Parents' Guide to The Evil Within 2

While this is yet another survival horror game where you have to survive frightening situations, its heightened focus on stealth helps it stand out from other titles in the genre. In The Evil Within 2, you explore a freaky world full of bizarre creatures. While there are numerous sections that are about exploring and solving puzzles, large chunks of the game have you wandering around a strange suburb, where you have to use stealth to get past local residents -- who are real monsters -- on your way to complete objectives, or you're forced to kill them quickly before they overwhelm you.

Unfortunately, this is where the game becomes divisive. Because of the street maps and design of the suburb, there are times when you're forced into stealth play to continue, instead of trying to sneak up behind monsters in an attempt to kill them quietly and reduce the threat to your character. That can be challenging, especially if you're used to more action gameplay instead of sticking to the shadows. It also doesn't help that your hero frequently turns his flashlight off without reason and often strolls instead of runs, even when monsters are around -- and even when he does run, it drains his stamina meter, which can be vital to his survival. But many of these problems can be seen as mostly matters of personal preference. When the gameplay gets good, and it frequently does, it's a chilling, disturbing adventure, one that does such a good job of mixing stealth, scares, and shooting gameplay that it's like taking the action of Resident Evil 4 and setting it in the town from Silent Hill. This is why, despite its issues, The Evil Within 2 is a frightening good time.