"Brother, are you with me or not?" Review of the game
Spoilers, lots of spoilers.
Alma. Perhaps everyone has already heard this name. A small girl, dead by the time of the first game, with psychic abilities, over whom horrific experiments were conducted, and who gave life to two prototypes of commander-telepaths — Pointman ("first prototype") and Fettel ("second prototype"). In the first part of the game, Pointman shoots his brother in the head. But he did not fade away, and even more so, he is now on par with Pointman as a protagonist. And since we have two protagonists, it would be a waste not to add cooperative gameplay. And here the developers did not disappoint. Although the game can be completed alone by either brother, it is much more interesting to do it together, because the plot of the third installment actively exploits their complicated relationship.
Family Values
It's not every day that we get to meet a new member of the family...
— Paxton Fettel
By the way, about the plot. It is quite good and is excellently delivered in the intermission cutscenes. Remember the ending of the second part? Alma is indeed pregnant with Beckett, the protagonist of [F.E.A.R. 2](/games?search=F.E.A.R. 2). At the beginning of the game, Fettel fights off Pointman from Armacham fighters, and together they initially try to escape and then reach their mother. Throughout the game, Fettel constantly appeals to his brother’s familial feelings. He, as always, grimly remains silent.
No, gentlemen, I am not Freeman. I am Fettel.
The action, by the way, unfolds again in Fairport. The city is plagued by "Alma-touched" cultists and cannibals, who are hard to call peaceful residents. Over the course of eight chapters, we will visit a prison, slums, a local hypermarket, the suburbs, the city itself, and the home in which the brothers were held during the "Origin" project.
Interestingly, the antagonist here is not Alma, but her father — Harlan Wade. After all, he is to blame for everything that has happened. And although he was killed by Alma in the first part, it seems that the collective memories of all the suffering Alma and her sons endured because of him have created a monster — The Abomination — which is perfectly capable of killing.
Interesting, why would he want to save us?
We will also meet old acquaintances: Chin Sun-Kwon (Pointman's partner from F.E.A.R.) and Michael Beckett. Actually, we learn about Beckett and Alma's pregnancy from Chin.
Universal Soldier
My children... Alma... You were to be my legacy... but you are all monsters.
— Harlan Wade
First, some general points. Before us is still the same first-person shooter. The hero can carry up to two guns and three types of grenades. There is an ability to take cover and shoot from behind barriers. Health regenerates on its own if we are not being hit.
The gameplay for the brothers is different. Pointman has not lost his abilities and is still able to "slow down time" (there is a special bar at the crosshair). With ranged weapons and a couple of melee moves, he brings death to enemies. However, he is suitable for slow, methodical enemy shooting.
Pointman just kicked a phase commander with a shield. "Like a turtle outraced a hare."
Fettel, having parted with his mortal body and being in some sort of limbo, is now able to possess others and control them for a short period of time. Unfortunately, stealth elements are not included — enemies immediately recognize that they are facing an enemy and open fire. Apparently, Paxton is betrayed by a red glow. Instead of a slowing bar, he has a possession meter. Outside of a body, it regenerates on its own, while we are in someone else's body, it gradually decreases, and we must collect the "souls" of dead enemies to extend our time in the body.
Fettel subdues another manifestation of Alma's consciousness.
In addition to this ability, Fettel has long-range and melee attacks, as well as the ability to lift enemies into the air (to possess them, you need to lift enemies, by the way). He can carry and use firearms only in the bodies of special forces operatives.
Eyes Afraid
Horrible... She raped me! Do you hear me ARMACHAM?! She is fucking pregnant!!!
— Michael Beckett
Fear is not included in the game. Not at all. The only moment that made me flinch, although it is banal, is presented in the screenshot below.
Suddenly!
Maybe it's partly due to the fact that the graphics are still old for horror. The lack of environmental detail to create believable nightmares is noticeable. But if you are an impressionable newcomer to such games, maybe you will find something to be scared of.
But let’s face the truth — F.E.A.R. has never been a horror game. Yes, there were chilling moments, but the emphasis is on shooting, and the ominous events around are just a backdrop. For those who believe otherwise, I recommend checking out real thrillers where the main character can hardly deal with the threat looming over them (like [Amnesia: The Dark Descent](/games?search=Amnesia: The Dark Descent) or, for example, [Call of Cthulhu](/games?search=Call of Cthulhu)). Because real horror can only be survival.
The weather is not forgiving these days. Increased birth activity.
The shooter turned out to be corridor-based; we move from one small location to another. Loading is seamless. Just as you cross another "threshold", your way back is naturally blocked.
Shootouts are well done. Enemies actively use cover, change positions, throw grenades, and sometimes even cover each other. Some covers are destructible, and you will constantly have to change position, which increases the dynamics of the battles.
The arrangement of battles ensures that you neither get bored nor get overwhelmed, which is quite pleasing. For variety, you will be given the opportunity to pilot two types of mech bots a couple of times throughout the game. Although they can be ignored, walking is harder, but the option to choose is good.
They thought that I had no chances against the two of them.
Fight for Survival
They all deserve to die!
— Paxton Fettel
A new feature is the introduction of an achievement system. In addition to the usual Steam achievements, there are in-game ones divided into four categories. The achievements are quite varied. There are simple ones, like "spend 120 seconds behind cover" or "make 30 kills in other bodies". There are also more complex ones — "kill five enemies in one slow time". And so on, a total of 78 achievements, each can be obtained multiple times. The player is awarded points for these achievements, and upon reaching a certain amount, a new level is attained, bringing upgrades to the heroes' abilities (increasing slow time/spirit bar, health, the ability to carry a few more clips of ammo). It's even hard to label this as RPG elements, but it opens up a competitive aspect. The points earned for achievements are summed up, and you get a final score for the gaming chapter. Statistics are kept for all players, and you can see where you and your friends rank.
Looks like he doesn't quite approve of our actions.
Since I've warned about spoilers, I cannot help but mention how this system affects the plot. In fact, it's simple. In the finale, the brothers engage in battle with each other, and whoever has completed more achievements in categories and has scored more points is chosen as "Alma's favorite" and overcomes the opponent, leading to one of two endings based on who won. This is why cooperative gameplay is highly recommended.
The multiplayer turned out to be great. There are four diverse modes, which I will briefly describe.
The "Contractions" mode is similar to the "Zombie mode" from [Call of Duty: World at War](/games?search=Call of Duty: World at War) (or [Call of Duty: Black Ops](/games?search=Call of Duty: Black Ops)), although there are several significant differences that make it simpler.
"Soul King" — a competitive mode where players act as ghosts that can instantly possess NPC opponents. Killed bots leave souls that need to be collected for points. The player with the most points wins, and in the event of death, half the points are lost, while the current leader is clearly visible to all, making them a great target.
Alma has also invaded the multiplayer. But don't play staring contests with her.
In the "Soul Survivor" mode, one player is a ghost (as in the previous mode), and the others are regular fighters who must fend off attacks from the bots and the ghost. The ghost's goal is to possess all the players, while the team's goal is to survive.
And finally, in the "F**king Run" mode, the team's task is to quickly move forward, escaping from the "wall of death" while fending off bots. If the wall touches even one team member, it counts as a defeat for everyone. The modes are decent and certainly better than the clichéd deathmatch and its variations.