PlayStation classic 'Fear Effect' to receive a 2018 remake

Fear Effect Reinvented is coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC in 2018. The project is a remake of the cult-classic PlayStation title Fear Effect, which launched in 2000.

We don’t know much about the remake thus far, other than what we saw in a brief teaser trailer (above). In the trailer, Hana, one of the three playable characters, walks slowly into a room, and proceeds to spin, pointing a handgun at the camera. That’s it. From that brief glimpse, we can tell that Fear Effect Reinvented will at least partially retain the cel-shaded graphics that made Fear Effect stand out on the original PlayStation. At that time, Fear Effect was one of the first games to utilize such graphics.

Fear Effect tells the story of three mercenaries on a search for the missing daughter of a crime boss. Their intent is to find her and hold her for ransom. Hana serves as the lead character of the group alongside Deke and Glas. The game used full-motion video to render environments rather than 2D images, which forced the game to play out over the course of four discs.

Fear Effect Reinvented is being developed by independent studio Sushee, and being published by Square Enix Collective, a branch of the major studio that’s dedicated to smaller indie titles. Even though the game will be true to the original, we hope Sushee updates a couple key areas. Fear Effect was regarded well thanks to its visuals and storytelling, but its fixed camera angles and sluggish controls frustrated many.

Speaking with GamesIndustry.biz, Sushee creative director Thibaut Romaggi said the studio plans to address aspects that loyal fans of Fear Effect want most. “Making a remake or a sequel for a franchise that you didn’t create yourself is very different from creating your own game. You don’t have more of a right than most of the fans to create this game — it’s just an opportunity, and paying attention to the community is crucial,” he said.

The original Fear Effect was developed by Kronos Digital Entertainment and published by Eidos Interactive. Sushee, though, seems like the logical choice to handle the remake.

In 2016, Sushee launched a Kickstarter for Fear Effect Sedna, a reimagining of the franchise that turns the series into a turn-based strategy game in the vein of the XCOM series. Fear Effect Sedna, also published by Square Enix Collective, will launch in 2018 as well.