It has been over 15 years since the last Fear Effect game was released. Now, we see that Sushee and the Square Enix Collective have a release date for their continuation, Fear Effect Sedna.
Fear Effect was one of several classic Eidos IPs that Square Enix opened up for pitching, and received interest from Sushee after their previous game with the Square Enix Collective, Goetia, was a success. Working with Square Enix and the co-writer of Fear Effect John Zuur Platten, Fear Effect Sedna hopes to help bring the series to the modern day, starting with a Kickstarter project that raised over $100k to fund the development of the game.
The Fear Effect Franchise was known in its first two entries for its cinematic storytelling and characters. They were part of a library of Eidos titles that were pushing the boundaries of video games at the time, something they were known for. Both Fear Effect 1 and Fear Effect 2: Retro Helix were PlayStation exclusives with several primary characters that you'd control throughout the world. Fear Effect managed to combine survival horror (tank controls included!), tactical action and puzzles along with those characters and storytelling for something that resonated strongly with players. Speaking with the developer of Fear Effect Sedna this is what they had to say on why they think people turned out to help lead a resurrection to this IP:
"The characters are the most important part of the game, who are as appealing today, as they were 18 years ago. Which made it challenging to add our own new character but we’re really proud of what how he fits with in the Fear Effect crew. Lots of fans played when they were younger, most likely younger than the age rating on the box, which has made an impression on them and years later has that nostalgic excitement to play a new chapter in the story."A big change for Fear Effect Sedna is that it takes an isometric perspective of the action. This is in contrast to the shifting and cinematic camera of the first two games. They felt that the isometric views provide a greater tactical view. This new perspective lets you see all characters during the action, which makes sense for this type of game.
When speaking with Sushee they shared what they believe are the core aspects of Fear Effect as a series:
“For a game it’s a very cinematic experience, with a big mix of cutscenes and gameplay, especially for the time it was made. We are smaller than Kronos when they made the first Fear Effect, but we’ve really worked on having a lot of animation to drive the story and create that same feeling in Sedna.Square Enix West Director of Indie Publishing Phil Elliott has shared that he thinks this is a big year for both Fear Effect and the Collective initiative. This is their first revival of a classic IP under the Collective banner. Its success could inspire other Square, Enix, and Eidos properties to return.Sex and violence were really obvious themes in the original and we’ve tried to maintain that in a modern and intelligent way.
Then the mix of sci-fi and cyberpunk themes mixed with mythological demons and fantasy horror really make the series stand out.”
So what does Fear Effect Sedna look like? Take a look at the newest trailer here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XOzZp8M8gY&feature=youtu.be
Fear Effect Sedna is releasing March 6th for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One for $19.99