As an iconic, futuristic novel, Lord of the Flies by William Golding (1954) can be considered a major example of symbolism and allegory in literature. Set during an undefined war period, the story follows a group of boys who find themselves stranded on a tropical island after their airplane crashes somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. Two of the boys, Piggy and Ralph, form an unlikely friendship despite them having absolutely nothing in common, while Ralph seems to be respected by the majority of the other boys, who establish him as some sort of leader. At first, the boys seem to enjoy their freedom, but soon their primitive survival instincts come forward, resulting in unavoidable tragedy just before salvation arrives. In the meantime, they develop a weird obsession about a monster that lives in the deep forest, which in fact represents their own fears and manias.

James Aubrey as Ralph in Peter Brook's adaptation of Lord of the Flies (1963)

Although the story of Miasmata (2012), the beautiful game by IonFX, is quite different from Lord of the Flies, we can identify several themes that are either prominent or implied in the book. Miasmata takes place in a tropical island, where the protagonist arrives in a boat. The island is a haven where several scientists, now deceased, had been working on a cure that could defeat a deadly plague that had infested the so-called civilized world. The protagonist has to search the whole place and find the ingredients (flowers and plants) that, when mixed together, will produce the cure. While at it, he is being stalked by a strange and vicious creature that chases him relentlessly while he is practically unable to defeat it.

The first theme that is common in both stories is the setting: the tropical island which looks like Paradise on Earth. In relation to this, comes the second theme, that of the representatives of the civilized world who are unexpectedly forced to live in primitive conditions, devoid of all the luxuries and benefits of their past lives.

Here the two stories deviate, as in Lord of the Flies this theme becomes highlighted from the moment that it establishes itself in the plot, while in Miasmata its role is secondary, since the protagonist is alone on the island, therefore his survival is easier and he has no one to compete with about a potential leadership.

The most prominent theme that is common in both the book and the game, is that of the "monster", the unidentified threat, the vague hostile force that is there around somewhere and becomes a recurring element that indirectly pushes the plot forward while every time it marks a notable progression in the characters' plunge to insanity.

The "creature" that stalks the protagonist in Miasmata

In Lord of the Flies, the "monster" is finally revealed to be the disfigured corpse of a pilot who got killed in an attempt to jump on the island with his parachute. In Miasmata, it is a strange creature that looks like a combination of a bull and a cat, which may appear several times during the hero's quest and depictions of which can be seen in one of the cabins of the deceased scientists. As the story of the game reaches its conclusion and the protagonist finds the cure and uses it to heal himself from the plague, the monster disappears, implying that it was a figment of his imagination, as well as a figment of the imagination of all the other scientists who had been on the island before him.

In both stories, the unknown enemy gradually becomes some sort of reverse driving force: its existence, mostly in the minds of the characters and less as a tangible threat, intensifies their darker instincts (in Lord of the Flies) and their agonizing uncertainty about what comes next (in Miasmata). This results in inevitable dramatic consequences as the characters get trapped in their own perception of that threat, which blinds them, preventing them from seeing and facing reality.

In Lord of the Flies, the climax of the drama occurs when the boys, under the influence of Jack, Ralph's rival awe who at some point, in a coup-like move, becomes the leader, kill Piggy, just before a ship arrives that will lead them back to civilization. In Miasmata, the protagonist, after healing himself with the cure, manages to swim to the boat that will lead him to salvation, only to commit suicide just there.

In a most moving twist of fate, we realize that the cure will never reach the civilized world, seeing that several injections containing the healing mixture, including the one of the protagonist, are lying on the bottom of the boat; which implies that all the other scientists before our hero managed to arrive to the boat but never left the island. In a parallel allusion, the boys in Lord of the Flies do go back to their home, but after what they had to go through on the island, they will never be the same again. In Miasmata, the shot, which is literal, heals the protagonist but leads him to realize that some secrets need to be preserved at any cost. In Lord of the Flies, the shot is metaphorical: the ominous atmosphere of the island injects itself in the minds of the boys and shows them what monstrosities they are capable of.

True Detective and The Evil Within

Seeing how many things the Evil Within has in common with the first season of True Detective is not much of a surprise. A video game and a TV series, respectively, that are both masterful works, of the kind that cannot be imitated in any way and will always remain unique and unforgettable. Although their subject matters are different, they are similar in many ways that may not always be that obvious. True Detective's Season 1 is a grim and gloomy tale about love, friendship, loyalty, betrayal and the extremes that the human mind can reach. The Evil Within is a dark and nightmarish adventure that is centered around the grey matter and all the evil that it can cause when used the wrong way, while placing a strong friendship in the whirlpool of uncotrollable events.

Even from these short descriptions, it is easy to sense the similarities that the game shares with the series and vice versa. It is always fascinating to find references to other forms of artistic expression in video games; and in most cases such references are anything but random. If you take a quick tour in the realms of various fandoms, you will surely notice that the fans of certain games tend to like more or less the same movies, books, music or series. Many fans of the Resident Evil game series, for example, are also avid watchers of Hannibal (the HBO TV series) and love heavy metal music. While this is not something that can be taken as a general rule, still the percentage is way too big to be seen as a simple coincidence. In a similar fashion, the developers of video games, while putting their stories together and giving shape and substance to their heroes, are naturally inspired and influenced, albeit sometimes subconsciously, by things that they themselves are fans of. If you think about it, most of them are not much older than most of us, the generation who saw video games blooming and evolving into what they are today.

Starting from the lead characters, in both cases we have a pair of detectives who are as different as day and night. Rusty and Marty in True Detective are such strikingly opposite characters that their ends inevitably meet and they get attached to each other in a dramatic, star-crossed way (something which becomes almost literal if you contemplate a bit on the rather ambiguous finale of their story).

Sebastian and Joseph of The Evil Within are completely different characters as well; one could never imagine that a man like Sebastian would be such close friends with someone like Joseph. Both pairs simply prove the physics rule that opposites attract, as well as the fact that some things are meant to be - whether it is destiny, fate or karma.

Both heroes of The Evil Within have elements of Rusty, who is quite possibly one of the most charming characters ever conceived. Sebastian is wrecked and desperate like him, a man who has lost his family and is closed off to himself, yet someone extremely strong, decisive, brilliant and efficient. In a similar way, his reserved manner can be seen in Joseph's attitude, as well as his hidden passions and his tendency to note everything down during investigation.

It is more than implied that the tumultuous bromance that goes on between the members of each pair is way more complex than it generally shows - although their reactions betray far too many things.

The differences between Rusty and Marty are exactly those that bring them together; it is as if the one complements the other. If you consider the general social stereotypes, it would be impossible for a man like Marty to befriend a guy like Rusty. Marty, being a smart but more or less conventional detective, buried in a dazed family life which could have been lovely if he wasn't so ardent to prove his masculinity by constantly cheating on his wife, a man who likes to pose as the typical dominant male yet deep inside is shockingly insecure about hismself, would "normally" feel contempt for the hermit-like, deeply intellectual and solitary Rusty. Yet he finds himself somehow trapped in Rusty's natural mental charms and he becomes his close friend without even realizing it.

Sebastian and Joseph are equally, albeit not so strikingly, different. Even so, they are also like two sides of the same coin and they need each other so as to feel balanced. Sebastian's passionate and firey temperament can only be toned down thanks to Joseph's mild and controlled attitude. But it goes the other way round too: Joseph's timid and somewhat confused character finds major sentimental support in Sebastian's strong and confident company.

The story of The Evil Within may not be exactly centered around Sebastian and Joseph, however it is full of dark undertones concerning the two guys. It is not random that they are reunited in a pivotal point of the plot, in Chapter 6, promptly entitled "Losing Grip On Ourselves", and they remain together until its end. This chapter is the hardest of the whole game, and it is as if it follows Ruvik's messed up memories, as well as Joseph's and Sebastian's who are both in a sedated state inside STEM, although at that point they do not know it. Interestingly enough, another thing that dominates in this chapter is the church, mainly as a literal place but also as a symbol.

The church is prominent in True Detective, and there are several depictions of it and themes connected to it throughout the story. From the simple crosses that can be seen in the opening credits and Rusty's apartment, to the ruined church with the disturbing drawings, to Theriot's revival, to Tuttle's luxurious but cold organization.

In The Evil Within, the church is a recurring theme and symbol; there is a ruined church in Chapter 6, a cathedral of sorts in Chapter 7 which leads underground, and there are also Juli Kidman's childhood memories that are connected to religion and the church both as a place and as an institution. In Chapter 6, we can also see priests and nuns that have become Haunted and are extremely vicious in their attacks. Although there is no specific reference in Ruvik's story concerning the role of the church in his life, there are hints that he might have been related to a local cult. Joseph finds some symbols at some point that are relevant and he and Sebastian later locate some sort of sacrificial room hidden below a secret entrance at the cemetery.

Stand-alone objects related to the church, the female statuettes that are spotted in the adandoned school in True Detective, also have their counterparts in The Evil Within. In the series, Rusty sees them when he goes to investigate the place on his own at the end of the captivating Episode 5 (The Secret Fate Of All Life). There are a few of them scattered around, usually standing on higher spots, somehow guiding him to find a valuable clue.

In the game, Sebastian finds several statuettes, called 'goddess statues' in the story. Those can be seen anywhere - among rocks, hidden behind rubble, on rafters, hanging from the ceiling. Sebastian can break them or shoot them and they reveal keys that were hidden in them, with which he can open lockers with bonus items back in the safe room. In that light, the staues in The Evil Within act in a more or less similar manner as the ones in True Detective: they are some kind of guides, leading the characters towards a right path.

The statuettes are not the only items that are found in both the series and the game. While not main plot points, the masks seem to play their role in both True Detective and The Evil Within. A most disturbing evidence concerning the activity of the murderous group in True Detective is a photo showing a blindfolded girl being watched by a man with a creepy mask covering his face. This mask is connected to the Voodoo worship in the area of New Orleans, where the story takes place.

In The Evil Within, some of the enemies that Sebastian encounters are wearing masks too; those masks look like a twisted blend between the Comedy mask and that of a circus clown. Said enemies are sometimes stronger than their standard counterparts and most of the times are carrying guns or other lethal weapons. Moreover, the mask automatically renders their face invulnerable to hit, nullifying the possibilities of a successful headshot when Sebastian is standing face to face against them.

The mask is of course a universal symbol that represents a series of things, notions and ideas; mostly and above all, it symbolizes everything that is concealed and ususally hides something negative. In both the series and the game, it is exactly this and as far as True Detective is concerned, in particular, it stands for the human hypocricy that uses a shiney and seemingly impeccable facade (Tuttle's Church) so as to open the way for all the twisted and gruesome activities that the mind can conceive. There is human hypocricy in The Evil Within as well, only it is expressed in a different way. Its victim is, surprisignly enough, not the good hero (Sebastian) but the antagonist (Ruvik). The game's arch-villain became a physical and emotional wreck because, as a child, he was the victim of hyporcicy and deceit, coming first from his own father (whom he eventually murdered) and later the doctor whom he trusted, and who had him killed.

This brings us to yet one more theme of the series that can be traced in the game. That of the victimized child who became a serial killer in his adult life. Both Billy from True Detective and Ruvik from The Evil Within were marginalized as kids, which made them develop an antisocial and solitary attitude that later led them to extremes.

Billy, the deranged serial killer in True Detective who was also Tuttle's illegitimate son, expressed his ruined childhood through a series of disturbing drawings on the walls. Near the conclusion of the story, Rusty and Marty locate his hideout in the woods, where there is a cabin "decorated" with such drawings, depicting the "Yellow King" and / or his own victims.

Similar drawings can be found in Ruvik's family mansion in The Evil Within, when you play as the Executioner in the episode with the same name. There are gory murals on the walls of the house illustrating the state or the fate of several characters involved. There is a depiction of Joseph, another one of Sebastian, as well as others of Zehn and Neun, the Amalgam Alpha, even the very same Executioner. Who is behind those drawings, it is not clear; but it could very well be Ruvik himself (because they all have the same style) in a morbid attempt to mock his victims by imitating a child's drawings while producing themes that are not appropriate for a child at all.

The countryside as a background setting with its gloomy, dusty colours is an essential protagonist in both the series and the game. In True Detective, the initial murder scene is in the field, while the resolution of the story takes place out in the open. The compelling shots of the vast and swampy plains of Louisiana only increase the atmosphere of anxiety and terror; you can almost smell the disturbance in the air. It is as if the heroes are constantly being watched, as if there are eyes following them from everywhere - even from below the ground.

The equally strong imagery of The Evil Within stresses the feeling of nausea and mislocation, which are more than literal as the characters are in a sleeping state, unable to control themselves while wandering inside Ruvik's memories. Two major plot sequences take place in the country: the first is in Chapter 6, where Sebastian reunites with Joseph and the two of them move through the numb countryside encountering all sorts of nightmarish monsters, and the second is in Chapter 9, where Sebastian reaches the root of Ruvik's traumatic memories, which is his family's sunflower field.

In both the series and the game, the notion of the open air signifies insecurity and uncertainty, but also the inevitable revelation; things cannot stay hidden out in the open - once exposed, they will become known sooner or later. The killers in True Detective are revealed in the fields; and Ruvik's deeper motives in The Evil Within are made clear when Sebastian exits to the sunflower field.

Similarly, during Sebastian's and Joseph's quest in the countryside in Chapter 6, several things come to the surface, and it is while there that Joseph says to Sebastian that he wishes to kill himself so as to not suffer from his developing change. As a continuation to this, at the beginning of the following chapter in yet one more church, he confesses that some part of himself wants to become a Haunted, resulting in him being in a state of constant battle that is mental, emotional and, above all, physical, and which remains open to several other interpretations as well.

Echoes of Resident Evil: Code Veronica in Guillermo del Torro's Crimson Peak

Crimson Peak, Guillermo del Torro's unforgettable thriller about an intellectual heiress who falls in the trap of a downfallen degenerate aristocrat and her charming brother, seems to share many essential plot elements with the epic Resident Evil: Code Veronica. Del Torro does not cite the game among his influences and inspirations for the creation of the film, but still the similarities are way too many and way too obvious to pass unnoticed.

The plot in Crimson Peak is centered around Edith, a girl who lives with her father, a wealthy businessman, in 1887's New York. Edith is an aspiring writer and likes to write scare stories, haunted by certain childhood experiences during which the ghost of her dead mother would visit her and warn her about a mysterious Crimson Peak, in what seemed to be a verge between dream and reality. One day she meets Thomas Sharpe, a young baronet from England who claims that he is an inventor and is looking for investors to support his work. Thomas is always accompanied by his sister Lucille, older by two years, who seems rather cold and crypic in her behaviour. Soon after Edith's father denies to invest on Thomas's invention, he discovers some interesting info about the Englishman and his sister and, seeing that Edith is falling in love with the young man, he orders the siblings to leave as soon as possible by offering them a generous check. On that day, however, Edith's father is brutally murdered by a mysterious stranger and Edith, emotionally crushed, finds support in Thomas's presence. It is not long before the two get married and Edith follows her husband in England, in their mansion which is located on an isolated mountainous area called Crimson Peak.

Edith finds out that the mansion is in a really bad state, derelict and with no means to keep it going. Meanwhile, her marriage with Thomas is never consumated, as Thomas claims that he wants to respect her mourning for her father's death. Edith starts discovering several frightening things about the house, like ghosts roaming its corridors at night and a creepy basement with several locked cauldrons. One day when the couple are in town on business, they get snowed in and they spend the night in a host house where they finally make love. When they return home the other day and Lucille learns about this detail, she gets infuriated and nearly attacks Edith. At some point, Edith realizes that she is being slowly poisoned by Lucille, who secretly adds poison in the tea which she offers her every day. She finds out that Lucille and Thomas are lovers, maintaning an incestuous relationship ever since they were in their early teens. However this is only half the truth. In reality, it was the psychopathic Lucille who first dragged her innocent brother into this, not hesitating to kill her austere mother when the old lady found out what was going on. Later, she urged Thomas into seducing and marrying wealthy girls from whom they took all their money and later killed in due time. However in Edith's case things didn't work out that well, because Thomas fell in love with her and because her childhood friend Alan came looking for her. Lucille, who was also the one who killed Edith's father, murders her brother out of jealousy but Edith manages to defeat her, avenging both her own torture and her husband's death.

Althrough Crimson Peak's plot is not related to the storyline of Code Veronica, there are several interesting details that bring the game to mind as you are watching the film.

The evil siblings

Admittedly not exactly the same case, but quite similar from certain aspects. Lucille and Thomas in Crimson Peak had devised a cunning and twisted plan which they had been following for several years, so as to keep their incestuous relationship going. In fact the plan was Lucille's, who had developed an unhealthy obsession with her brother and was emotionally and physically attached to him.

Pretty much like Lucille, Alfred Ashford in Code Veronica was sentimentally attached to his genious sister Alexia, and went as fas to dress up and act like her after her death.

An imposing but derelict mansion

Allerdale Hall, the family home of the Sharpe siblings, once was a glorious and imposing mansion but now, with no means to preserve it, it has become a cold and unfriendly place with snow falling from its ceiling holes.

The private mansion of the Ashfords, well-hidden at the back of the main house, is also in a decadent state. Its garden is in ruins, with fountains that have frozen and there is no water in them, and the house itself is adandoned and hostile.

A snowy scenery

Edith arrives in Allerdale Hall in winter, and soon the whole place is covered with snow. The white scenery adds to the unsettling atmosphere that this hostile place creates, while at the same time acting as a symbol foreshadowing death and all that is buried and lost.

Nearly half the plot of Code Veronica takes place in Antarctica, where the snow and cold naturally dominate. The stillness of the frozen environment accentuates the feeling of fear and isolation that is following the lead characters throughout the whole story.

The attic

The Allerdale Hall has an attic that Thomas has turned into his personal sanctuary: it is the place where he makes his inventions and creates his dolls.

The Ashford mansion also has an attic; it is hidden above one of the bedrooms and it is a private study where Alfred keeps his collection of books and stuffed butterflies.

The moths

There are black moths in abundance in Allerdale Hall. Moths are fluttering around the house because of the humidity and moss that grows in there, but they are also used as a symbol for the evil Lucille.

When Claire and Steve find themselves in the secret Umbrella facility in Antarctica, one of the most dangerous enemies that they encounter are huge, poisonous moths which like to grab onto their victims' back and bite them relentlessly.

The imagery of voracious ants

Early on in Crimson Peak, after Edith befriends Thomas and Lucille, the three go for a walk in the park together. There Lucille and Edith have a conversation which, for Lucille's part, is full of cryptic messages and allegories, and it is about the dying butterflies that are devoured by ants. We even get a close-up of the described scene.

As Claire wanders in the Ashford main house, at some point she needs to operate a film reel machine to open a secret passage. The scene that plays shows young Alfred and Alexia ripping off the wings of a dragonfly, then placing it in a bowl full of ants that attack the helpless insect and devour it.

In both cases, the imagery is particularly strong, as it carries major symbolisms that relate to the characters involved.


The red jewel

When Thomas proposes to Edith, he offers her a ring with a red stone, which was his mother's. Later on, as Lucille is in the process of eliminating Edith, she can be seen wearing the ring herself.

Alexia in Code Veronica has a trademark jewel, which is a choker with a red stone attached to it. This stone is actually the key to solving one of the many puzzles in the mansion.

A lullaby

Lucille likes to play the piano and her favourite piece is a melancholic lullaby which she used to sing to Thomas when they were little.

An equally wistful lullaby is the theme that plays from Alfred and Alexia's music boxes, as well as from a mechanical piano in the main house. In Game of Oblivion of The Darkside Chronicles, which is a retelling of the Code Veronica story, Claire and Steve also see and hear Alfred singing the lullaby while impersonating Alexia.

An intimidating portrait

In the Allerdale Hall, the huge portrait of the late matriarch of the house, the mother of Lucille and Thomas, is hanging on a central wall. The angry and judging gaze in Lady Sharpe's eyes makes her look like she could come to life any moment.

Alexia's portrait is in the same way imposing itself in the main house of the Ashfords. In the painting, Alexia looks extremely tall and can be seen wearing her favourite purple dress.

The family story in pictures

One of the first things that Edith notices when she arrives at the Allerdale Hall is a mural depicting two young children playing. She is distracted before being able to realize what it is, but in fact the children are young Thomas and young Lucille.

In the office of the main house of the Ashfords, there is an antique music box which has to be operated so that the secret passage leading to the hidden manor will be revealed. In Game of Oblivion, this part is a bit more complex, with Alfred challenging Claire and Steve to solve a riddle that says "the boy and the girl, destined to be one, will reveal the path". This riddle is connected to the music box which features a mini game where Claire and Steve have to shoot several obstacles, allowing a boy and a girl to meet each other. Of course the boy and the girl depict Alfred and Alexia.

Additionally, again in Game of Oblivion, Alfred can be seen holding a snow globe featuring a snowy scenery with two blonde children, who also symbolize himself and his sister.

Dolls and their symbolism

Thomas Sharpe has a hobby: he creates dolls and he is actually quite talented. Dolls in his case symbolize his lost childhood; he keeps creating them in a subconscious attempt to go back to the innocence of those years, that he was not allowed to have.

Alfred's mansion is full of dolls; some are in a good state and some look creepy as hell. For Alfred, dolls symbolize his attachment to the past and his emotional state which is still that of an immature child that refuses to grow up, although he is in his late 20ties.

Haunted corridors

The family home of the Sharpes is the residence of the souls of all the victims of Lucille and Thomas. Edith, who has the ability to see ghosts, bumps onto them several times while wandering in the mansion's corridors at night.

The whole Ashford residence is inhabited by zombies and monsters, which are lurking around every corner and, unlike the tormented ghosts in the Allerdale Hall who in reality want to alert and warn Edith, these ones here are extremely hostile and bloodthirsty.

Ghosts of the past

Among the ghosts that Edith sees in the mansion's corridors, the most terrifying one is that of Lady Sharpe, the mother of the siblings, whom Lucille murdered with an axe when she found out about the incestuous relationship of her children. Lady Sharpe keeps wandering around the house, as her soul is unable to find rest.

Alfred had trapped his father, Alexander, and started testing on him a virus that was created by Alexia. As a result, Alexander eventually mutated and became the horrifying Nosferatu, who was kept locked in the basement of the Antarctica facility until the day when he managed to break free. This happened while Claire and Steve were still there, struggling to find a way out, and he went on to attack them.

A cruel murder

When Lucille finds out that Thomas is in love with Edith and that he is trying to help her escape, her jealousy and sick passion overwhelm her and she kills him.

In Game of Oblivion, Alfred wakes Alexia up from her slumber of 15 years, and she comes back as a vicious monster who attacks her brother and crushes him with her lethal tentacles.

It is notable that in the original story of Code Veronica this does not happen; instead, the awakened Alexia holds the body of her dying brother in her arms while planning her revenge.

Hannibal and The Evil Within 2: Devils in Blue

The recent TV adaptation of the Hannibal book series by Thomas Harris seems to have been a great inspiration for a good part of The Evil Within 2, and in particular that section of its plotline that is connected with Stefano Valentini, the evil photographer and sadistic serial killer who creates art with human corpses. The famous novels by Thomas Harris have been adapted several times for cinema and TV (Manhunter, The Silence of The Lambs, Hannibal (movie), The Red Dragon, Hannibal Rising) and they are centered around Dr Hannibal Lecter, who is an ingenious psychiatrist and secretly a serial killer who likes to eat his victims.

Stefano Valentini (left) and Mads Mikkelsen as Hannibal Lecter (right)

The latest version was a series made for television, written by Bryan Fuller, and although it is still new (it aired from 2013 to 2015), it already has a huge cult following, with the performaces of its protagonists, Mads Mikkelsen and Hugh Dancy, as Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham respectively, being considered iconic - especially Mikkelsen, who was a revelation.

Stefano Valentini is a bit like Hannibal Lecter; although he does not literally eat his victims, but the way he kills them and what he does to the corpses afterwards don't stray too far off. The chapters of The Evil Within 2 where he is featured have several things in common with the series, mainly in relation with Hannibal Lecter but also with Will Graham in certain details.

Stefano and Hannibal are both serial killers, hiding their criminal activity rather well, and using their day job both as a cover and a status proof. They are both agile and quick with throwing knives, that seem to be their weapons of choice.

Stefano always carries his knife with him

You never know when Hannibal will go mad and start throwing knives

Stefano is a very elegant man; he likes to dress well and has a preference for dark colors. Just like Dr Lecter, who most of the times walks around like a model on the catwalk. Both of them are art lovers and they also enjoy classical music.

Stefano (left) and Hannibal (right) are always showing off their impeccable style

Both Stefano and Hannibal have their hair styled in a side fringe, although Stefano's choice is a trick to hide his right eye, which has been replaced by a camera lens. Hannibal doesn't always wear his hair in a fringe; most of the times he has it combed back, but in Season 3 he showed his rebel side and this was reflected in his change of hairstyle and wardrobe.

The fringe adds an air of mysrtery to Stefano and Hannibal

Stefano and Hannibal both have an elegant but somewhat old-fashioned handwriting, which however matches their personal style.

Stefano's handwriting

Hannibal's handwriting

Stefano seems to be very fond of roses, as they can be seen as decoration in all the places where he is. He also loves to use them in his photos and installations in various ways. Hannibal loves roses too, and he can also be very imaginative in the use he makes of them.

One of Stefano's photographs with an unconventional use of the roses

Hannibal makes roses with prosciutto

The roses carry a lot of symbolism for both Stefano and Hannibal, as they represent love, wisdom and timelessness but also lush, intrigue and sacrifice.

Stefano posing with red roses

Hannibal posing with white roses

Apples must be Stefano's favourite fruit, as a few of them can be found in the first room where Sebastian sees him. There are green and red apples on a table, next to a silver tray. There is also a half-eaten, rotten apple in one of the Safe Rooms at Union, indication that Stefano passed from there earlier. Dr Lecter also likes apples, and he eats them regularly to keep his body healthy and fit.

"Apples! ... Yum!"

"An apple! ... Yuk!"

"I'd offer you a bite but, you know, I don't want to!"

Stefano comes up with some really insane and twisted ideas about his art projects. His installations are made of human corpses and the result is way too gruesome to describe. He seems to take inspiration from Dr Lecter, whose notorious installations are the perfect thing to see before going to sleep.

Stefano's 'Rebirth' (left) and Hannibal's 'Totem' (right) compete for the 'Goriest Installation' prize

Stefano and Hannibal have their own obsessions, which both happen to have to do with officers of the law. Although Stefano's main concern is the possession of power that will make him create his great works of art, he gradually develops a latent obsession with Sebastian, which becomes more evident as the game progresses and he shifts his focus on him, planning to produce a masterpiece with Sebastian's death. Sebastian's career is on hold during the events of The Evil Within 2, but as we know from the previous game, he is a detective, and a very good one, for that matter. Hannibal becomes obsessed with Will Graham as soon as he meets him and from a point and on it becomes a major driving force in the plot. Will is a gifted criminologist working for the FBI, and he has a very distinctive approach in his work.

Sebastian can handle shocking situations well thanks to his experience

Despite his frailty, Will is an excellent professional with great skills

When Sebastian sees Stefano for the first time, he has to stay hidden in the shadows. Stefano however senses his presence and as he walks away, he turns towards Sebastian and literally smells him. This happens at least two more times until they face each other, and Stefano even goes as far as to exclaim that the smell of Sebastian's blood is 'exquisite' during the final fight. Hannibal smells Will from close, and when Will takes notice, Dr Lecter tries to cover things up by making up a random comment about Will's after-shave.

Stefano practically groans as he smells Sebastian

Hannibal is more discreet, but still he makes his point

During the final fight between Stefano and Sebastian, Stefano may be able to attack Sebastian violently and stab him maniacally with his knife. At the end of Hannibal's Season 2, Hannibal finds out that Will knows about his secret and in the last episode he lets his evil side show and stabs Will nearly fatally in an intense scene.

Stefano gets too excited when seeing Sebastian bleed from his knife

Hannibal wants to hate Will, but in reality he can't

Almost all of the plot in The Evil Within 2 takes place in the virtual reality of Union, however the first half, where Stefano is the main antagonist and villain, has a peculiarity. Stefano is able to control Union, thus altering the environment around him (both literally and metaphorically) the way it suits him best. When Sebastian first enters Stefano's twisted world, it is as if he is being dragged in inside his mind. The theater, part of which we see at the beginning of Something Not Quite Right and the rest that we go through in Premiere, as well as the City Hall in Lying In Wait, look as if they have been transformed into some kind of imaginary places in Stefano's mind. Moreover, the Aperture, the huge eye that hovers above Union, sort of represents Stefano's own eye, and how things look around Sebastian, as well as himself, are all seen the way that Stefano perceives them from the inside. This whole place that he has conceived is his personal Artist's Domain, and it is some kind of museum where he keeps his works of art, away from the world.

Hannibal had his own Memory Palace, a place where he kept all his works that he wished to preserve intact. It is also the place in his mind where he communicates with Will. Occasionally, he kind of summons Will in there and they talk, separated from the rest of the world.

Sebastian spots Stefano in the distance, as he is exploring the Artist's domain

Will finds Hannibal in his Memory Palace

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• Gallery: Stefano's Domain