If not scary, try to imagine that you are not. You do not feel, you do not think, you cannot elementarily realize yourself. It doesn't work out? Everything is true, it should be so. Reason is a complex system, it will never allow you just to take and turn off herself. The brain needs excuses. He is glad to be deceived. You are not afraid to fall asleep, turning off consciousness, because you know that you will definitely wake up.
Your mind is a whole world where amazing creatures live, strange things happen and whole endless realities are created. Infinite many infinite realities. Worlds where other people can live well. But do you want to share your wealth with them while they are trying to deceive your mind? Spoil your world, playing not according to the rules?
Earlier in the series: This text is the third of the cycle devoted to the analysis The Evil Within. And, of course, it is full of spoilers, so it’s better not to read further if the game has not passed and the first DLC. And if you have passed, then be sure to first read the two previous texts: “Sleep of the Mind of Shinji Mikami” and “A ray of light in the Dark Kingdom”.
The evolution of consciousness
IN The CONSEQUENCE Everything is explained by the most direct text, so that it even get to the most inaccessible ones – and this, in fact, is the only negative. If you do not just run and shoot in games, but prefer to study every corner and think, then half of the dialogs will seem at least strange to you. Julia Kidman, sent to virtual reality, the agent of the mysterious organization Mobius, had long had to understand how, what and why was going on here. Even you guessed (or read the analysis of the plot on the "gambling"), but it is not.
► however, this story focuses not so much on Ruben and his scientific tragedy as on the personalities of Julia, Sebastian Castellanos and Joseph.
But at the same time, events continue to intertwine in a ball, which will not be so easy to unravel. From the additions to The Evil Within (the latter will be released soon) if you wish, you can easily collect a full continuation, so responsibly approached them Shinji Mikami. Great design, new gameplay moves, great significance for the plot – no one makes downloaded additions today today.
► c The CONSEQUENCE , As in the previous addition, the emphasis is on stealth, although you will have to shoot. “I will not hide anymore,” Julia says.
► There is a fundamentally new mechanics. At a certain moment, Julia is taken away from the flashlight, so you have to cover the path with the help of luminous sticks.
And "significance" here is not just a beautiful word. New variables like the mysterious employer of Julia appear in the additions, it is demonstrated what happened outside the story of Sebastian Castellanos (sometimes literally in the next room), and at the end there is a character that turns the whole story upside down. What will happen next? Now it is almost impossible to predict this.
Evil everywhere
But the main intrigue, of course, is still in the hands of Ruvik (by the way, here we were mistaken-Ruben Viktorino did not choose a new name for himself). How real is the world that creates the brain immersed in the flask? Can he create an infinite number of worlds within this world, as the brain can, being in a dream, and how real they will be?
► Joseph's table. Sebastian's partner is a big lover of sushi!
► Sebastian table. Perhaps the answer to the question why Sebastian “jumps” through the mirrors, right in front of us.
► Sebastian table after the tragedy. It was then that he was addicted to smoking.
Scientist Ruben Victoriano, creating a STEM artificial reality machine, did not seek excuses for his mind – he overcame this barrier and created a world inside himself, subject only to him. The perfect world for yourself and your sister. But everything went wrong: Myobius, which invested in the development of the machine, did not want to understand the scientist’s plan – his brain was placed in a flask and used dirtyly for commercial purposes. But can a person’s consciousness who has accumulated power in the virtual world can penetrate reality?
► Man’s Life billboard (Favorite Sebastian magazine?). All the TVs that you can find in the game, this is exactly this brand. A direct hint that everything on the other side of the screen is one big illusion.
Parallels with " Matrix "Vachovski (and that, in turn, turned to the Bible) become more and more obvious. Remember, neo becomes chosen in the virtual world – an anomaly that can rewrite the program code from the inside of this very code. Actually turn water into wine, as Jesus did in our world. But remember Smith's agent, the opposing force created by the matrix itself to combat anomaly – the force that then turned into a virus and … escaped into a real world, penetrating the human body from the flesh and blood.
Shinji Mikami tells us a very similar story: “In theory, the owner can record himself on top of the user,” says the scientist who worked on STEM. But, in order to get into reality, Ruvik needs Leslie – vulnerable to psychological intervention Catatonik.
► Leslie's relatives were killed before his eyes, so he is perfectly compatible with Ruben. But no one took into account Sebastian Castellanos, who also survived such a tragedy.
Together with our reader under the nickname Code_Red, we found out that in the end The Evil Within Sebastian Castellanos after all, apparently, returns to the real world.
However, if you recall the very beginning of the game, this conclusion should be called into question: when Sebastian only ended up in the Mayak hospital, he immediately met Ruvik, and the police bodies in the lobby lay in exactly the same poses as in the end. And this means that Ruvik went through Leslie not into the real world, but only in another layer of virtuality and, apparently, was deceived by himself. Here Shinji Mikami turns to another cult work – “ 13th floor ", Where the real world was not at all as real as the main characters believed.
The human brain can create an infinite number of realities, which means that if we understand everything correctly, evil is still inside. The mind will not just let it turn off itself, it needs to be cheated. Isn't that what they are busy with Mobius now?
► STEM first prototype. Wired.
► apparently, the second prototype STEM. Still wired. However, the audio days say that in the end it became possible to abandon the wires – it is enough to let a special sound signal. But Sebastian still wakes up in the bath. And this also confirms the theory of endless realities within one reality.
“A man from Mobius … long ago he came here, wanting to get some kind of strength-such a text can be found in The CONSEQUENCE , If you collect all scraps of the letter. “As for you … Kid … even if you run away, I will leave my sign on you, as I left on it”. This can mean only one thing: Ruben's mind Victoriano omnesesch, and even if someone runs into the real world, Ruben will run away with him. It will be Julia Kidman? It is likely.
► The idea that Julia received hacker abilities in the world of Ruvik from her employers, now also can be called into question. Or not…
* * *
Sinji Mikami created perhaps the most intriguing work of recent years https://sister-site.org/triumph-casino/. A work that is worthy of analysis of the plot for several hundred pages, as well as Silent Hill. But there are still too many questions left, and if the next addition, in which, it seems, we will play for Ruvik himself, will answer them too simply, then for people who love to study and dig, this will be a great disappointment. Will there be evil inside, or the next part The Evil Within It is worth calling The Evil Outside? We are waiting.
Pleased
Sharped
- The story continues and is more and more intriguing;
- new game mechanics;
- New details from the life of characters.
- Explanations with the expectation of the poor;
- What happens at all?! Aaaa!
How we played
What: The addition was bought by the author after the release. On what: PS4 How many: three hours, except for long pauses to comprehend the plot
"Achivka" of the editorial office
Complete dive
Fall asleep tonight and be inside the world of Ruben Victoriano.
Site assessment
7.5
Fine
Verdict
The Evil Within beautiful and without additions, but it becomes even more confusing with them. The CONSEQUENCE answers questions to which we already know the answer. But the intrigue has no end. Bravo, Mikami-san! You don't stop surprising.