Better left in the past.
Of all the games I never thought we would see revived, Fear Effect was at the top of that list. When Square-Enix put out a call to developers to bring back some of their stale IP I was excited. The idea of Gex or Fear Effect returning warms my heart. These are franchises that lived and died on the original PlayStation, and ones I have fond memories of. Fear Effect Sedna may have the namesake, but it lacks everything that made those original games stand out, well except for perhaps the lady smooching parts.
For those unfamiliar with the original Fear Effect games, they were third-person titles with static cameras, not unlike Resident Evil in its original incarnation. They were very stylistic, and the mix of action and puzzle solving really worked well for the time. So when one thinks of bringing the series back the first logical idea is to make it a top-down stealth title.
MSRP: $19.99
Platforms: XB1 (reviewed), PS4, Switch, PC
Price I’d Pay: $4.99
Yes, this new Fear Effect game only brings the aesthetic of the original titles. This wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing if the systems in play actually worked as intended. Instead, Sedna feels like a rough effort looking to rely solely on the withering nostalgia some of us had for the originals.
The problem is the game has no identity. It looks and acts like a stealth game with tactical elements, but sneaking around is hindered by poor perspective. The tactics are neat at first, but quickly devolve into useless. The combat is poor. Hiding behind cover to fire is useless as enemies simply bum rush me at every point. Add that to the aiming that requires moving the right stick until it is properly in place, and this game is a recipe for disaster. Nothing about any of the involved systems is fun.
The puzzles are also obtuse and annoying. These trial and error affairs involve using contextual clues throughout the environment a lot of times. Sadly the game never explains this, and some of them are so obtuse I almost gave up playing the game before release.
What Sedna does capture from Fear Effect though is its aesthetic and characters. Now I should premise this by saying that the developers clearly kept the dialogue and ridiculous sexual innuendo from the original games fully intact. Hana and Rain can NOT have a conversation that doesn’t devolve into sexual territory. This worked in its original form as gamers were immature and naive, but in today’s world it just feels cheap and lazy. The entire game feels focused on their relationship, and not in a meaningful way. It is awkward and uncomfortable.
If there is one bright spot it is the animated cut scenes. These retain the same art style of the originals only presented in crisp high definition. They look and animate beautifully. I just wish they were telling a compelling story.
Fear Effect Sedna is a bad game. Sadly, I wanted to love it simply because of my misplaced nostalgia for the original two titles. Going back to them now I am sure I would find plenty of archaic mechanics that simply do not hold up well. Or perhaps back then I was victim of the sexual innuendo the games portrayed. Either way, Sedna brings nothing to revitalize my interest in the series and ends up tarnishing the name for many more years to come.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
