the world, then it is quite easy to shrug anything off as not scary or atmospheric, no matter how good or bad it is. Scripted and linear events can be one of the most powerful ways to convey tension, atmosphere and powerful moments. That in itself isn't an issue, just as cutscenes aren't just obtrusive and annoying by default. A lot of gamers just needs to admit sometimes that game X isn't for them, rather than impose their subjective opinion on everything while leaving out any sort of objective professionalism and appreciation for what game Y is and was trying to achieve.
It's not just you. Im pretty good at competitive FPS game and I struggled with the camera being so close lol But I love this and the sequel. Wish we could get a third even if it's with different characters
Another absolute banger right here! I'm too much of a coward to play horror games, but I really enjoyed your look into the symbolism and monsters of this one. Surrealism especially seems to be a style that games excel in; it's so easy to make something seem slightly "off" when the audience is so deeply engaged with the systems and the environment.
I'm absurdly late for this but I just watched it. Great stuff man. Definitely will suscribe. I wanna say something from my own mind Canon though. I always thought that when ruvik puddles Leslie, he is out. The rest is purely Seb. Big monster, bullets flying, action setpiece, rocket launcher. It's Seb's subconscious doing action hero stuff to end the nightmare because that's what he knows I guess. At least that's what makes sense to me lol
I think my favourite detail about the DLCs is that the serum Mobius gave to Kidman that was suppose to protect her from Ruvik actually worked. And I don't just mean it in an obvious sense that she didn't get any headaches nor was she affected by the infection. No, I mean the fact that through the entire time Ruvik wasn't able to hurt Kidman directly even once. He could have been standing right in front of her a yet he still didn't kill her. So that's exactly why he is using the STEM world to get her. Either with ordinary Hounted, Kidman's nightmares or just Sebastian and Joseph. I mean it's no coincident that both of them turned right as they were alone with Kidman. Another nice thing I noticed is that while not always (I watched both DLCs ages ago so that's why I can't say it happens every time) usually the only times Ruvik can find Kidman is whenever there is someone else around which makes the undetectable part of the serum also true. I think the moment I remmeber best is right before Kidman gets stuck in a water tank. She is slowly walking and literally a few seconds after she hears Sebastian and Joseph nearby, Ruvik appears right in front of her and tries to kill her. Pretty much just another reason to adore those DLCs.
I couldn’t sleep tonight and I was up this time for the part where you opted not to play the screaming because you know we’re weird asses who listen to your videos to fall asleep. Wholesome horror content.
On those harder difficulties, man resource management is insane, it becomes alnlmost a puzzle game trying to maximise the use of bottles and crossbolts. I still haven't finished the second one, butbfinished the first one 4 times.
Another long retrospective to binge to showing up in my news feed. Do consider getting a mic filter though! First few seconds caught me off guard, especially with my speaker bass turned up.
Oh man, it's been ages since I've thought this much about The Evil Within--and what an excellent dissection! It's one of those games that's stuck in my brain because it's exactly as you said: the execution was lackluster, but the heart and vision it had was amazing! It just got lost in some murky soup of poor choices, gameplay jank, and trying to be a little too much like its wide array of inspirations instead of what it was. (But damn was that DLC was so much sharper.) Thank you for another incredibly thoughtful and pristinely edited video! You can really tell the time and passion you put into your work, and I appreciate it to the point that makes me so excited for every upload. :D
I doubt my comment will ever catch attention but I came across you from Kingdom Hearts, and watched your BioShock content after and just loved how you deliver information! Your humor is solid but doesn't rob from your intelligent approach. The way you've handled your videos has me drawn to videos about games I never even want to play, like this one. Keep it up man, don't doubt yourself, I believe 100k is coming and will be just a barrier on your way too many more.
Because I checked bestgameprice.net, I got A Plague Tale: Requiem for almost a full tenner off 👇👇
www.bestgameprice.net/a-plague-tale-requiem
Will you do The Evil Within 2? Haven't watched the full video yet but I think this might be a good binge-watch series.
@@mahic98 I will! I replayed it alongside the first game for the sake of context. Finishing up the script now! Hoping to get it out in November.
@@MontyZander Now this is epic! Loved your Bioshock series and can already tell I will like this series too. TEW2 is one of my favourite all-time favourite survival horror games so I want to hear your thoughts on the matter as well!
@@MontyZander I love the fact that you called that giant field of Sunflowers, Dandelions, I just think it's funny
good thing Sessler is gone now he is a horrible person
Dude. DUUUDE. The fact you took into account that a lot of your audience listens to videos like this one to fall asleep. I'm actually going to be watching your channel for a while at night. You deserve it.
Thank you! I've never heard a content creator actually say that, and the fact that he's thinking about us really means a lot. I posted in gmanlives comment section asking him to please stop the jump scare noises he disperses in every single video. He commented saying if I didn't like it to not watch his videos... Pretty lame, cause I like his content, but when me and my girlfriend have been woken up multiple times while one of his videos is auto playing, I've had to stop watching.
@@Idolhands360gmans kind of toxic, hes known to berate and talk down to viewers. Guarantee he’ll catch himself into drama soon. But yeah, good to know some yters recognize people like to listen at work, to sleep etc. pretty cool
@@Idolhands360 I mean it sucks it wakes you up but you can't expect the guy to take that out of his videos just because one person asked him too
@@camy3493 When did I say I expected him to take it out? I asked him politely to stop doing it and he told me to quit watching his videos. I think you lack reading comprehension skills. Giving constructive criticism doesn't mean that you assume or expect the person to change. My issue was him responding like DSP would, being immature and telling me to fuck off.
@@Idolhands360 telling you not to watch his videos if you don't like it isn't immature he's just being honest with you
I think the nurse and the save room itself was a result of Leslie’s ability to influence STEM. Like when he created that playground with all the bubbles, he made a safe place for Sebastian with his old nurse
THIS finally someone understands
Man, I love The Evil Within, it's a very great nod to classic survival horror in my opinion. I really hope we see an TEW3 in the future.
well ghostwire tokyo was going to be TEW3, but underwent massive changes to become what it is now
@@wavemediaincorperated892 I heard about that! Really a shame they went that route 🫤
@@itchytomato Well, same thing happened with Devil May Cry and Resident Evil, yet we still got sequels for both since that happened, so it's definitely not out of the picture
Hopefully not open world. The second game sucks.
@@Falas5898 I respect your opinion. I found both of them very enjoyable. They both have their pros and cons. Respectfully I do enjoy the first one better but I do like the freedom the second one has where I can play at my own beat.
RE7 and 8 are Resident Evil with a Silent Hill protagonist. The Evil Within is Silent Hill with a Resident Evil protagonist
Maybe I'm in the minority but I actually love the opening 30mins of this game. It's relentless and actually scary.
Same. I thought it was awesome! Got me intrigued for sure
Same 100% it was amazing perfectly scripted nd mysterious enough sets you for the horror then the whole game evolves with each chapitre to art
The evil within 2 as well I absolutely loved the beginning (s) of both games
I think the first part is thee best part of the game. Every other chapter tho except the last one i feel can be rearanged in any random order and it really wouldn't matter to the story.
people seem to be split between the 1st and 2nd game, but I love both just for different reasons.
From the history of interactive horror, to basic psychological theory, to one of the best E3 presentations ever, to the surrealism art movement, to why inventory limits work, to autopsy analogy. What a wide variety of writing Monty!
This game is so criminally underrated. I still love it so much. I feel like this is gonna end up as one of Mikami’s cult classic titles as time goes on.
Mad underrated
fact
I find the second one better. But to each there own. I didn't really liked this one. And I found the second 2 more ""scarier"" than this one. Not that a horror game or movie scares me anymore. But they defenitly intrigue me.
This came out at an important time where Silent Hill and Resident Evil had been long gone abd/or a shadow of its former self. It would be awhile before RE would make a triumphant return. I love this game and it's sequel despite the flaws.
as a survivor of childhood trauma, it's the dread of encountering someone who torments you and could make it worse if they catch you not doing what they told you to while the fear is from enabledly hoping for the figured good outcome hoped for while being paranoid about the prominence of the presence dreaded, of which encountering would cause jump scares. the circumstances they impose are intended to convey helplessness for pain but at some point accepting hopelessness for it being different makes it easier to figure making changes.
I did listen to this while falling asleep and came back to relisten today and let out a big “aww” when I got to the sweet dreams part. Bless up to that and to not getting woken up by shrieks✨
I hate to say it, but the jank is what makes me love evil within. As a fan of horror who watches every horror movie I can, works for haunted houses, and plays every horror game I can get my hands on, EVIL within truly is a love letter. And still stands as my favorite horror game.
Congrats Monty on the success of all these critique videos! It's super obvious how much time, energy, and thought you put into making these and we appreciate the hell out of you for it. I came for your fiance's suffering, but I'm staying for your incredible critiques
My favorite transition is at the end of chapter 4 where you fall down the pit and it changes from a pit to a hallway.
One big complaint I have are the pre order bonuses. You get a double barreled shotgun that's initially stronger than the one you find. However you can't upgrade it, so the vanilla shotgun will be stronger eventually.
The big one though are the incindiary bolts, they make it to where Laura is not a threat, but that's only if you preordered this game from 8 years ago.
That cutscene, in my opinion, is one of the coolest cutscenes I've ever seen in a video game, it's just so cool
Late reply ,but you can upgrade the regular bolt to make it incendiary)
Came to the channel for Kingdom Hearts, stayed for long-form analyses on horror games. I'm growing to love this channel more and more 😁
Same
Funnily I came to see his girlfriend scream at dark souls and now I’m hooked on KH lore. Gotta love Monty
Let's just all agree dude has the best lineup of content.
The alter ego weakpoint is the monster head. You don't need to shoot both heads
Also you can plant explosives on surfaces.
U can also shoot haunted legs to make them fall. Then burn them. If timed right u can kill multiples of them with a single match since the fire spreads.
U can also use bottles to stun enemies by throwing it into their faces. Then crouch and use the knife
Some genius mechanics
Edit 2:
The water monster is not that bad .. You're supposed to shoot the corpse nearest to you because the monster prefers the corpse over you
Honestly I've forgotten 80% about this game. Every time I watch an essay about it, I go 'what? I can't recall this happening or that enemy or this item being a thing'. However, I do always remember the crossbow. Crossbow is best bud in this game for sure
😅 I only remembered the 1st enemy encounter, the barn, the hospital/safe room, and the crossbow
@@danirodriguez3682 I remember crossbow and the spider lady thing (or is that evil within 2?). A year later...
Great video. I always love seeing other folks opinions on one of my favorite games. I'm a huge survival horror fan and TEW really feels like a love letter to the genre and I love the high skill ceiling the gameplay has. Its a very satisfying game to get good at.
I did have one thing I wanted to bring up. This is not your fault because the game just doesn't tell you like at all but you were actually brute forcing the Amalgam boss. You can stealth the 1st phase. If you hide and pop the eye it grows to search for you and the heads on the boss, you go to phase 2 in like 3-4 sniper shots or explosive arrows. Then its just a freeze/shock bolt and like one more sniper round on the eye and you're done. It's a very frustrating fight if you dont stealth kill it and the IK stuff (throughout the whole game, not just here) is very annoying but that fight can be really cool once you know how it works. Again I'm not trying to hit you with the "lol skill issue" or whatever because the game doesn't tell you this at all. Not your fault. Could make your next playthrough more fun though.
You can WHAT!? AGHHH
I think the game does 'tell' you that. The cutscene ends with Seb hiding and the boss in a 'searching' state. But what's cool is you can absolutely get aggressive if you know how to use your tools. I love how many different ways there are to play this game.
Leslie screaming "Hospital" as he tard shuffled away was the moment I was like "oh, it's that type of horror game.."
tard shuffled 🤣
At 13:30 you state "clear signposting and linearity" and I think it's incredibly interesting how your prior experiences with video games shape how you experience it. People who don't have any experience recognizing game design might have instead still felt very, very scared there as a result of just taking in the moment. It's funny; genre savvy eventually starts to harm the experience eventually because after consuming too much of any kind of media it becomes BLATANTLY apparent what's going to happen next, and that really ruins the experience for some people.
This is an absolutely great point.
So well said. I came to the comment section because this was one of the first horror games I played and I remember thinking how strong the opening was, and was kind of surprised to hear that someone read it as predictable when it was the complete opposite for me. Beauty really is in the eye of the beholder I guess.
@@Bigskitch Thank you. I agree, I only stated this because watching my sister play games as a "non-genre savvy" player, it becomes obvious to someone like me where to go and what to do in difficult situations where the solution isn't spelled out, but she tends to wander in circles for an answer because she doesn't have the same kind of experience with games that I do.
It's an interesting thing to see, watching someone go blind into a game with no experience versus a lifetime of gaming experience behind them. You can gain a lot of insight into quality assurance by doing just that.
Just wanted to say you've done a great job perfecting your audio/EQ/levels/etc. Jumping from your Avengers video to this one was like night and day. I like to go to sleep to long commentary videos so you've been a godsend! Preciate you
On that note, Id love to know his tricks. Im having a hard time projecting and also being listenable
The design of the upgrade wheelchair isn’t supposed to make you more comfortable with torture and the aesthetics of fear, but instead convey a loss of humanity in exchange for power. You are altering your personhood and subjecting yourself experimentation in order to survive. To beat the enemy, you must use their tools and the remnants of their mind, without losing yourself to this madness. Great video btw! Only half way through but loving it!
finally somebody does a long form critique on this game. love it!
It’s a shame this game wasn’t loved upon release. I remember the resident evil remaster coming out shortly after, while this eventually became forgotten about until the sequel. I didn’t even play it until 2018 simply because I forgot it existed and to this day it’s my absolute favorite survival horror game.
really do love that u acknowledged viewers like to fall asleep to these types of videos!
Okay, gotta mention that the slow walk through the lobby makes sense because these are police officers moving through what is very obviously a crime scene. They have to walk slowly and carefully so as to avoid stepping in blood or on evidence. Until they know what is going on, they have to be careful so that they don't accidentally contaminate the crime scene. Because seriously, you don't want the guy who filled a lobby with corpses to get away with it because you put your foot in the wrong place.
The beginning of the game IS terrifying, and I died on it more than once. You may not have realized it’s possible to die because you just lucked out into the right answer, but I was struggling about where to go.
I remember thinking I might have to stop playing because it was simply too scary and I couldn’t figure out how to progress. And to clarify, I’ve played other scary games prior to this (RE7, The Dead Space series).
Maybe you just psyched yourself out of the immerson
Edit: regarding the upgrade chair, I do feel that the upgrade system was unimpressive, the actual chair still made me cringe every time it injected Sebastian. It never felt safe, and it was probably the one thing that made the sage room feel unwelcoming and cold
Bro, some of this guys criticism is valid but most is just pointless ranting.
I just want to say I really love these long form critiques and the noobus humanus videos. Never ceases to entertain
I really really NEED The Evil Within 3 nowwww. Its been 5 years since the sequel and I'm dying to know what happened to Joseph. Eventho Sebastien himself has a happy ending, i think he has one more run left in him.
Despite my love of horror movies, I'm not a huge fan of horror games. Probably because the horror relies on me to continue through it instead of it just continuing on.
But I do love video essays on horror games! The Evil Within has always been one of those games where I love looking at the creature and character designs, and the atmosphere has always been intriguing to me.
Great work as always! Looking forward to whatever you publish next!
I always look forward to one of your in depth game critiques/analysis videos
Great review, the only thing I really have a different opinion about is the final Ruvik fight. I think it is fantastic.
The way I took the very end of the base story is, once Leslie is liquefied, Ruvik has escaped. I think there is a lingering shadow of Ruvik and his control as Leslie tries to grasp whats going on around him, but your not fighting Ruvik, your fighting Leslie as Ruvik. His mind isn't equipped to be the core of stem, he isn't sure of where he is and whats going on, he is scared and confused, and the arena reflects that, its a whirlwind of a fight ontop of a brain, trying to put a suffering individual out of their misery, not the big bad guy. Leslie is probably restructuring what he knows, and has seen in the hellscape without the Nuance Ruvik could.
Also I do believe a shadow of Ruvik Lingers behind, not just letting Leslie run wild, just enough of a memory Leslie doesn't have full control of Stem, plus it gives Ruvik enough subterfuge those involved would think he is dead and why not, something died at the core of stem and everything went offline, and Ruvik just, walked out in the confusion, he got what he want. He may have even slipped out earlier before the hussle and bussle and was waiting for the right moment to slip away like Seb.
You are right that the game doesn't have the cheese for it, and the rocket launcher isn't earned, and I think you are right, it isn't earned, your given it, your given the means to kill the core cause Ruvik's checked out and you're suppose to, your suppose to be empowered your suppose to kill Leslie as Ruvik, your suppose to cause chaos and bring down the project so Ruvik can slip away.
There’s so much work that goes into these videos it’s hard not to feel the love in them. I really enjoy watching these.
i had a love hate relationship with this game. but after this other game I was hyped for that came out. I began to appreciate it more. it may not be as good as everyone says but I'll agree and admit it has so much more heart than most games these days.
1:23:41 Musique Concrète has actually been a term in electronic music since the late 40's and is traced back to France not Japan. It was some of the earliest electronic music technique, using chopped up and spliced sounds of the real world to create modernist soundscapes.
Ah my bad - appreciate the correction!
@@MontyZander not a correction just an expansion! love your vids, the BioShock critique is a literal masterpiece!
I think I got a idea of what the nurse is, and it's kinda based off Leslie and her disappearing at the end. She is a Sebastián's mental defense. She shows up in a place that is originally safe, tricks him into upgrading himself and acts like she shouldn't have to say anything but point. She's his subconscious taking a form he can trust and get better and ultimately survive.
Why does Leslie correspond?
Leslie is ryvik's humanity or last bit of it. Attempting to bring ryvik's mind back to reality. It's why ryvik is wanting Leslie, so he can gain his humanity to attempt an escape into a body, possibly Sebastián. To end it off, the nurse dissappears because his subconscious has nothing more to make sure he understands. The threat is just ahead, Leslie's goal is understood and what is at stake is completely understood.
This was so good. I have tried to watch a few other retrospectives on this game from creators I love and have not been able to get through them. However, your particular insight and perspective made it a very interesting listen. Thanks for putting this out there, fantastic work.
Always thought of the evil within games as the spiritual successors to resident evil 4. Absolutely adored both games despite a few niggles here and there.
Love your videos too man! The bioshock videos are what helped me find your channel and so glad I did!
more like silent hill then re
I can't wait to see your thoughts on The Evil Within 2. Personally, although it lacks some of what made the first games special, I think that overall the sequel blows the original out of the water. I think it's one of the best survival horror games ever made and I desperately wish we could get a TEW3 that further evolves on the great ideas presented in 2.
The second game felt too predictable to me. It was so straight forward and simple in terms of storytelling. Don’t get me wrong, the first story was told quite badly. But once I got my head around it I was interesting, ruben as an interesting villain. It was interesting dissecting who he was. But the second game just didn’t feel like that for me. I also thought it to be nowhere near as scary! If the first had been told a little better I think it would so much better than 2
@@user-qs9ps3hw6u amen on all fronts
To me, the tew2 did feel more like a survival horror game, until I played nightmare difficulty for the first game. It felt like I had to be more careful with combat scenarios because the ammo was really scarce and the enemies felt extremely dangerous. It was a really fun experience. One thing I didn't really like about the second game was that the higher difficulties felt, for lack of a better word, too easy compared to the higher difficulties of the first. Not to say that the higher difficulties of the second were not difficult, they were, just not to the same effect that the first was. I could just be super lucky, but enemies dropped a lot of gunpowder so I was never super low on ammo for my main weapons, unlike the higher difficulties of the first where I was always fairly low on ammo so I had to be strategic about combat encounters which gave the higher difficulties a new layer of fun and complexity. With the second, I didn't feel it as much with the second game. Overall, tew2 is the better survival horror game, while, in my opinion the first game is better
@@iluvmyoosik entitled to your opinion. I didn’t think the first one was told very well at all and it was reviewed that way by many people at the time. Second is much clearer but then it is also a very basic and simple story that I found boring
I discovered your channel a couple months ago, juuuust before the Infinite video released. I binged every video essay you have, and I applaud you for the work you put into them. I know they're time consuming to create. I appreciate that you don't shy away from discussing your own worldviews or politics when discussing the ones that games present. Too many people are too scared to present how they look at the world in their videos, to avoid scaring off the "hurr durr anything I don't like is political and therefore bad, but anything I like is completely normal and good" crowd. Thank you for the wonderful content, and for having the courage to speak for yourself and what you think is right.
I adored this game! A shocking lack of in-depth, high quality analysis (analysi? Whatever the plural is..) of this game out there. Seeing these pop up in the subscription feed makes my week.
It's "analyses."
@@midnightkiteflight6333 Thank you! I had a momentary lapse.
Big fan of your content. I feel so seen with the wind-down comment! I like to watch your videos in their entirety first, but later I'll go back to listen as I'm falling asleep. I've lost count of how often I've played your Bioshock series. Your analysis videos are certainly more soothing than Lore Dumps, but I do occasionally fall asleep to those too! Thanks for all you do. Always fascinating and entertaining, and amazing for my insomnia
This game is very special to me, it's the first game I played like it and it got me into survival horror. I also just really like Sebastian, he gives me Call of Cthulhu character vibes
Honestly the creatures on EW1 are some of the freakiest i've seen in a horror game
I just wanted to say I really enjoyed the video! I just beat both games for the first time in the last two weeks so it was really perfect timing that this video was waiting for me at the end of my playthroughs. I more or less completely agree with entirety of the critique. I can't say I *loved* playing TEW1, but I've sure been thinking about it a lot since I beat it. Keep up the great work, I look forward to diving into your video backlog!
I mentioned on a previous video how much more I felt I could gather and experience from games from listening to your critiques.
That still holds true - to an extent. Try as I might, as soon as I hop onto any game my brain immediately switches to goopy goblin gamer brain mode and I just wanna punch, stab, shoot and break stuff.
Neverless, your videos are amazing and make me want to play every single game that I watch one of your critiques of.
Aw, man, I'm so glad people haven't forgotten about this game! I only got into it this past year, but wherever I looked there was just so little out there talking about it. For all its warts, I love it--and I love the second one even more, so I can't wait to hear your thoughts on that. Loved how thorough and well-thought-out this critique was.
I know this is an overused meme by this point but if they ever make an Evil Within 3, they should make the antagonists say "it's mobin time" at some point (if Mobius still has a presence after The Evil Within 2)
“It’s Mobin’ Time” *plugs themselves into STEM*
Really enjoyed this one just like the others. I do not play horror games, watch horror movies, or anything close but I am usually intrigued by the story lines. Usually I have to watch TH-camrs play games through a blanket and then still get scared by jump scares. Because of the editing of this video I got to enjoy both the video and the audio since the game play chosen was really friendly, I think, for people like me. Can't wait to see what game you do next!
Amazing video, as always! I love how thoughtfully you structure all your critiques. I typically watch these over a few days, and the way you organize your chapters is perfect.
For a classic description of the "call of the void" phenomenon, I always recommend reading Edgar Allan Poe's "The Imp of the Perverse" :)
I absolutely adore that you put together a video coming to bat for this game. It's one of my all time favorites and I'm so tired of people dumping on it. Can't wait to watch this one, man!
Thank you for all the love you put into these videos ❤ you show unbridled love to these games
Monty - You really outdid yourself in the writing of this piece. The way you smoothly transitioned story into commentary segments and back was awe inspiring.
Also terrified of what you'll have to say about the second game, because God I love it so much lol
I also love the second game! More than the first, but it does have a couple of weird issues. Video in the next 2 weeks (hopefully!)
@@MontyZander Holy Cow Monty! You over delivered and got it out in 5 days! So excited to watch it!
@@lucariojet I usually work a month ahead of myself so was sorting editing etc when you commented!
I'm replaying this one right now for my own analysis and review so perfect timing. Definitely a lot of stuff to think about here. Great work dude! I love every second of your breakdowns.
Yesssss love the channel man keep it going
I love this game so much. It's such a beautiful mess. The experience of making it through this game is something I will never forget
Man I’ve been listening to this video when I can’t sleep ever since you uploaded it, and I just have to say I really appreciate how much thought you put into it. We don’t necessarily agree on every facet of the game, but we definitely share the same level of love and nostalgia for it as a whole.
I’ve been watching these types of video essays since I discovered Matthewmatosis nearly a decade ago and just started getting recommended the channel. Based on this video alone I can already tell you’re one of the best I’ve seen
The pre order bonus giving you the ability to craft fire bolts which makes Laura’s fights too easy is mind boggling
i do often listen to you while falling asleep so i appreciate that you acknowledged that
I love that you mentioned the save room puzzle game. It's so satisfying.
I wanted to mention something about the anachronistic nature of Ruvik's nightmare.
With cults typically being seen as a "thing of the past" I'm willing to bet a huge reason why the village and a lot of the lost seem old and antiquated are because Ruvik associates the deliberate murder of his sister by the villagers with a less advanced society. It makes me personally think about vengeful burnings of property driven by religious mobs, and even to some degree the murder of innocent women with belief they were witches.
While it's written out that the fire was done to "show the Victorianos that the land isn't theirs" and the people who started it intentionally ignored the sound of children inside, given that ruvik and Laura were younger at this point his mind could've gone through so many places trying to rationalize what happened. I can't recall how clear it is but on the wiki it says only two people started the fire, but Ruvik talks about it like it was a mob that burned that barn down. He's an unreliable narrator and likely projected his feelings about societal advancements on everything.
Here I was thinking I didn't have time to watch a movie I wanted to watch, and then you go ahead and upload a 2 hours critique of the evil within. Damn you and your awesome content 🫠
Loving your videos
I appreciate the dedication and effort put into this video! I was (and still am) a huge TEW fan and when the game came out I was bumped out cause it seemed to me like it didn’t get the attention it deserved. Now, looking back… nah, it got all the attention it needed (and a pretty loyal fan base as well). It’s not a masterpiece of a game, but it’s just enjoyable enough to be somewhere around the good ones.
Keep doing what you do! I just subbed. Its nice when you do the night shift, put headphones in and just listen to something that interests you.
One of the best underrated channels. I love all your content. Please keep it up
I just found this channel and I'm liking what I see, the future looks promising
Synchronizing Leslie's brainwaves with those of Ruvik makes sense if you assume that something about Leslie's thought processes allowed him to break free. I think that's the logic behind it. This one person managed to escape this mental labyrinth, so sync people up with him and they might be able to do the same.
The Evil Within is easily my fav Survival Horror franchise today. One thing that makes Shinji Mikami such an amazing game director is that he's able to create, along side his team, games that are immersive in the theme and fun at the same time. To me, the man is one of the best in the industry because he's still doing FUN games
The paintign you show at 1:08:40 is from Bosch, not Escher. You're still right about Berserk referencing Eshcer - I think most notably at the first appearance of the Godhand they use the escher stairs.
really enjoyed this!
One of my FAV long-video youtubers, great video
I remember when this launched and I never got into it cause I was over with horror but then as I slowly got back into it I remembered this game and so I got it and 2 on gp and man what a ride I absolutely loved it even though it was frustrating. I can gladly say I'm part of that fan base too! I even discovered the pc gamepass version fixed some issues and it's tough to even max achieve the xb version cause of the constant restarting where pc let's ya get the pre order stuff and infinite ammo but I still love the jank. Loved the critique you always make bangers.💙
I love that everyone unanimously agreed that it should be called "brain goop"
I swear, Monty, this is a brilliant project you're sharing with us - I love the campiness entwined with pure dread in the Evil Within series, the monsters, the atmosphere, the gameplay (PCMR here). Your critique is magnificently accurate, shows that you definitely know what you're talking about. Finally a smart gamer who's actually "gud".
Personally, I find the game a bit too scary to enjoy it too many times - the second game has nothing of the original spirit, but it's a fun powertrip true a bizarre world nonetheless.
Thank you so, so much for this critique - you're amazing.
p.s. I indeed fell asleep during my first watch, the melody of your voice can have such an effect on a sometimes tired soul. It's appreciated despite that ... scratch the last part - especially because of that.
I think one of the reasons it might be forced is because a lot of people doesn't try to meet the game on its own terms, they would just speed past anything and not appreciate it and soak in the atmosphere. Now having it all forced doesn't solve that and yes it can overstay its welcome if done poorly, but a lot of this is also up to the player, like have the lights on, have friends around you, stream, low volume, bunnyhop if that's possible, or as I saw someone describe how he just ran up to the first monster he saw in Soma, and therefore it wasn't scary and blamed the game. If you're not willing to try to immerse yourself in the world, then it is quite easy to shrug anything off as not scary or atmospheric, no matter how good or bad it is.
Scripted and linear events can be one of the most powerful ways to convey tension, atmosphere and powerful moments. That in itself isn't an issue, just as cutscenes aren't just obtrusive and annoying by default. A lot of gamers just needs to admit sometimes that game X isn't for them, rather than impose their subjective opinion on everything while leaving out any sort of objective professionalism and appreciation for what game Y is and was trying to achieve.
It's not just you. Im pretty good at competitive FPS game and I struggled with the camera being so close lol
But I love this and the sequel. Wish we could get a third even if it's with different characters
Had to come back to comment; hearing "sweet dreams btw" while dozing off was so sweet
I just finished streaming Evil Within 2 yesterday! I love this series
Another absolute banger right here! I'm too much of a coward to play horror games, but I really enjoyed your look into the symbolism and monsters of this one. Surrealism especially seems to be a style that games excel in; it's so easy to make something seem slightly "off" when the audience is so deeply engaged with the systems and the environment.
Another great video Monty!
btw is it possible to get the starting chance pack for the evil within 1 ? i want the double barrel shot gun
Feeling called out for listening to this while napping. Good job, sir.
I’ve platinumed both 1 and 2 and they were a ton of fun!! Akuma and Classic mode were hell but I’m glad I did it! Love the video!
I did fall asleep on the middle, but got back to watch the rest next day.
Seriously man keep it up! These videos are fire. I got hooked off gf vids and stayed and watched all kh games and now currently playing 3 lol.
Thanks for the video!
I'm absurdly late for this but I just watched it. Great stuff man. Definitely will suscribe.
I wanna say something from my own mind Canon though. I always thought that when ruvik puddles Leslie, he is out. The rest is purely Seb. Big monster, bullets flying, action setpiece, rocket launcher. It's Seb's subconscious doing action hero stuff to end the nightmare because that's what he knows I guess.
At least that's what makes sense to me lol
I think my favourite detail about the DLCs is that the serum Mobius gave to Kidman that was suppose to protect her from Ruvik actually worked. And I don't just mean it in an obvious sense that she didn't get any headaches nor was she affected by the infection.
No, I mean the fact that through the entire time Ruvik wasn't able to hurt Kidman directly even once. He could have been standing right in front of her a yet he still didn't kill her. So that's exactly why he is using the STEM world to get her. Either with ordinary Hounted, Kidman's nightmares or just Sebastian and Joseph. I mean it's no coincident that both of them turned right as they were alone with Kidman.
Another nice thing I noticed is that while not always (I watched both DLCs ages ago so that's why I can't say it happens every time) usually the only times Ruvik can find Kidman is whenever there is someone else around which makes the undetectable part of the serum also true. I think the moment I remmeber best is right before Kidman gets stuck in a water tank. She is slowly walking and literally a few seconds after she hears Sebastian and Joseph nearby, Ruvik appears right in front of her and tries to kill her.
Pretty much just another reason to adore those DLCs.
I just want to say, amazing video, you dedicated a lot of thought and perception on this game that I never thought of.
I couldn’t sleep tonight and I was up this time for the part where you opted not to play the screaming because you know we’re weird asses who listen to your videos to fall asleep. Wholesome horror content.
Oh boy did I get excited to see Akidachi's TMA video in this unrelated game essay :D
On those harder difficulties, man resource management is insane, it becomes alnlmost a puzzle game trying to maximise the use of bottles and crossbolts. I still haven't finished the second one, butbfinished the first one 4 times.
Another long retrospective to binge to showing up in my news feed.
Do consider getting a mic filter though! First few seconds caught me off guard, especially with my speaker bass turned up.
great video! didn't expect the mention of my video either haha, thank you!!
HUGE fan - thank you for the lovely comment!
"Sebastian's hospital fun time"
I'm sensing a fellow Pathologic fan...
Oh man, it's been ages since I've thought this much about The Evil Within--and what an excellent dissection! It's one of those games that's stuck in my brain because it's exactly as you said: the execution was lackluster, but the heart and vision it had was amazing! It just got lost in some murky soup of poor choices, gameplay jank, and trying to be a little too much like its wide array of inspirations instead of what it was. (But damn was that DLC was so much sharper.)
Thank you for another incredibly thoughtful and pristinely edited video! You can really tell the time and passion you put into your work, and I appreciate it to the point that makes me so excited for every upload. :D
I've officially added this game to my list of games I can't believe got a sequel.
I doubt my comment will ever catch attention but I came across you from Kingdom Hearts, and watched your BioShock content after and just loved how you deliver information! Your humor is solid but doesn't rob from your intelligent approach. The way you've handled your videos has me drawn to videos about games I never even want to play, like this one. Keep it up man, don't doubt yourself, I believe 100k is coming and will be just a barrier on your way too many more.
Thanks so much!