Déjà vu, in STEM, is more than an ominous feeling. With The Evil Within 2's metanarrative "language" in mind, we can see how thoroughly Sebastian re-enacts his emotional trauma. Earlier, we reviewed his tendency to screen new information through a presumption of guilt. The same tendency kicks in here. He parses his current experiences through memories of the old, just as the player responds to new threats with memories of the first game's strategy of flight.

Sebastian's first encounter with The Guardian is an excellent example of this metanarrating technique in action. The Evil Within 2 maps Sebastian's first encounter with The Sadist onto his first challenge upon returning to STEM, both in high level details and overall flow.
 

High Level Details	The Evil Within 2	The Evil Within
Both wield spinning blades.
Sebastian suffers a debilitating wound.
Sebastian frees himself after removing a knife from a body.

 

Encounter Flow	The Evil Within 2	The Evil Within
Sebastian flees down a hall.
He escapes through a chute or duct.
He hides from the stalker.
The stalker breaks through a barrier.
Sebastian flees down a second hall.
Sebastian escapes through a wide exit into another reality.