Fear Effect Sedna Reviews
Fear Effect Sedna may not be the true sequel fans were looking for, but it still delivers an enjoyable story along with creative puzzles and detailed environments. If you take the time to learn how to fully utilise the tactical mode, or you just love micro-managing things, then the combat may work out better for yourself than it did for me. If you don't mind the issues the game currently has and you are a fan of the original games then you may want to try the game out in order to see Hana and friends on their new adventure, however gamers new to the series may not enjoy the story and the setting as much as the fans.
With a cast of characters that are forgettable and challenging gameplay that punishes you with load times and long waits between game over screen to starting at the last check point, I would steer clear of this title unless you are a fan of the previous titles. I believe there are gamers out there who are more forgiving of these things than I am, but I couldn’t recommend it to someone without outlining the frustrations I had.
Fear Effect Sedna feels like a fan-service game. Fans will enjoy the story's continuation, but for everyone else, playing it is almost pointless.
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If you were a huge fan of this series, or games from that era, you could find a lot to like here. It's rough around the edges with cheesy acting, and a lot of game over screens, but if that doesn't put you off you could find an enjoyable time here.
It’s clear that not enough love was given to Fear Effect Sedna. The lack of polish shows all over the place, and little flaws that could have been ironed out with more testing cripple the experience. The things it does well are rendered disappointing by the frustrating mess one needs to slog through to reach them.
Fear Effect Sedna has suffered from an internal conflict over whether to stay true to the originals or start over. There is an authenticity in approach that lifelong Fear Effect fans will no doubt appreciate, but, taking a step back to look at the game as a whole, even they may come to lament the many flaws that it is riddled with. It’s a shame, therefore, that it can’t outrun its demons.
Underneath the pretty visuals, Fear Effect: Sedna is not a good game. The included systems all sound intriguing but in practice do little more than aggravate. This is an example of a story in the wrong medium, Fear Effect: Sedna would have made for a half decent film.
The cell shaded look of Sedna and the soundtrack are excellent, but the change in gameplay, some of the combat and the isometric look lessened my enjoyment. The puzzles and innovative ideas are great though and some of the world themes are interesting to revisit, but it most certainly left me remembering the original as the better experience.
With Fear Effect Sedna, Sushee has managed to create a different yet faithful new episode in a long forgotten cult franchise. While the gameplay mechanics are not optimal for most, and the graphics engine is sub-par for what you would expect from a 2018 title, but it's worth picking if you're a fan of Fear Effect. Here's hoping Fear Effect Reinvented, a remake of the original Fear Effect and Sushee's other project, will be a better way to showcase the French studio's talent.
Okay, one last thing. I know this is too much, but at the time of writing, Fear Effect Sedna’s app icon for the Nintendo Switch is boring. You know what a great app icon for the Switch is? Something that tells the gamers what they’re about to put their hands into. You know what isn’t? Letters within textured shapes. Nowhere in “f.e.s.” would I know what game Sedna is. I won’t even know what those letters stand for. An icon is supposed to give players an idea of what a game’s about. Fortunately, this mediocrity might just go away after an update and (hopefully) be replaced by something more engaging.
The truth is Fear Effect Sedna is not a good game. It’s more frustrating than it is satisfying and it will test the best resolve in the world if you are determined to see it through to the end. In this case, sadly, patches and fixes can only paper the cracks of what is an inherently flawed sequel.