The Evil Within comes to us from the originator of the survival horror genre, Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami...and boy does it not disappoint. The demo I played was set in a mansion turned insane asylum and I haven't played anything that felt this much like the original Resident Evil since it's soon to be HDified GameCube remake.
The game controls very much like RE 4, but with a few twists here and there. Weapons and consumables can be mapped to the Dpad to allow for on the fly weapon switching and healing. In addition to the standard aim, shoot, and strafe your character comes equipped with a lantern which you will need at times to light your way through this very dark game (trust me, this is not a bad thing). However, when you use the lantern enemies will see the light and began to search for you, sometimes coming from other rooms. You will know though when an enemy has spotted signs of you as a small searching eye icon appears on screen.
Speaking of the enemies they add oodles of atmosphere to an all ready creepy game. They come in all shapes, sizes, and speeds and are wonderfully gruesome and disfigured thanks to the high level of patient care at this asylum. Also, very much like the GameCube RE-make (see what I did there?) once you have killed an enemy they aren't really dead until you light their corpse on fire, lest they eventually get back up again..stronger then before.
The setting of the demo, the previously mentioned mansion turned asylum, offered a lot of great puzzles and interactivity. The obligatory and RE-like notes and files are scattered throughout the asylum, adding to the story. The objective of the demo was to open this large locked door that was sealed with three locks, each locked was opened by finding a human brain and stabbing electrodes into until you hit the correct portion of brain being talked about (eg. fear center, pleasure center). Running even further with the whole asylum setting is the games upgrade system. Throughout the game you will collect vials of green goo, which give you brain points, these points can then be exchanged for various weapon and player upgrades. However, the upgrade system is pretty out there, you strap yourself into an electric chair and give yourself shock therapy in order activate the upgrades!
Last but certainly not least, throughout the game you are being pursued by this mysterious ghostly figure. This ghost will randomly appear in the game and chase you down and kill you unless you are able to hide from it under a bed, in closet, or in any other hiding place that may present itself.
All in all I can not tell you how much I enjoyed this game and was so happy to play a "real" survival horror game, from the man that created the genre. The Evil Within is a definite must buy!