Tango Gameworks and Bethesda’s The Evil Within is a masterclass in surrealist horror. The Evil Within’s marriage of psychological survival-horror and gruesome third-person action originated from Tango’s Shinji Mikami of Resident Evil fame, but while it was successful enough to greenlight a sequel, The Evil Within has not presented any supposed plans to continue. In the case that The Evil Within does continue, there are multiple routes it could take.
The original The Evil Within centered more around claustrophobic corridors and psychological imagery, while the sequel introduced a miniature open-world neighborhood with side quests. Both had their fans, and it would be exciting to see where Tango could take a threequel. That said, the more likely option would be for Tango to either remake or remaster The Evil Within for modern audiences to assess whether it could still have franchise potential with new players.
The Evil Within Could Be Remade or Remastered for New Audiences
If The Evil Within received a remake, an argument would surely be made that it does not need one. Remakes are commonly precluded by the idea that the game is old or outdated, and thus in need of a substantial enhancement to visuals and gameplay that could modernize it for a new generation. Fans can decide for themselves whether The Evil Within or its sequel are outdated, but as the original game nears its tenth anniversary in a couple of years, it seems fair to assess whether a remake or remaster could be on the table.
The Evil Within has the same awkward content as any other third-person action game, but its movement and stamina are a point of contention that a remake or remaster could improve upon. It is understood that The Evil Within’s terrible stamina management was purposeful to prevent players from sprinting away freely from enemies, but it hardly makes sense that Sebastian Castellanos cannot run for 10 seconds without being winded and staggered.
There are multiple quality-of-life improvements a remake could introduce to The Evil Within that would help its gameplay feel modern. Meanwhile, graphical updates would keep the same tone and atmosphere that the original The Evil Within has, but with current-gen visuals and performance.
It is unfortunate that the franchise has seemingly not done well enough to continue, but a remake or remaster could potentially reinvent it in a more favorable way. Narrative details could also be changed if a remake was considered, but that would likely be best reserved for a new sequel or unrelated entry in The Evil Within’s canon.
The Evil Within Could Receive a Threequel
If for no other reason, The Evil Within could receive a remake or remaster to rejuvenate the franchise and open the door to another sequel. Alan Wake Remastered was a basic graphical update that seemingly launched in an attempt to remind fans of its franchise and invite in a new generation to prepare for the upcoming sequel. The Evil Within could indulge in a similar marketing strategy to propel it into another sequel. A substantial remake with actual changes to gameplay would be preferred, but a simple remaster would also be exciting now that current-gen graphics and performance have paved the way for ray-tracing, VRR support, and more.
The Evil Within’s enormous pools of blood could look incredible with lapping waves as players wade through them. Further, The Evil Within enemies such as Laura would look fantastic with better detailing on their hideously creative character models. If a complete sequel or unrelated entry was announced, it too would surely have graphics rivaling that of other modern survival-horror games.
Even though Sebastian’s narrative seems to have concluded at the end of The Evil Within 2, it is plausible that he could return in another installment. Otherwise, it would be great to see a new installment take place in a different location with different characters to wholly reinvent the franchise and perhaps steer it in another direction that Tango could sustain.
Tango has since developed Ghostwire: Tokyo, which originated as The Evil Within 3. There have seemingly been no plans to exhume The Evil Within since, but there is more potential with Tango’s debut franchise, and it would be a shame to see it shelved indefinitely.
The Evil Within is available on PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.