Now, we're ready to look at the other half of The Evil Within 2, its metanarrative. The game incorporates the player's memories of The Evil Within through series self-reference. It involves the player, as the player, in Sebastian's character development.

The term "self-reference" needs clarification. A sequel usually revises its predecessor's design. It carries over memorable systems, characters, and aesthetic moods. Sequels ask players to act out a revision of the first game.

Revisions, however, are not identical with self-reference. The Evil Within 2 asks players to remember the experience of The Evil Within, which we reviewed earlier. It aligns the player's memory of the game with Sebastian's memory of Beacon, making one a proxy for the other.

The two have been linked since the start. After the player selects a difficulty, a newspaper burns on Sebastian's desk, and the scene transitions to the house fire. The front page article is practically a design document summary of Sebastian's first moments in STEM. We cannot access Sebastian's trauma in The Evil Within 2 without literally going through The Evil Within.