Upgrading them is cheap, so it's wise to invest in doing this before anything else. They can burn enemies before they come to life, they burn fallen enemies in bunches, they can help keep a certain boss at bay. It doesn't matter if your life is just one dot or one full bar if you get hit, you will instantly die anyway. You shouldn't waste green gel on upgrading Sebastian's life gauge, syringe-carrying capability or syringe recovery. That said, there are certain things to keep in mind as you go: The game won't let you choose the Akumu mode on a New Game Plus, which means that the first time you play in this difficulty will be in a fresh New Game. 'Akumu' means 'incubus' in Japanese, and after conquering this mode myself, I can assure you it is this way for a very good reason. What makes The Evil Within's Akumu the most insane of such challenges is that your window of safety is extremely limited, to the point that Sebastian may die if a zombie does so little as barely touch him. Aknowledging this, however, doesn't make the whole experience any less frustrating, given that even if you manage to dodge enemy attacks, you may very well die by accidentally stepping on a bear trap or because a seemingly fallen zombie unexpectedly waves its arm and scratches Sebastian's knee.

In the essence, what this challenge requires from the player is to go through the chapters without taking any damage. Set on the highest difficulty level of the game, this mode additionally has Sebastian die with the slightest hit. Of all the games that I have played in high difficulties and crazy modes, even the most hardcore ones, the Akumu mode of 'The Evil Within' has to be, by very far, the toughest and most unforgiving, with its encouraging description seeming way too mild in practice.

Worse than nightmare, this is pure hell.'

How to unlock akumu mode