In short, my verdict: excellent. In more detail:
1. Gameplay. A very interesting thing. At the beginning you get scared by every sound, but then it’s a regular shooter with some jump scares. Of course, compared to the eighth part, this is simply the “Curse of the Nun” of the world of horror games. But there is no constant shooting here either. The puzzles are more difficult than the eighth one, but there are not enough of them. Scary moments are mostly jump scares. But there is a scary atmosphere here too. For example, the moment with Evelina’s room in the old house. Mini-verdict: 9.0. Not enough horror.
2. Graphics. Of course, the game is 2017, and it makes no sense to demand from it something like a new demo of The Matrix. But still you can’t say that she is good or bad. Average. In horror, I think it should be great. And here the textures of the mold in 144p and its splitting parts in eight polygons just give you a shiver. Mini-verdict: not terrible, not bad, but not great. 8.0.
3. Plot. There’s nothing to complain about, and I don’t really know how to talk about the plot. But it seems good. Mini-verdict: 10. Seems good.
4. Management. Who invented first aid kits on Ctrl? A?! But it's not bad, after all. Mini-verdict: 8.0. Okay, I forgive you.
5. Sound and music. Very good. This music in the background and the constant creaks of floorboards, rustling noises, and knocks intensify the already tense atmosphere. Mini-verdict: 10. Perfect.
6. Multiplayer. I don't know, I haven't played it. Is he even here? So I won't talk.
7. Localization. Why do some games (Far Cry 3, for example) have swear words, but here Ethan, even in the toughest situations, doesn’t say anything harsher than “Damn” or “Damn.” But okay. Mini-verdict: 9.0. Yeah, it's not Cool Your Fucking, but it's not the best.
8. Atmosphere. My personal criterion. Perfect. Very tense until the very end. (Be careful! Spoiler alert!) When you choose between Mia and Zoya (it’s clear that almost everyone chooses Mia), you really feel sorry for the one who’s left. And Evelina? Until the end of the game I just want to strangle her. But in fact, she is simply an innocent girl who was turned into a weapon by heartless people. Mini-verdict: 10. This is a really successful combination of music, sounds, color scheme and professional game design.
Final verdict: 9.3. There are some shortcomings, but still excellent. Wonderful.
P.S. I got to this part almost 5 years after its release. Finished it in one breath over the weekend in 8 hours. Worth spending money. I haven’t gotten around to the DLC yet, but I’ve already looked at what’s available. Maybe I'll do Banned Footage or something else soon.
P. P. S. For some reason I didn’t take the machine gun at the end of the ship. I don’t know if I missed it or was lazy, but the finale barely made it through. Fortunately, I still have a couple of pistols with ammunition left. So we would have to go through everything all over again - there was only one save, and that was in the final part.