Iv'e said it before and i'll say it again; I love horror as a genre! For those of you who are getting bored of my horror game reviews I'm sorry but if it makes you feel any better there's not too many left for me to talk about. No, that's a lie, sorry! Muahaha! I respect what small developers can do, especially when they bust out with an amazing game like Cry Of Fear. Initially a Half Life 1 mod, Cry Of Fear has seen some additions to the core gameplay mechanics and it's all for the best. Anyone who's played Half Life 1 or 2 for that matter should know what to expect in terms of movement systems, hit detection and all that jazz. Here is a classic example of the Gold Source Engine taken to new heights with fully remodelled environments, characters and enhanced cutscenes. Now obviously the graphics are limited to that of the mod itself so don't expect it to look like current generation games but give it chance, it's actually a very well designed and thought out game. The game itself can be downloaded I do believe or you can always purchase it off Steam for a very appropriate price. The guys at Team Psykskallar have done a stellar job and cemented their place in the modding community as a highly regarded team. The other game that the team has developed is called Afraid Of Monsters and would you guess it's a horror game and much like Cry Of Fear it's again a very well designed and fun experience. But we'll get to that game another day, for now let's get stuck into this one and what makes it tick.
When I talked about F.E.A.R. the other day I said that it's very hard for FPS games to be scary without overpowering the players arsenal or becoming too repetitive. Cry Of Fear thankfully has taken this all on board and managed to make a truly terrifying experience out of a game that could've otherwise been a flop. Eliminating repetition is hard especially in these kinds of game, luckily Cry Of Fear keeps you guessing with new enemies, puzzles and traps progressively being introduced throughout the game. The addition of boss fights was an unexpected one but made the game that extra bit more fun and intense as the fights were exceptionally tough at times. The story following the main protagonist Simon is a confusing one with you gradually piecing together the events of how you got to this twisted city. Simon must traverse the world and discover the truth about why he's there and what's really going on. I don't want to spoil too much because it is a great story and builds itself very well and should be enjoyed by you guys rather than me telling you. The locales you explore can sometimes be linear but more often than not you'll find you need to explore multiple areas and backtrack to complete objectives. The campaign itself isn't terribly long, maybe 8-12 hours depending on if you get stuck on where to go or puzzle solving. Being alone in this vast twisted city with no idea how you got there does add a serious level of tension to the atmosphere, you'll know what I mean when you play it, but it's the constant feeling of dread that defines the game and makes the experience just that little bit more eerie.
A game like this is a great example of building tension. You will encounter many jump scares throughout the game but they only serve to keep you on your toes. Much of the time the scares will just come from the fear built up in your own imagination and that's what this games all about. All elements of the game are balanced seamlessly which makes for a very immersive experience. Games like this I would like to more of! Games like Resident Evil and Doom these days don't take the whole horror genre seriously enough and are giving it a bad name. There's a considerable difference between an FPS horror game and an FPS with horror elements and a lot of games are misleading people in these regards. Especially with games like Resident Evil 6, which I'll get to one day soon, they try to be too much and ultimately end up being a very bland experience. It's great to see smaller developers out shining many big studios these days because it goes to show that it's not all about the companies name and reputation, it's about the content itself and what the gamers want. Now that was a little off topic rant but bare that in mind next time your browsing for a game to play, don't always judge a book by its cover. You guys should all give Cry Of Fear a chance as I'm sure you'll love it and if you don't at least you've seen what other developers are capable of!
Genre: FPS Survival Horror
Platforms: PC
Score: 9 / 10
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