The Evil Within is a developed by and published by . The game was directed by series creator and was released worldwide in October 2014 for , , , , and .
The game centers on protagonist Sebastian Castellanos as he is pulled through a distorted world full of nightmarish locations and horrid creatures. Played in a perspective, players battle disfigured nightmare-like enemies, including , using guns and melee weapons, and progress through the levels, avoiding traps, using , and finding collectables.
The Evil Within received a generally positive reception upon release; praise was mostly directed at the game's horror elements and atmosphere, while criticism was directed at the game's story, characters and technical issues. A sequel, , was released on October 13, 2017.The story is arranged in chapters, which players complete in order to progress through the story. The game is played from a perspective in which scavenging for supplies and learning when to fight or run are key factors in surviving the dangers of the game. Such dangers include: bear traps, barbed wire traps, bombs, and spike traps; 'The Haunted', the game's most common enemy; 'Reborn Laura', a multi limbed, long haired, crawling creature; Ruvik, the game's main antagonist; 'The Keeper', a large humanoid with a safe as a head who wields a large meat tenderizer hammer; and 'Sadist', a large humanoid wearing a spiked metal mask on his face, wielding a chainsaw covered in blood.
Sebastian Castellanos, the protagonist, needs to make use of the environment and things he may find in order to survive. The game world can transform during scripted events and as a result of player actions, altering locations and creating new paths or teleporting the player to new areas. Castellanos must use medical items to restore health; some of these items cause temporary hallucinogenic effects. By collecting vials of 'Green Gel' hidden throughout the game, players can upgrade Castellanos' abilities; more ammunition, extra stamina, and additional health are some of the upgrades.
Players have a safe house called 'Safe Haven' that can be accessed during scripted events and by finding mirrors. The safe house is a and has several accessible areas such as a , an upgrade room (where the player may upgrade Sebastian's skills), and the safe room where keys are used to open storage safes which contain useful items such as green gel and ammunition. These keys are collected by finding and breaking 'Madonna' statues hidden throughout the game's levels. There is a nurse called Tatiana who greets Sebastian when he teleports to the safe house.
