The Art of The Evil Within

The Art of The Evil Within is a comprehensive look at the twisted new survival horror game by the legendary Shinji Mikami—creator of Resident Evil!  Go behind the scenes and witness never-before-seen concept art as this unique art book takes you on a terrifying ride showcasing what went into making this horrific thriller—can you survive your greatest fears and make it out alive?

When I first saw the cover of this book, I was filled with a combination of intense excitement and a good amount of fear.  The former of course because I’d get a sneak peak at stuff from the game before it even comes out and the latter simply because of what the book is.  A small part of me wanted to wait for the game, but the part of me that wanted to see stuff immediately won out.  The Art of The Evil Within is easily one of the books I was most anxious to open up and it was everything I thought it would be.

The sheer amount of fantastic content within this art book is outstanding.  Chapter one of course leads with the heroes of the game, although in this case that means more the main characters as opposed to just the “good” guys.  What’s really nice is we see various stages in their designs, everything from early versions to their final ones, and even different outfits that were considered.

Ah, chapter two – VILLAINS.  The many horrifying, hideous, downright evil forces you face off against get a large place in the book, as they should.  There are so many nasty things that will be going after you in the dark, and I’m already terrified to see them.  They are gruesome, disgusting, bloody, and pretty much exactly what they need to be.  Having seen what the team came up with, I am twice as hopeful for the game.  And twice as afraid.  At least twice.

Chapter three shows us the dreadful environments, which are about only thing that would be a contender for importance over the villains.  I have to be honest that each and every page in this section had me on edge.  It gives a pretty thorough tour of the dark and scary places I’d have to navigate through, and they’re frighteningly wonderful.  Just that small view into the world already let me feel the impending doom the game will likely provide.

One of the final chapters which I thought was really cool actually highlights props, logos and other things from the game.  I enjoy little tidbits like this, especially as a cosplayer, as official reference can sometimes be difficult to find.  Rounding out the book is a collection of the various pieces of marketing that have come out since announcement.

With the game only days away from release, this was the perfect book to hold me over until then.  This is a great buy for anyone familiar with the game, survival horror, or games in general.  For anyone that doesn’t fall into those groups, it’s a superb art book to read, especially if you love the horror genre.  Either way, this is a spectacular book that everyone should take the time to read.

For more information on The Art of The Evil Within or other Dark Horse books, check out Dark Horse Comics.

The Art of The Evil Within will be available 10/14, same day as the game!

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.