I finished RE7 not long ago and thought no other horror game could top it, but boy, was I wrong. The Evil Within taps into many emotions. Fear, paranoia, desolation, hopelessness, and more. Although this game is in 3rd person, everything about the atmosphere and environment totally made up for it. The visual effects used to add to the paranoia was nothing I have ever experienced in a game. It made you feel like there was no hope of escape from this nightmare. The lighting and structures were made perfectly which added to the fear.
The save points were done in such a unique way. The nurse inside the mental hospital, Sebastion's journal, the Krimson newspaper, all added so much mystery to the plot. It made me want to continue, just to see what this whole situation is about. This leads into the amazing story telling. The game only gives you bits and pieces of the story. Over the course of the game, you slowly uncover what is really going on. The way it unravelled through flashbacks, and visions was awesome. The characters and dialogues were all amazing. You could see them struggle, as they slowly lose their mind.
I would have easily given this game a 10, but there were some hiccups when it came to the stealth portion of the game. Sometimes enemies who definitely shouldn't have notice me, would notice me, and walk over. Some of the traps felt unfair, as it was too hidden. Some QTE sequences were too unclear. All of these made some of the deaths feel unfair. But added up, these didn't deter too much from the experience as a whole. The horror experience totally makes up for it.