History YMMV / TheEvilWithin

* GoodBadBugs: You shoot anything your aiming reticle is pointing at, literally. If an object blocks the camera's view of Seb, he can shoot forward and somehow put a bullethole in the obstruction directly behind him.

** Laura's piercing death cry would normally be terrifying, but if you're skilled and/or lucky enough to successfully fight off and kill her, it'll be ''music to your ears''.

** The last boss fight against Laura is ''so'' difficult to deal with, and the margin for error to avoid her OneHitKill is ''so'' slim, that you can't help always feeling as though you barely escaped the encounter with your life; that's because ''you did''.

** The trap disarming minigame can become increasingly frustrating as the game goes on, as it requires increasing levels of precision to not blow the trap up and instantly die. This is only compounded if you play on PS3 (and possibly Xbox 360) as there is a bit of input lag that requires you to press the button a moment earlier than you think you should. And once again, if you get the timing wrong you are dead. The only other alternative is to shoot traps that are unavoidable, but with that you both spend precious ammo and lose out on materials for your crossbow from the trap itself, a double whammy of not good.

* MemeticBadass: All hail Broseph, unstoppable Haunted slayer, capable of shrugging off [[LetsPlay/{{Markiplier}} arrows to the brain]] or worse, and taking [[RevivingEnemy the Keeper]] out for good in a single blow if the truckloads of fanart are any indication. Some people even forget he ever wielded anything other than an axe. The fact that he is descended from a clan of {{ninja}} according to WordOfGod does not dissuade this attitude at all.

* ItsHardSoItSucks: The biggest criticism of the game is its immense difficulty, which is what led to the above-mentioned patch that lowered said difficulty. [[CheckpointStarvation There's often pretty long intervals in-between each checkpoint]], enemies are fast and pack quite a punch, most of the bosses can kill you [[OneHitKill in one hit]], and resources are more of a hit and miss.

* AuthorsSavingThrow: The widescreen and difficulty were points of contention among many people, with the widescreen generally seen as distracting rather than cinematic, and the difficulty considered too punishing and unfair. The game was patched around June 2015, to allow you to remove the Letterboxing, allowing you to play in fullscreen, and altering Casual Difficulty to be more merciful; Haunted are much less likely to revive once dropped, the odds of scoring critical headshots are higher, bomb disarming never increases in speed, and bosses are just as lethal as always, but take a lot less firepower to kill.

* MemeticBadass: All hail [[AnAxeToGrind Broseph]], unstoppable Haunted slayer, capable of shrugging off [[LetsPlay/{{Markiplier}} arrows to the brain]] or worse, and taking [[RevivingEnemy the Keeper]] out for good in a single blow if the truckloads of fanart are any indication. Some people even forget he ever wielded anything other than an axe. The fact that he is descended from a clan of {{ninja}} according to WordOfGod does not dissuade this attitude at all.

* BestLevelEver: Chapter 9 is praised by many as being the strongest chapter in the game. It has a great atmosphere that is an {{Expy}} to the mansion from VideoGame/ResidentEvil, features the first time in the game where [[BigBad Ruvik]] actively hunts you down, has some interesting puzzles, [[spoiler: and explains the backstory of Ruvik]].

** The final upgrade to the vanilla harpoon for the Agony Crossbow is incendiary. Since fire is a one-hit kill to most common enemies in the game, it can make later levels an absolute cakewalk: the bolts are as cheap to make as ever and work wonders on some of the nastier enemies like the above-mentioned Alter Egos and Doppelgangers.

** Their grunts and moans of pain or exhaustion sound rather suggestive out of context. After the Sentry's attack when Sebastian helps carry an injured Joseph to safety, if you aren't watching the events, it legitimately sounds like [[UpToEleven they're having sex]].

* EnjoyTheStorySkipTheGame: Some players focus more on the story than enjoying the gameplay; the gameplay is by no means bad, but its high difficulty and sometimes clunky controls were seen as turn off. The story, on the other hand, is very complex, with players attempting to put together the puzzle and [[http://augur-of-ebrietas.tumblr.com/post/117276775607/im-going-to-talk-about-inconsistencies-between create analytical theories.]]

* MoralEventHorizon: The villagers cross it when they [[spoiler:burn down the Victoriano's barn, even after one man says that he can hear children playing inside]]. Judging by how one of the first places you visit is based on their rural village, one can only imagine how Ruvik made these guys suffer for that. It's a little harder to place exactly where Ruvik himself passed it, but [[spoiler:killing his father for locking him away, along with his innocent mother]], seems the best candidate.

* InterfaceScrew: Punching can become a viable method of combat late in the game, especially with the brass knuckles. However, the button for punching is the same for stomping and kicking on fallen enemies. For some reason, Sebastian sometimes prioritizes kicking a dead enemy on the ground over punching an enemy running toward you.

* NarmCharm: The final battle is utterly ridiculous, but it's still awesome.
* NightmareFuel: Has [[NightmareFuel/TheEvilWithin a page]].

* FoeYay: Fans have ''latched'' on to one of the speeches [[BigBad Ruvik]] gives to Sebastian:

* MemeticMolester: Ruvik. As if his speech in the elevator wasn't [[FoeYay suggestive]] enough, it is also implied that he [[http://tenaflyviper.tumblr.com/tagged/RUBLES-WHY-ARE-YOU-BITING-PEOPLE left Sebastian a bite mark]] after their first encounter.

* EnjoyTheStorySkipTheGame: On the flip side, other players focus more on the story than enjoying the gameplay, attempting to put together the puzzle and [[http://augur-of-ebrietas.tumblr.com/post/117276775607/im-going-to-talk-about-inconsistencies-between create analytical theories.]]

* PlayTheGameSkipTheStory: Some players play the game and choose to avoid searching for collectibles that aid in the understanding of the story, believing it to be a nonsensical, convoluted plot

* MagnificentBastard: Ruvik. Despite the interference of Sebastian and co., and due in part to the PoorCommunicationKills on the good guys's part, he manages to outmaneuver them all and [[spoiler:is implied to have [[TheBadGuyWins successfully possessed Leslie's body]].]]

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The main theme, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8iZA9gTvV8 "Long Way Down"]], is creepy, sinister, and quite awesome, with its morose acoustic guitar and vocals provided by Music/GaryNuman. Yes, ''that'' Gary Numan.

* TheWoobie: Leslie Withers. The Woobie [[https://sowhosscarynow.tumblr.com/post/118052133666/what-are-those-red-splits-under-leslies-eyes-and is]] [[https://sowhosscarynow.tumblr.com/post/114082275896/tenaflyviper-sowhosscarynow-i-dont-normally#notes strong]] [[https://sowhosscarynow.tumblr.com/post/114085300271/tenaflyviper-it-just-occurred-to-me-leslie#notes with]] this one. Throughout the entire game he's pursued by people who wish to possess him, kill him, or cause him intense pain for the sake of the greater good. His DarkAndTroubledPast (his parents abandoning him, notes detailing about how he became mentally ill when having seen his family get killed right before him as well as the implications that he was abused/neglected by his caretakers, given the state of his body) and his nervous, child-like demeanor due to his mental disorders only cement his status as one.