I've been meaning to replay F.E.A.R. for quite a while and I'm glad that I enjoyed it just as much as I did, back when I first played. While it didn't age VERY well, it still plays like a charm, owing a lot to the first Half Life.
Love it or hate it, F.E.A.R., alongside RE4, is one of the best games to blend horror and action together. It's a little more action oriented than it should, but its suffocating creepy atmosphere and ominous pacing keeps you on your toes. You never know if you're going to get jumpscared by a terrifying little girl or shot by a dozen heavy armored replica soldiers. It seems weird and it kinda is, but it works! I believe that half of the reason why it works is due to its strange story. It's a mystery told in 11 chapters that still grips me to this day. It's not INCREDIBLY well-written, but it's engaging. It made me want to get to the ending and uncover whatever the hell was happening in the Origin project. Alma, Fettel and even you, the silent protagonist, are driving forces in a quiet story that, in my opinion, did not disappoint.
Gameplay is also quite competent. Weapon variety is good, using SlowMo gives you a huge boost in combat, guns are impactful and the action is way more tactical than I remembered. Enemy variety sucks, but the AI compensates, since they constantly try to flank you, react to your actions and force you to play smart to get to the next area. And while the game might be challenging, it plays so nice that I love how accessible it is for anybody to just pick up and shoot. One other thing that I LOVE is the sound design. Horror games usually nails this, but F.E.A.R. took it to another level. Do play this with a headset, please!
F.E.A.R.'s biggest enemy is the level design. I usually prefer linear games than sandbox/open-world ones, but this is a perfect example of linear design gone terribly wrong. Levels are a repetitive, unimaginative and bland hallway fest. Some corridors feel like labyrinths. I got lost so many times on some areas that I just got bored! The pacing is not bad, but its straightforward nature hurts how well the game could hold up nowadays. I may love the story, but MY GOD does it take its time to unfold. You're basically left in the dark for the first 7 chapters, with minimal information and the same objective. And It's not like they did not have anything to reveal, they just decided to wait and rush it by the end. I love the final chapters, but if the game just focused in telling the story and frightening you more than throwing more enemies in the way, it would be much better.
Also, whose idea was to make the flashlight so annoying? And why are there MECHS in the game? They feel so out of place...
F.E.A.R.'s problems did not break the game in any way for me. This is still an amazing hair-raising experience. It's easy to recommend this to anyone, since it works so well as an fps and as a horror game. Sure, it didn't age like a fine wine, but it does its job of keeping you hooked and terrified.
Love it or hate it, F.E.A.R., alongside RE4, is one of the best games to blend horror and action together. It's a little more action oriented than it should, but its suffocating creepy atmosphere and ominous pacing keeps you on your toes. You never know if you're going to get jumpscared by a terrifying little girl or shot by a dozen heavy armored replica soldiers. It seems weird and it kinda is, but it works! I believe that half of the reason why it works is due to its strange story. It's a mystery told in 11 chapters that still grips me to this day. It's not INCREDIBLY well-written, but it's engaging. It made me want to get to the ending and uncover whatever the hell was happening in the Origin project. Alma, Fettel and even you, the silent protagonist, are driving forces in a quiet story that, in my opinion, did not disappoint.
Gameplay is also quite competent. Weapon variety is good, using SlowMo gives you a huge boost in combat, guns are impactful and the action is way more tactical than I remembered. Enemy variety sucks, but the AI compensates, since they constantly try to flank you, react to your actions and force you to play smart to get to the next area. And while the game might be challenging, it plays so nice that I love how accessible it is for anybody to just pick up and shoot. One other thing that I LOVE is the sound design. Horror games usually nails this, but F.E.A.R. took it to another level. Do play this with a headset, please!
F.E.A.R.'s biggest enemy is the level design. I usually prefer linear games than sandbox/open-world ones, but this is a perfect example of linear design gone terribly wrong. Levels are a repetitive, unimaginative and bland hallway fest. Some corridors feel like labyrinths. I got lost so many times on some areas that I just got bored! The pacing is not bad, but its straightforward nature hurts how well the game could hold up nowadays. I may love the story, but MY GOD does it take its time to unfold. You're basically left in the dark for the first 7 chapters, with minimal information and the same objective. And It's not like they did not have anything to reveal, they just decided to wait and rush it by the end. I love the final chapters, but if the game just focused in telling the story and frightening you more than throwing more enemies in the way, it would be much better.
Also, whose idea was to make the flashlight so annoying? And why are there MECHS in the game? They feel so out of place...
F.E.A.R.'s problems did not break the game in any way for me. This is still an amazing hair-raising experience. It's easy to recommend this to anyone, since it works so well as an fps and as a horror game. Sure, it didn't age like a fine wine, but it does its job of keeping you hooked and terrified.