Announced at E3 earlier this year and due in October—on Friday the 13th, no less—The Evil Within 2 revisits the seemingly perpetual struggles of intrepid cop-turned-fallen hero Sebastian Castellanos. Weaving a more personalised tale this time round, Shinji Mikami's frightful sequel will adopt a more psychological horror-leaning guise than its forerunner.
That's according to Tango Gamesworks' John Johanas who, while speaking at a Bethesda Live Q&A session, suggested action fans can expect some similarly fraught set pieces as per the original game, but that The Evil Within 2 will double down on psychological horror.
"Action fans will not be disappointed, but also people who like slower paced horror will also find a game that they can enjoy," says Johanas in the video below. "The gameplay is always about overcoming that horror—we rarely put you in a situation where there's nothing that you can do about that, it's always about tackling that with the supplies that you have."
Johanas goes on to say that The Evil Within 2's maps are more open in design, and therefore players will be granted more freedom to explore. As for its horror, though, this game takes a more introspective look at protagonist Sebastian Castellanos, in turn ramping up its psychological tension.
"I think this time we really pushed the psychological horror aspect much harder than in the first game," Johanas adds. "Fans of gore and of the first game—there are scenes where you will not be disappointed. It is a much more personal story for Sebastian so there a lot of things tied to him and the struggles that he's going through. The shape of the reality around you is much more tied to a more psychological feel."
Elsewhere above, Johanas briefly mentions the game's bolstered upgrade system and confirms Castellanos is still as unfit as ever—as reflected by his inability to sprint longer than five seconds. Now that's horrific.
The Evil Within 2 is due October 13, 2017. Here's why I loved giving the original game a second chance.