For 19! years old game F.E.A.R. aged extremely well, especially gameplay. Still, kinda sad how games that doesn't need remasters/remakes (looking at you horizon zero dawn) get them and this modern classic completely forgotten by Monolith & WB.

Man we seriously had no idea how ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ good we had it back in 2005. Way better than 99% of the ♥♥♥♥ we have been fed since. I remember upgrading my PC back in the day to play this game and in 2024 almost 20 years later it still doesn't disappoint!

You play as the Point Man (yeah, they couldn’t even bother giving you a real name), a super-soldier with an affinity for slo-mo combat. Your mission? Track down Paxton Fettel, a psychic cannibal with serious daddy issues, and figure out why everything around you looks like a bad day at a poltergeist convention.

Slo-mo (or Reflex Time, as the game calls it) is the cherry on top. There’s something deeply satisfying about watching bullets cut through the air in slow motion, with sparks flying from the walls and enemies flailing around. It’s like The Matrix, but instead of fighting agents in cool sunglasses, you’re fighting dudes in tactical gear.
The soldiers in F.E.A.R. are not your average video game cannon fodder. These guys are tactical geniuses compared to the usual enemies you’d expect. They’ll flank you, use cover, and even shout out commands like they’re actually trying to survive the encounter. At some points, you might find yourself thinking, “Wait, am I the one being hunted here?”

Now, let’s talk about the horror. F.E.A.R. delivers its scares through two main channels: jump scares and atmosphere. Alma—the little girl who looks like she wandered off the set of J-horror movie. She pops up out of nowhere, usually when you’re least prepared, to remind you that no matter how many soldiers you mow down in slow motion, you’re still just a helpless sack of meat when it comes to supernatural spookiness. Alma has a habit of showing up in places she really shouldn’t—like behind you, in front of you, or, worst of all, crawling toward you in a nightmare vision where the entire world is bathed in red. It’s terrifying in the “oh great, my heart stopped again” kind of way.

The atmosphere is where the game truly shines. Dark corridors, flickering lights, and ominous whispers make you feel like something could go horribly wrong at any moment. And usually, it does. There’s a constant sense of dread, like you’re always being watched, which makes those action-packed firefights all the more jarring when they happen. One second you’re tiptoeing through a hallway, the next you’re in an all-out gun battle, only to have Alma suddenly appear in the aftermath to remind you that you’re not safe. Ever.

At release, F.E.A.R. was praised for its impressive graphics. The lighting and particle effects were ahead of their time. The game’s lighting system plays a huge role in the horror, casting shadows that make you question whether that figure in the corner is an enemy or just your imagination.
The sound design? Top-notch. Whether it’s the eerie silence of an empty room, the distant sound of gunfire, or Alma’s unsettling whispers in your ear, the audio pulls you into the experience.

F.E.A.R. is a game that blends tactical first-person shooter mechanics with psychological horror in a way that few games have matched since. The balance between intense action and terrifying horror creates a unique experience that’s still worth playing today. The game’s AI remains some of the best in the genre, and the way it builds tension through both combat and atmosphere is masterful.