THE EVIL WITHIN 2

Hellacious horror sequel looks surprisingly snap happy Format PS4 ETA 13 Oct Pub Bethesda Dev Tango Gameworks

As far as apt release dates go, this gruesome horror sequel is brilliantly on-brand. Yup, The Evil Within 2 launches on 13 October and, wouldn’t you know, said date just happens to be a Friday. Sorry Mr Voorhees – you can’t have it all your way.

The debut trailer for this follow-up to the murderously macabre Shinji Mikami fright fest packs in a lot of classic horror tropes. Creepy cult leaders; even creepier little girls; circling crows; and, of course… um, a rocking cover of Duran Duran’s Ordinary World. Terror, thy name is a synthpop band from Birmingham.

There’s an emphasis on photography at several points throughout the trailer, and judging by a screen of a fiery crossbow, the corpse-burning antics of the original return. The teaser’s most intriguing scene revolves around a soon-to-be-dead dude trapped in a state of (levitating) suspended animation, as if some evil force has trapped him in Bullet Time purgatory. It looks like detective Sebastian Castellanos has also returned, and his reaction to the devil child being set ablaze during a satanic ritual in the woods hints at a possible family connection.

AIN’T IT BLOODY COOL

The 2014 original had some fabulous ideas (some of the bosses were superbly inventive) but the game’s engine really struggled at points to keep up. Here’s hoping the sequel can provide all the chills and thrills of the first game, hopefully minus those annoying bouts of immersionruining slowdown.