If Mikami doesn't put his hand in a game (see Resident Evil 1, 4 and Evil Within 1) it won't be a horror masterpiece. That's exactly what happens here.
It is based on stealth (a basic element of horror), the enemies are very resilient and fast, but as dark, sinister and interesting the first one was, the more boring and mediocre this one is. It didn't learn from its predecessor. It relies on stealth, on inaccurate and weak weapons, to balance its inability to offer us a terrifying experience. The reason for its failure as a horror game is simple: the bright and surreal environments, the funny design of the enemies, the weak villains, the overall sentiment in the scenario, based on a family drama (the dad looking for his daughter and finding his lost wife in there, whom he loses again), make it more of a "romantic" movie taken from cinema rather than a horror and suspense game. Only Kidman stood out as a character in this (and the minimally appearing Modius responsible) rather than Sebastian and the bad guys, with their funny motives, one being a failed artist and the other a pastor dreaming of becoming something like the new Pope Innocent III.
Mediocre to slightly good as a game. The classic mode is a good experience, less torturous than the akumu. At its price, for someone who hasn't played it, it's tolerable.

Having played both games in the series, I am relatively divided on the second one. Let me explain:

1.) The city in which the story takes place is called Union. Although it is indeed beautifully designed, the inclusion of open-world elements worked negatively because it takes away the feeling of claustrophobia. If you attract many zombies, you can simply run until they lose sight of you. Additionally, you can spam stealth kills from the bushes and kill them one by one until none are left standing.

2.) The two main villains (Stefano Valentini and Father Theodore) although interesting as personalities, do not reach the sadism and obsession of Ruvik from the first game.

3.) However, the bosses and all the enemies that chase you (Anima, Guardian, Lost, Obscura, etc.) are quite spooky and equal to those in the first game (if not better).

4.) Too many guns... they didn't need so many. It is survival horror, after all, not action. The machine gun and flamethrower shouldn't even exist.

5.) The ending, although fantastic with a crazy twist, seemed like it was taken from an action movie, which doesn't fit the genre of the game.

6.) The description of the plot is mainly done through exposition, meaning many times you will catch Sebastian talking to himself just to explain the plot to you. The first game told you to "fall and swim, I don't care, figure it out on your own," which I liked more because it felt like you were stepping into the detective's shoes. In the second game, they explain even the most trivial details and the whole mystery just disappears.

7.) The crafting system often reminded me of Dying Light. In general, in many aspects, the game was unoriginal, from the perspective that it had elements from many mainstream survival horror titles. The first one was completely unique and original.

It was logical for there to be such big changes, of course. In the first game, the game director was Shinji Mikami, who is considered one of the top designers in the Survival Horror field, while in the second one, he was just a supervisor, passing on his position to John Johanas, who is quite young and not as experienced.

As for the third part of the series, it is speculated that it will be released around 2021 after the launch of the PS5, as the team behind The Evil Within (Tango Gameworks) is working on another title called Ghostwire Tokyo, so patience is required.

Overall, it was a worthy game, easily an 8/10, maybe even a 9, but the first one, for me, would get a perfect 10.

Evil Within 2 is a quite enjoyable horror game with clear improvements in various areas compared to its predecessor, but also with a relative downgrade in others. The positive change starts, I would say, with the graphics, which is probably the first thing that every player notices when starting a new title. There is clear progress here, with most scenes being very good to impressive. As for the sound, although the effects are relatively poor in quality, they are satisfactory and better developed than in the previous title. There are also many unexpected small noises from both the speakers and the controller, with the ability to create jump scares and keep the player constantly on edge, which is entertaining when dealing with a horror game. In terms of gameplay, more action has been added with more weapons and combat elements, as well as small open world sections in some chapters with many animations and events happening throughout the map, featuring completely unpredictable and extremely dangerous enemies on high difficulty levels. Unfortunately, in the technical aspect, the company's engine did not perform as it should, struggling to maintain a framerate of 30fps, resulting in the camera and controls being tiresome, especially on a conventional console like the PS4 Slim. Additionally, the addition of a first-person mode without having a PS4 Pro is not advisable, as things become worse and the image causes dizziness in the first few seconds. The story also lost the charm it had in Evil Within 1, becoming more of a family adventure with indifferent dialogues in several moments, particularly from the protagonist's side, lacking mystery and suspense. In conclusion, as a title, despite the negatives, it is worth it, especially considering its price. Those who have already engaged with the previous chapter of the story will definitely appreciate the new additions to the overall experience. There are many moments of horror and intensity, and it achieves its purpose as a final result. Perhaps with better optimization and a richer story, we could have had an even better work, but overall, it is very satisfying. Give it a try.

In the second part of the story, there has been a significant improvement in terms of graphics and sound. However, there are many negatives that overall make the game worse compared to its predecessor. Initially, the idea of an open-world horror game doesn't seem to work to a great extent, as it seems to mostly copy the first Silent Hill and doesn't fit well with the title's story. Additionally, I missed the battles with mini bosses that occurred in the first game, as the only difference that happens during most of the gameplay is a singing spirit that appears without warning (creepy, but not as impressive compared to the enemies in the first game).

While it starts off very strong as a story, with the villain photographing his victims as he kills them and freezes them in time, it quickly loses its identity and becomes chaotic, as the player is forced to backtrack a lot within the map.

I liked the idea of replenishing life by having Sebastian drink coffee and becoming rejuvenated, but I didn't click with the conversion of the supply creation system through the workshop, while at the same time, the range of abilities that the user can choose to upgrade the detective has been greatly reduced. On the other hand, the monsters, although quite scary, now resemble Resident Evil, thus destroying the uniqueness of the enemies in the first game. Of course, I can't overlook the fact that when you collect supplies and look under cars, an enemy can jump out and hit you hard, as you don't have much reaction time, especially on the nightmare difficulty level. There were countless times when my character died because I was low on life and as I was searching for bullets, a monster killed me under a vehicle. The crossbow continues to be a bad weapon, while the new electric bolts, on the highest difficulty level, do absolutely nothing to the enemies, even if the area is flooded with water.

In conclusion, I would say that I was disappointed, as it has some good elements, but they are overshadowed by the many more negatives.

The first Evil Within was a decent title, a true Survival/Horror game with a very imposing atmosphere. Evil Within 2 is all of that in an enhanced version. We are talking about a title that all fans of the traditional Survival/Horror genre, like the one introduced to us with the first Resident Evil, will love and should have in their collection.

Aesthetically, the game is beautiful. It takes clear inspiration from other games of the genre, as well as from movies (Matrix, Inception) and successful TV series (e.g. Hannibal). The game - although it doesn't explicitly say it - is practically divided into 2 parts, but still maintains the same high level of quality. It is a "fulfilling" and enjoyable title, and an excellent addition to the Horror category.

POSITIVES:

+ Excellent, genuine Horror aesthetics and atmosphere.
+ Satisfying duration, close to 14 hours.
+ Good replay value. After completion, the player unlocks several bonuses.
+ The Survival element adds extra value to the gameplay and gives more weight to the player's choices.

NEGATIVES:

- The story is a bit messy. However, the second half is exceptional, but it gives you the feeling that it is slightly disconnected from the first half, despite the common main objective.

It is worth its price. The pricing at around 20-30 euros is fair, a must-buy for Horror fans.