Gameplay
When it comes to gameplay, Resident Evil 7 and The Evil Within 2 have some fundamental differences, but both games allow you to find and upgrade weapons that you can use to defend yourself with.
Resident Evil 7 adopts a first-person perspective, which definitely makes the game feel much more immersive and creepy. The gunplay is tense because of how slowly Ethan reloads his weapons – understandable, since he’s not a trained cop like some of the series’ old heroes. His movement feels slow and clumsy, which I guess kind of adds to the game’s horror, but it also makes it not quite as fun to play.
The game is also a very linear experience, though you’re forced to explore the Baker residence extensively to solve cryptic puzzles, which are par for the course when it comes to Resident Evil. As the game continues, you’ll start to get a bit overpowered as you find strong weapons that can mow down your enemies. The game gets a little more fun to play at this point, though you’ll still have to deal with Ethan’s clunkiness. There are also minor stealth sections during the early hours, where Ethan is forced to hide from Jack when he starts roaming about the house. But thankfully, these mandatory stealth sections are very limited, and it’s not long before the player is allowed to fight back again.
The Evil Within 2, on the other hand, is a third-person shooter game and it features a semi-open world that you can explore, along with a handful of side missions to tackle. This seems like an odd inclusion for a horror game, but somehow it works. The Evil Within 2 really capitalizes on the “survival” aspect of the survival horror genre by encouraging players to explore the environment to find resources that can help them out. The game rewards exploration very well, but it also makes sure that you don’t get anything for free. There are quite a few surprises to be had in the open world, including an optional boss encounter and the ability to save certain NPCs. Surprisingly, the openness of the game never really hurt the pacing because of how it doled out information and lore about STEM to keep you grounded in the story.
The Evil Within 2 also has a far superior crafting and upgrade system as compared to Resident Evil 7. While character upgrades in the latter could feel a little arbitrary at times, The Evil Within 2 makes sure that the core gameplay is always centered around the upgrades that you’ve invested in. Powering up your handgun and stealth capabilities always comes at a price (especially early on in the game), and you’ll have to make hard decisions when trying to craft your healing items and ammo as well. Crafting can be done at a workbench and also while you’re in combat, but combat crafting will always force you to use twice the amount of resources you’d normally need. It’s a really smart system that forces players to weigh the pros and cons of their situation. Do you want to expend extra resources on a medical syringe now, or take a risk and try to run back to the safe house for a free health refill?
Players can also use an awesome crossbow that switches between shock, ice, smoke, explosive, and regular bolts. Perfect for all situations.
Winner: The Evil Within 2 takes this easily. It’s just a lot more fun to play because of the better variety in weaponry, and the depth of the crafting and upgrading systems.
