Fear Effect Sedna Reviews
Fear Effect Sedna is a major disappointment especially if you are a fan of the series. The game certainly is ambitious but that doesn't help it solve many of its underlying problems.
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.
Fear Effect Sedna is one of those games that were I not reviewing it, I'd have stopped playing very early on. Its few redeeming qualities actually fail to redeem it at all; it's simply not a very good video game, one that could only be satisfactory to the most eager of Fear Effect fans. For everyone else, it's impossible to recommend.
A failed attempt at resurrecting a cult favourite, Fear Effect Sedna is a tactical shooter in which tactics are largely irrelevant. Atrocious cut-scenes, dreadful boss encounters and dire presentation overall, make this something better left in the past. Steer well clear.
Fear Effect Sedna is vapid and vain, like a B-movie with a bit of gorgeous cinematography. Its gameplay falters miserably and even with the unmistakable atmosphere of the old games, Sedna just isn't enjoyable to sit through.
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.
The more masochistic crowd of gamers out there will get a kick out of the formidable puzzles and vicious death cutscenes. The pure mediocrity of the rest of the game doesn't do enough to make it a worthy recommendation, however.
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.
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.
Bad puzzles, repetitive combat, and poorly designed encounters are constant companions. I respect the desire and the work that must have gone into making this revival a reality. I just wish the product would have been better for long-suffering fans.
Fear Effect Sedna conclusively stomps out any life the series had left with its shallow, malformed gameplay and disjointed narrative.
Ultimately, Fear Effect Sedna is saved by a great story and awesome puzzle design. I found myself completely impressed with where Sushee Games took the Fear Effect series despite the game's shortcomings. Fear Effect Sedna proves that the Fear Effect series can survive in a modern gaming climate and flourish. During my time with the game, once the story began to take unbelievable twists and supernatural elements made there way into the narrative, I truly felt like I was playing a new Fear Effect game and that's a lot of what I was hoping for from Fear Effect Sedna.
Fear Effect Sedna represented an opportunity to bring a well-remembered series – albeit not always for the right reasons – back to life. As is the case with many games arriving via Kickstarter, though, the ambition of the project fails to translate into the final product.
A tedious slog that sullies the legacy of its vaunted predecessors.
Fear Effect Sedna is a flawed return for the late PS1-era classic, with its combat occasionally being a bit clunky and not utilizing the tactical elements as well as it wanted to. But the creepy descent into Inuit horror, stylish graphics, and challenging puzzles and gameplay may still provide you with enough reasons to take a peek at it.
Despite not highlighting either its combat or stealth mechanics, Fear Effect Sedna is a pretty satisfactory resurrection of a franchise that we believed dead by its puzzles, plot and characters.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Fear Effect Sedna shows that the developer truly knows its source material inside out, but unfortunately the gameplay aspect remains lost. With poor voice-acting, a broken, almost unnecessary tactical system, unreliable A.I., and flat action, Sedna just isn't fun or compelling.
As mentioned earlier, a name carries expectations. Strictly in terms of game design, Fear Effect Sedna is quite possibly the strongest the series has ever been. However, it doesn't go far enough to make up for its deficiencies in atmosphere and storytelling. As it turns out, this title is as cold and distant as its locales and isometric perspective suggest. There's very little imagery to provoke thoughts or spark the imagination, just a high body count and a lot of swear words. Even if that were enough for a Cyberpunk game, it's handled in a manner that isn't stylish or memorable. All in all, this entry is a difficult recommendation, especially for Fear Effect fans.
Fear Effect Sedna brings back from the past the core elements of the series, with a nice story that manages to drag the player into it.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Fear Effect Sedna revives a cult-classic IP, but the game's flat, subdued script, forgettable characters, and poor controls ultimately hamper this effort.