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Cry of Fear

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Cry of Fear
Developer(s)

Team Psykskallar

Release date(s)

February 20, 2012 (mod release)
April 25, 2013 (Steam release)

Genre(s)

First-person shooter horror game

Mode(s)

Single-player, multiplayer

Distribution

Digital distribution, Steam

System req

1 GHz processor, 64 MB RAM, 128MB video card with OpenGl support, Steam version of Half-Life

Engine

GoldSrc

Designer(s)

Andreas Rönnberg
James Marchant
Jordy Boerma

Composer(s)

Andreas Rönnberg[1]
Bxmmusic[1]
Muddasheep[1]

Cry of Fear is a single-player, psychological horror first person shooter made by Team Psykskallar, creators of Afraid of Monsters modification. Originally a modification of Half-Life, it is now a standalone product available on Steam.

Development[edit]

Cry of Fear began development in 2008. The mod was delayed several times due to time limitations before being released in 2012. During the 4 years of development of Cry of Fear, many ideas were scrapped, while others were improved. For example, the phone's flashlight was initially made to illuminate an area around the player - this was later changed only to the area in front of him or her. The inventory system was also reduced from twelve slots to six.

Gameplay[edit]

The player navigates through a city while solving puzzles and fighting monsters in order to progress. The game switches between normal gameplay levels representing the city and surrounding areas, and "nightmare" levels, similar to those found in the Silent Hill series.[2]

Cry of Fear features many unique mechanics, such as the limited inventory system, which allows the player to carry only six items at a time and does not pause the game while the inventory screen is open. Another unique mechanic is the ability to dual-wield inventory items, allowing the use of two weapons at a time, or one weapon and a light source. Item combination is also possible from the inventory screen. Health is recovered by the use of morphine syringes, which can blur the player's vision if overused. Stamina is consumed through strenuous actions such as running and jumping, and can be recovered by resting or the use of morphine.

Some days before Cry of Fear 's anniversary, Valve released a Half-Life update for Linux compatibility, making changes in the folders and engine. This update made several Half-Life mods, including Cry of Fear, incompatible with the base game. Team Psykskallar decided that, since no more could be done for the mod itself, they would finish a standalone version. Confusion due to Valve regarding to Cry of Fear's status as freeware caused the game to be delayed until April 25, 2013.[3][4]

Plot[edit]

Cry of Fear's story spans seven to eight chapters, depending on the player's actions. The game features a total of nine endings, six of which are available in the single-player campaign, one - in the normal co-op mode, and two - in the co-op survival mode.

The story begins with Simon Henriksson, a 19 year old, waking up in an unknown alley shortly after being hit by a car. Much of his time is spent exploring and fighting off crazed, deformed humanoid creatures. He also receives flashbacks telling the story of what happened after the accident, varying from the police response to the resulting hospital stay. Along the way, he meets a cryptic and violent Doctor Purnell, and a childhood friend and love interest named Sophie, who commits suicide at the will of a creature named Carcass. The player is given the option to choose whether or not to fight and kill Carcass, as well as whether or not to help the doctor by giving him a gun.

If given the gun, the doctor turns on the player. After a victorious battle, Simon then has a flashback of the doctor talking to him. He says that the medication will not help him by itself, and recommends that Simon tries a cognitive therapy by writing a book about his feelings and anxiety.

If both Carcass and Doctor Purnell were killed, Simon finishes his book. While he prepares to commit suicide, an evil counterpart, Book Simon, interrupts him, and opens the door of his apartment, then disappearing. At this point, the events in Cry of Fear are revealed to be nothing more than a metaphor of Simon's book therapy, and the character controlled throughout the game being a depiction of the real Simon and what combats the trauma of his mind. The "true" Simon, confined to a wheelchair, then follows the Book Simon into another nightmarish world. An another victorious battle ends the nightmare sequence and triggers the 4th ending where two police officers enter Simon's apartment to stop him from committing suicide. Doctors testify that Simon had a psychotic episode, and he's transferred to a mental hospital. Receiving treatment from Doctor Purnell and being regularly visited by Sophie, he finds himself at peace and finishes his book, saying that it has changed his life.

If Carcass isn't killed and/or the doctor isn't given the gun, Simon will commit suicide after finishing his book, unlocking the eighth chapter, where he travels through a different nightmarish world and reaches Sick Simon, who is a depiction of the real Simon. After defeating Sick Simon, one of the game's "bad" ending plays.

Reception[edit]

Cry of Fear has received generally positive reviews, with reviewers praising its overall atmosphere and unique setting. However, it has been criticized for repetitive gameplay and overuse of jump scares.[5] It has an average user score of 8.0 on Metacritic. [6]

Awards[edit]

Cry of Fear has received the following awards:

  • Mod DB - Mod of the Year 2012 (3rd place)[7]
  • MOD DB - Mod of the Year 2011 (1st place)[8]
  • Press Play - Scariest Game of the Year 2012[9]
  • Mod DB - Best Upcoming Mod of the Year 2011[10]

Gallery[edit]

Concept art[edit]

Screenshots[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]