September 2024 report

Twenty years after the events in the first game (don't remember it much, completed it in 2018) the Archdemon Ragnar is one step away from entering our world. Dawn Harlock, the last descendant of the mysterious demon hunter order and paranormal investigator, needs to stop a deadly conspiracy against her and save the world, again.

The story is most of the time rather weird with characters acting stupidly and ridiculously. Our main heroine is very unsympathetic mainly thanks to her flat and emotionless voice acting (other characters are more or less mediocre). She also can't be killed by any means in the world, like by a direct hit with a bazooka, thanks to a small magic amulet thus making all of the encounters rather irrelevant. The graphics and the music are fine, could be better could be worse. Puzzles and hidden object scenes are of an easier sort, the biggest challenge is to find all of the things needed to proceed thanks to constant backtracking.

There are definitely better (i.e. more clever and prettier) HOGs.

Five years after defeating the Archdemon Ragnar Dawn Harlock lived in peace. But now she needs to step out of her retirement and investigate a mysterious case of a missing girl as it seems like supernatural powers are at play. The further she follows the trail, the more she learns about her past and heritage!

I'd say it's better than the second game although the story is pretty weak and stupid at some moments. Like when a member of a demon hunter order appears and she is surprised that such an order exists… Although our heroine is getting older with every game, she doesn't become any wiser. She also remains as unsympathetic as before. Other characters are fine, they usually end up dead pretty quickly though. The graphics are prettier now, very grim and darkish. The overall atmosphere is rather well done, there are even a few "jump scares".

Puzzles are alright, still of an easier sort. Sometimes I was thinking over the top and yet the solution was very simple. Few of them are exactly the same as in the previous game. Hidden object scenes are nicely varied and don't repeat too much. There are three different collectibles to find, luckily there is a collected indication on the screen so no stress of missing something! The backtracking isn't that much apparent, but it's still there.
After completing the main story you can play a bonus chapter to see what had happened before we got to the crime scene.

Considering how the plot developed I am curious where it will go in the next two games and if our heroine ages even more.

Extraction Point follows right where the main game ended. Our rescue helicopter crashes down with us on board. With our two surviving companions we need to navigate the destroyed city to a new extraction point which is set up in a local hospital. The area isn't safe though as the otherwise vacant streets are full of mysterious deadly entities and enemy soldiers.

Extraction Point looks and plays the same way as the main game - the gunfights are intense, the enemy AI is rather clever. It became a lot more brutal and scary though. A few of the jump scares gave me almost a heart attack. xD Storywise there are no laptops or phone calls to give us additional lore, like in the main game.

There are known problems with FPS (like with the main game), but the community repair works like a charm.

If you have liked the main game, you will enjoy the expansions even though they are not considered canon to the story. I think that the first F.E.A.R. is one of the best shooters for sure. I was quite surprised by some of the mechanics and how well it works even after all those years. Love the leaning and slow motion! I was also fascinated by how clever the enemies are and how they can create barriers from the tables, cabinets, and couches to hide behind. They also talk together (which can give their positions out), try to ambush you, react to your flashlight, etc. Really a great experience.

Perseus Mandate follows a secondary team of F.E.A.R. forces. All of it happens in parallel with the main game storyline. Our main objective is to obtain more information about secret projects at Armacham Technology Corporation's facilities.

The graphics underwent a huge overhaul, it looks more modern-ish. It remains true to its predecessors - bloody and scary. New locations, enemies, and weapons are introduced, which freshens it up a bit. I have found this one more difficult than the main game and the first expansion. The ultimate boss battle was a horrible pain… no more again. Unlike the Extraction Point there are additional laptops or phone calls to give us a little backstory, like in the main game.

There are known problems with FPS (like with the main game), but the community repair works like a charm. This time though I have also experienced a few crashes and "out of memory" or "disconnected" errors. Yet again the discussions helped with that.

If you have liked the main game, you will enjoy the expansions even though they are not considered canon to the story. I think that the first F.E.A.R. is one of the best shooters for sure. I was quite surprised by some of the mechanics and how well it works even after all those years. Love the leaning and slow motion! I was also fascinated by how clever the enemies are and how they can create barriers from the tables, cabinets, and couches to hide behind. They also talk together (which can give their positions out), try to ambush you, react to your flashlight etc. Really a great experience.