Remember back in the day when we were getting excited about Hideo Kojima’s newest Silent Hill? Sony released PT – Playable Trailer – for the Norman Reedus-led video game. Sony introduced us to the claustrophobic halls of the trailer’s setting and the terrifying apparition of Lisa. Well, Konami canceled Silent Hills, and Hideo Kojima left Sony, but PT is still inspiring gaming companies. JanduSoft S.L. brings us Evil Inside, a first-person psychological horror game influenced by the late PT.

Oh, hi Mark.

After his father is framed for his Mother’s murder, Mark uses a spiritual board to contact her. But it fades away, and his journey through fear and toward the truth begins. What entails is a frightening mission to reassemble the spiritual board’s scattered fragments to speak to his Mother and discover what happened.

The main character of Evil Inside is a teenaged boy named Mark. After the events left him essentially without parents, Mark becomes his little brother’s caretaker. Visions and fears torment Mark, and the mysterious house he winds up intakes hold of his inner demons. He will face himself in ways unimaginable while being tormented by paranormal events. Players may question what is ‘real’ as everything within Mark’s home continually changing. The atmosphere changes, as do his surroundings as he anxiously explores the house. Objects fade in and out of existence, entire corridors flash red, and a supernatural spirit stalks the home, chasing and retreating from Mark.

In terms of gameplay, Evil Inside is not another action-horror game. Don’t expect to brandish weapons against the evil within (I had to. I’ve been struggling not to type ‘Evil Within’ for the game’s title). Also, the player will move slowly through the home without a sprint action insight. The lack of sprint may irk impatient players like myself, so I hope the horror elements are well done and keep me immersed.

Is Evil Inside just a PT clone?

Many believe Evil Inside is a ripoff of PT. Technically, yes. As far as I could tell, the developers ripped part of the building from Sony’s Playable Trailer. The game also adopts other elements such as extra footsteps echoing as you move. In PT, this was a sign that Lisa, the apparition, is with you during exploration.

While the visuals are in line with the Silent Hills teaser, their graphical presentation is not. However, fans looking to soften the blow of Silent Hills cancelation can turn to Evil Inside. You know, until Konami releases an official new entry of the Silent Hill series. 

Find out if Evil Inside will scratch your horror itch on March 25th for PC, PS4, and PS5. JanduSoft S.L. offers a free ‘prologue’ demo on Steam for anyone interested.

Edited 6:04PM, 3/9/2021 to clarify that Konami, not Sony, canceled Silent Hills.