I don’t know much about the Fear Effect series. I’m part of that new generation of gamers that original Fear Effect director John Zuur Platten is referring to in the Kickstarter trailer; or at the very least, I’m part of the crowd that for some reason or another missed out on past Fear Effect titles. But then again, Fear Effect Sedna has already raised over 50% of the €100,000 it’s asking for –—so there’s got to be some fresh faces like myself intrigued by this real-time, tactical action game, even if we aren’t aware of the franchise’s storied roots.
Aside from the graphics and writing overhaul that Josh Griffiths talked about in our previous coverage of Fear Effect Sedna, I’m plenty enamored with the art design even without having to compare it to its predecessors. I love the slick cartoon style, and the characters—well, there’s no other way to put it—they all look pretty damn sexy. They’ve included tons of stunning character concept art on their Kickstarter, which will definitely help their campaign along.
You can never go wrong with good-looking leads, especially when it comes to reeling in the big bucks, and crowdfunded games are no exception to the rule. Even though developer Sushee Games didn’t create Hana, Rain, Deke and Glas from scratch, they’ve done a great job revamping their look but keeping in a similar vein to Fear Effect’s predecessor. I do have a slight reservation about the over-sexualization of Hana and Rain though, which seems to have carried over from the past games – don’t get me wrong, I’ve got nothing against half-naked women—but it’s too much of a marketing ploy for me. I mean, c’mon, just take a look at the gif below—does that not scream “give us your money!” to you?
The isometric view in Fear Effect Sedna is something I’ll have to try in the upcoming beta to see if it fits—I’m still on the fence about it. Anything is better than those awkward camera angles from the past Fear Effects, but I would have much preferred a conventional third person camera angle, à la early Tomb Raider. Still, the top-down view is convenient for tactical actions games, and it’ll be interesting to see how Sunshee Games uses it to their advantage come beta release time.
Fights and puzzles are very much of a part of the Fear Effect franchise, and the same goes for Fear Effect Sedna. We’re told that up to five characters will be fighting in real-time, that strategy and positioning will be “essential”, and that you’ll be able to pause the game Dragon Age: Inquisition style. This can either be rendered in a very clunky or smooth manner, so the pressure will be on for Sunshee Games, as the crux of Fear Effect Sedna is obviously its combat. Some vague description is given about the puzzles: disarming traps, unlocking doors, hacking, something to do with Inuit carvings, but I would very much like to see a demonstration of these activities in-game sometime in the next couple of weeks. Just under three weeks are left in Fear Effect Sedna’s campaign, and it’s showing a lot of promise that it’ll definitely have to deliver on.
