The Evil Within is a survival horror video game series created by Shinji Mikami, the designer behind the original Resident Evil and Resident Evil 4. Published by Bethesda Softworks and developed by Tango Gameworks, the series consists of two mainline games released in 2014 and 2017. Both games follow Detective Sebastian Castellanos as he navigates horrific psychological dreamscapes tied to a consciousness-merging technology called STEM. The series is known for its relentless difficulty, grotesque creature design, and a blend of third-person action with classic survival horror resource management.

The Evil Within (2014)

Detective Sebastian Castellanos is called to a mass murder at Beacon Mental Hospital. He is knocked unconscious and wakes inside a nightmarish version of the world populated by twisted monsters and ruled by a figure called Ruvik. The game shifts between environments constantly, from farmhouses to village sieges to asylum corridors, each section presenting different enemy types and survival challenges. The difficulty was high and the resource scarcity genuine. The letterbox framing that cropped the screen to give a cinematic presentation was controversial. Mikami’s fingerprints were everywhere in the design, particularly in the aggressive enemies and precise shooting mechanics that recalled Resident Evil 4. It received generally positive reviews and found a dedicated audience in survival horror fans.

The Evil Within 2 (2017)

Sebastian learns his daughter Lily, whom he believed died in a house fire, is alive and being used as the core of a new STEM simulation called Union. He enters STEM to find her. The sequel shifted significantly toward a more open world structure with a hub area that could be explored freely between linear story missions. It also gave Sebastian more character development and motivation than the first game provided. The horror was less relentless and more varied, including stealth sections and open exploration. It was generally considered an improvement on the first game by critics and received stronger reviews. Tango Gameworks went on to develop Hi-Fi Rush, a rhythm action game released in 2023 that was a significant departure from horror and a major critical success, before the studio was closed by Microsoft in 2024 in a decision that was widely condemned by the industry.

The Future of The Evil Within

With Tango Gameworks closed, the future of The Evil Within as a franchise is uncertain. The IP is held by Bethesda, now part of Microsoft, but the studio that made the games no longer exists. A third entry had been discussed internally before the closure. Whether Microsoft will revive the franchise with a different developer or leave it dormant remains to be seen.