Do I Need to Play The Evil Within 1 Before The Evil Within 2?

The short answer is no – The Evil Within 2 is designed deliberately for gamers new to the series. While playing the original enriches the experience, Tango Gameworks ensured the sequel can be fully enjoyed as a standalone survival horror title.

As an Evil Within superfan who has eagerly dissected both games, I‘m here to give you the lowdown so you can decide if you want to start with the franchise origin story.

What is The Evil Within Franchise?

(For gamers new to the series!)

The Evil Within series comes from Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami and his studio Tango Gameworks. It aims to revive old school survival horror with limited ammo, terrifying enemies and an intricate world layered in mysticism.

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In The Evil Within 1, you play as detective Sebastian Castellanos who investigates a wicked massacre at a mental hospital. He gets pulled into a reality-bending world called STEM – a brain-linking system created by a twisted scientist named Ruvik.

Inside this haunted realm, nightmarish creatures hunt you relentlessly. With limited supplies, you must unravel Ruvik‘s past while overcoming gruesome bosses and demented traps across 15+ hours of terror.

The Evil Within 2 continues Sebastian‘s depraved misadventures. When Sebastian‘s thought-dead daughter appears inside STEM, he returns to the machine to save her from a new intelligent, ruthless ruler – taking players on another 15+ hour rollercoaster.

Both games deliver panic-inducing scares, jaw-dropping environments and satisfaction from conquering the odds. While the sequel maintains the eerie STEM concept, its realm and threats have expanded.

Now let‘s examine if playing the first chapter is necessary.

Do You Need to Play The Evil Within 1 to Understand 2?

When booting up The Evil Within 2, the opening cinematic rapidly recaps core events so newcomers recognize Sebastian and understand his motivation to rescue his daughter.

As you progress, Sebastian and other characters organically reference the first game when relevant – filling in backstory without confusing those who missed it. Item files and notes litter the world with more subtle links.

So while seasoned fans will get greater resonance from appearances of old favourites like the ominous Safe Haven music, the central premise is not dependent on prior events. The urgently personal stakes around Sebastian‘s daughter make it welcoming for all.

I started with 2 and was instantly gripped without feeling lost. When I eventually played 1, I better understood Sebastian‘s trauma and gained deeper insight into unexplained references like "Beacon" and "STEM".

But this added lore never gatekept my investment in 2‘s story – which still stands independently as a heartfelt examination of paternal redemption against nightmarish odds.

What Are the Benefits of Starting With 1?

For those considering if they should just begin their Evil Within journey with the first game, you‘ll be rewarded with:

More insight into Sebastian as a character: By understanding his emotional baggage earlier on, his obsessive desperation to save his daughter Lily in 2 packs a stronger punch.

Greater familiarity with how messed up STEM is: The first game establishes key rules about this brainworld which make 2 feel like a more intuitive progression.

Recurring elements hit harder: Be it creepy villain Ruvik, places like Beacon Mental Hospital or classic gameplay systems (limited ammo, upgrading from green gel), you‘ll already have relationships.

Length: 1 has about 5 more hours of unique content even without its DLC expansions. You‘ll face completely different areas and bosses.

Appreciation of evolution: 2 makes various quality of life tweaks. Seeing this growth firsthand across both games is satisfying – but not required.

So in summary, The Evil Within 2 delivers a stellar self-contained story but 1 enriches the experience – especially Sebastian‘s inner turmoil. Think of 1 as a Master‘s degree before diving into 2‘s Bachelor.

The Evil Within 2 Review and Franchise Thoughts

As someone who has finished both games, I firmly believe The Evil Within 2 is an improvement and the best way to sample the franchise today.

While 1 has stronger horror set-pieces, 2 balances this with improved combat, more interesting thematic exploration and an extra layer of heart.

Let‘s compare their Steam user review scores:

Critics agree – OpenCritic aggregates 2 at 80% and 1 at 72%.

Unfortunately, 2 had underwhelming initial sales leading Mikami to say "I want to make another…" but the future is uncertain.

As a survival horror fan, I pray we get The Evil Within 3 closure someday. Yet until then, don‘t overlook this creative, disturbing gem – I highly recommend The Evil Within 2 even if you skip the original as it stands tall alone.

Have you played Evil Within 2? Share your thoughts below! For more of my survival horror articles, follow me @HorrorGamerX.