Sebastian's potential without us is overwhelming. His revised re-enactment turns every old weakness into power. Specifically, he rejects our assumptions of weakness based on his immobility and ineffective knife attacks.

As we reviewed earlier, The Sadist cut Sebastian's right leg in The Evil Within. Sebastian collapsed across a gurney right before escaping to the elevator. His roll and fall emphasized his weakness — and his need for the player's help to escape.

In The Evil Within 2, he overwrites the limp and tumble with power. He kicks, with the same leg, the gurney at The Sadist. Both the weapon and the attack underscore his rejection of the player's memories in favor of his strength.

Sebastian's follow-up attack breaks the fourth wall, recalling a particularly difficult way to earn an achievement from The Evil Within, "Knife Beats Chainsaw." Sebastian had to kill The Sadist with his knife, which could only happen while The Sadist was distracted or stunned. Many players earned the achievement in Chapter 3's open-world village, using tactics similar to Sebastian's here. They distracted The Sadist with a Flash Bolt and stabbed while he was blinded.

We are not, however, in Sebastian's memory of the village. "Knife Beats Chainsaw" was extraordinarily difficult to get in Beacon. The Sadist usually killed Sebastian after the first stealth attack. Highly skilled players earned the achievement by stabbing The Sadist, outrunning him on one good leg, then hiding in a locker — 16 times in a row. The power imbalance discouraged head-on confrontation, forced the player to use stealth, and emphasized Sebastian's weakness.

Now, in The Evil Within 2, Sebastian separates from the player to do what most players could not. The fourth wall breaks, and Sebastian earns one of the hardest achievements from The Evil Within on his own. The Sadist even sinks to his knees in the same defeated posture. Sebastian's victory is almost a taunt.

Sebastian succeeds without the player's influence, but the game does not dismiss the player as Metal Gear Solid 2 had. Our theme is "healing." We understand that the player's memories restrain Sebastian, but The Evil Within 2 doesn't leave us holding the controller. Sebastian returns to us, sharing control on his terms and offering his strength.