Parents' Guide to

The Evil Within 2

By Paul Semel, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Scary, bloody, mature action game brings plenty of thrills.

The Evil Within 2 Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

Community Reviews

age 13+

Based on 6 parent reviews

age 16+

A dark and bloody tale, but not as horrific as the first game.

While the first game went for visceral horror as much as creeping terror, the second game is toned down somewhat in both respects. It's still scary in places and still extremely violent, but not the constant horror-show you might expect after playing the first game. Still not for young kids - several enemy designs are very disturbing, and it's still a game about madness and murder, but Evil Within 2 can be considered less shocking/provocative than the original and offers a more rounded experience.
age 10+

I think as long as kids have an experience with t rated games I think that they should be allowed to play it. good game with good spooks

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (6):
Kids say (11):

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.

Game Details

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