It's a very competent Metroidvania with a Bloodborne-esque tone. Does have a few serious design flaws, but it still plays well enough and is well worth it for a few dollars if the price ever reaches that point. Would give it a 3.5 if I could, but would rather lean towards 4. One thing that really stands out is the soundtrack. Does a terrific job setting the mood for any given area. Weirdly, the overall art style is a bit at odds with the morbid tone and setting, but oh, well. It's done so well it's hard to care.
It might not be the most modern beat'em up, but as a sequel to a long dormant franchise, it does a terrific job delivering the classical Streets of Rage experience. It might not take as many steps forward as it should have during that time, but when you're just looking to see ANY continuation of the series, SoR4 meets expectations and surpasses them while still remaining very faithful to the franchise. That in itself is very impressive. For fans. For non-fans, it might feel a little antiquated. The game does have a few bugs and missing features, and there are some obvious omissions from the roster, but there is a good chance all of this will be added in time. The fighters you can unlock is already an impressive list and includes the entire cast from the previous games, including one boss (not sure why people are saying these characters aren't unlockable). The only real flaw is with the GoG version due to the lack of online.
Evil Within 2 improves on many aspects of the original, including in the gameplay department. In that sense alone it is a very good game that is well worth your time. Where TEW2 differs from the first is its focus on fundamental gameplay mechanics over inventiveness and raw survival horror. TEW liked to challenge the player with all sorts of unusual situations and freaky frights, although in employing these challenges that game presented a number of frustrations and awkwardness that robbed the joy out of many segments. There are only so many invincible monsters you can run away from before it gets old. There was a bit too much hit or miss in TEW. TEW2 eschews much of that and settles on a simpler formula, although in doing so loses a fair bit of its charm. It's still horrific, and you still face off with many ghoulies and sneak by ghosts. So if you're just looking for a solid horror-based TPS that offers a decent run time and a fair bit of replay value, much like a modern Resident Evil game, this game is satisfy. If you're looking for something freakier and weirder like a Silent Hill, you might be disappointed by how much this game differs from the first.
This is a gorgeous game with a heart wrenching story and a terrific soundtrack, but the heavy platforming elements aren't precision perfect. With a controller, you need to adjust the sensitivities somehow with some buttons because a few abilities go off way too easily, which will get you killed. Game makes use of a manual "save anywhere" system, but the game takes full advantage of this by constantly throwing tough challenges at you. The game's most intense "escape" sequences are more trial and error more than anything else. Great game, but full of moments you will never want to replay again. Worth it for at least one 10 hour playthrough if you appreciate Metroidvanias and artistry, but don't play if you have problems with stress.
