In 2014, Tango Gameworks released its first title, The Evil Within. Shinji Mikami’s mind-bending horror game juggled many different plots, some of which were left unresolved at the story’s conclusion. The 2017 sequel The Evil Within 2 addressed some of those lingering threads, but it left other ones alone.
With Microsoft recently acquiring Tango’s parent company Bethesda and repeatedly acknowledging The Evil Within through marketing and the recent release of the original title on Game Pass, a third entry seems possible. Here are some dangling plot threads an Evil Within 3 should tackle.
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Joseph Oda’s History and Fate
The first game centered around a trio of Krimson P.D. detectives, Sebastian Castellanos, Juli Kidman and Joseph Oda. The three are separated within the twisted world of STEM for the majority of the plot, only encountering each other a handful of times. Joseph in particular assists Sebastian on several occasions. As Kidman’s true intentions become apparent, a final confrontation between the three ends with Kidman accidentally shooting Joseph, who collapses as Sebastian is forcefully transported away from the area.
Joseph isn’t seen again in that game, and his fate is not addressed. However, while many assumed he was dead, the second DLC, The Consequence, reveals the truth. In it, Kidman encounters the bodies of each person connected to STEM; Sebastian, Juli and Joseph still have heartbeats, while the confirmed dead Jimenez and Connely do not. In the end, Joseph is seen being taken away by agents of MOBIUS. Kidman confirms his survival in The Evil Within 2, but does not provide any more information.
The fact that this brought up at all seems to indicate that his story was meant to continue at some point. Additionally, many of his experiences within STEM were never elaborated on, and his current whereabouts are completely unknown. A third game should focus on Joseph, perhaps even making him the protagonist and featuring flashbacks to his time inside the original STEM. Since Sebastian’s story is over, there’s room for this to happen — it may even be preferable to introducing an entirely new protagonist.
What Happened to Ruvik?
Ruben Victoriano, a.k.a. Ruvik, is the creator of STEM and the main antagonist of the first game. The deranged man created STEM after years of inhuman experiments on the human psyche, working alongside MOBIUS before being betrayed by them and used as the lynchpin of the system. The Evil Within explored Ruvik’s character and history, explaining that he intended to dominate the consciousness of Beacon Mental Hospital patient Leslie Withers and finally escape STEM within his body. The final act has Ruvik finally obtain Leslie, liquifying his body before transforming into a colossal monstrosity known as the Amalgam to serve as the final boss. Sebastian ultimately defeats Ruvik and returns to reality.
As Sebastian leaves Beacon, he sees what appears to be Leslie walking ominously into the distance, heavily implying Ruvik not only survived, but also succeeded in his mission to escape STEM. However, unlike Joseph, Ruvik’s fate was not mentioned in The Evil Within 2. While it’s possible that Sebastian was hallucinating, it seems more likely that Ruvik did indeed escape. Fans were disappointed by his absence in the sequel, and a definitive answer to the question of his fate would be imperative in a third game.
The Evil Within 2‘s post-credits scene contains a pretty blatant tease for a third entry. After Sebastian escapes STEM with his daughter Lily and MOBIUS is destroyed by Kidman and Myra, Sebastian drives into the sunset with his daughter, and Juli is left to contemplate her newfound freedom. After this, however, the game flashes once more to the MOBIUS labs, where a terminal re-activates and STEM is seemingly re-booted.
This scene raises the question of who exactly has re-initiated STEM. Myra killed all MOBIUS operatives through the chips implanted within their brains, and few other characters would have the knowledge and expertise needed to succeed in operating the systems. While it could be a new character who hasn’t been seen yet, one option is Ruvik himself. If he truly is now inhabiting Leslie’s body in the real world, he’s one of a handful of individuals who could use STEM. A third game would obviously require STEM to still exist, so this scene sets the stage for the next act of The Evil Within‘s story.
It’s not clear if a potential sequel to The Evil Within 2 would follow that games semi-open world nature or return to the linear level progression of the original. Still, so long as it addresses the questions fans have been clamoring to have answered, it would likely be well received. Fans really want to know more about Joesph and Ruvik, two characters whose ultimate fates were left in question, an Microsoft would be wise to greenlight a sequel that provides answers.
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