Reviews - Cry of Fear Game

Feb 23rd, 2012 48 people agree 21 people don't

The best horror mod I've ever had the pleasure of playing. I spoke with Andreas in a notable interview a few months back and ever since have held an enormous respect for the man and what it is he sees in his projects, in his "horror", and in himself. Cry of Fear has finally launched and with it comes a turning point in open source gaming, modding, creative expression and a revitalization of the almost dead psychological modern horror that we have come to see in Jacob's Ladder, Silent Hill, Afraid of Monsters, and now in Cry of Fear.

I could justifiably complain about the dated graphics and the visual inconsistencies that mar some aspects of the mod. But why would I? These are insignificant when compared to the handling of the atmosphere; the key to any horror project. And believe me, Cry of Fear is scary. I'm not telling you its scary based on the misconception that anything that makes someone jump is "scary". I'm not saying its scary based on the misguided ideal that anything "horror" is automatically scary. You're reading a review of someone who lives, breathes, and loves the genre even makes horror mods himself--and it scared the absolute hell out of me.

Cry of Fear is soaked in loneliness, dread, foreboding, guilt, deep introspective messages and thoughtful negotiation with your inner demons. Its violent, shocking, loud and original and presents its story clearly with a sullen acceptance of death and decay. Its a mature story for a mature audience, tackling themes such as rape, drug addiction, murder, depression, bipolar, psychosis and much much more. This isn't just about monsters.

I'm running out of characters. Cry of Fear is a huge mod, with tons of content, unlockables, co-op, and about 8 hours to the story. It could be its own game and I'd pay for it. This is masterclass in horror modding and is the #1 of all time in my opinion, dethroning Afraid of Monsters. Whilst my preferred horror genre is Lovecraftian (This is quite Cronenberg), it doesn't matter.

Mar 2nd, 2012 28 people agree 10 people don't

Game took me about 11 hours to finish. Well done, but unfortunately not perfect. Mostly, because of outdated gamedesign and unpolished gameplay.

Pros
+ Outstanding visuals and details
+ Amazing cutscenes and firstperson animations! Love it!
+ Tons of content, just insane! I was deeply impressed!
+ Many creative stuff \cool monsters, interesting levels and features\
+ Cool music and sound effects.

Cons
- Outdated game design. Feels like very old school game from early PS2 era.
- Endless repetitive levels. Great start and boring end levels. Game could be twice shorter and because of that less frustrating and annoying.
- Difficulty is just insane! You made me suffer on EASY! And it's not because I am a lame player. Looks like the game was intended only for hardcore HL-players. As an example - the level with wrecked subway car, where you have to jump and duck within limited time. Casual player will stuck there for sure.
- Lots of small bugs (hopefully will be fixed with patches)

My score - 9/10.
Definitely, the best SP mod of 2012!

Feb 22nd, 2012 16 people agree 10 people don't

Positive
+ Great storyline.
+ Breaking GoldSrc engine make this mod awesome.
+ This mod is friggin scary.

Negative
- Graphics bugs.
- Game crash if playing for a long time.
- Monster look stupid when play for a long time.

Summary
This mod is awesome but need patch to fix horrible bugs.

Mar 10th, 2012 6 people agree 2 people don't

Amazing accomplishment on technology many consider out of date, with Beautiful environments, imaginative original setpieces, a haunting score and menacing creatures- this is the best Half-Life mod ever made. I want to vote 9.5 but I can't and 10 is perfect (there is no such thing imho).

Full review to come at a later date...

Mar 4th, 2012 5 people agree 2 people don't
This review may contain spoilers

Ever since I discovered this mod in 08 I been a patience tracker and that patience has seriously payed off!

Cry of Fear has got to be the scariest mod on Goldsrc I played in a while. It has all horror mod fans would love. Dark atmosphere, wonderful detailed monsters, and a story that will keep guessing while watching your back for any monsters that will attack you from behind.

The main character Simon is to me very interesting since as you play as him you can tell hes been having a crappy life with the slit wrists and him getting run over by an unknown person. This is when the questions started in my head "Who was that man asking for help? Who was in the car and tried to run Simon over nearly killed him and made him a cripple?, Was that Simon slamming that guy's head into a wall?" These questions kept me thinking during the entire game. Sadly only a few questions were answered although I only gotten one ending "4".

The inventory is what some say it's like the old Resident evil game(which I never played) but it was because of that system which inspired Rumpel and I must say it's a great system. It makes it so the playing doesn't feel like Rambo in a horror game (Fear 3). Mostly in the game the player has 6 slots 1 is for your phone until a certain level where you lose your bag and it's reduce to 3 making the game tougher. Gameplay is a mix between melee and shooting since ammo is scarce you have to use a knife or a police baton.

This mod was worth waiting for and I can't wait to see the other endings and co-op. But they're were a few questions unanswered in the game. Like who tried to kill Simon, Who was that man in the intro, and who was sending Simon those messages during the blood-room parts such as "I hate you" or "I just want you to die" etc. I honestly can't wait for the next mod Team Psykskallar will make next but they deserve a break for this masterpiece of a horror mod :).

Feb 25th, 2012 4 people agree 2 people don't

I played 10 minutes and I got my pants scared off. I put my pants back on. I played another 15 minutes...my pants got scared off again, along with my socks and undies. Cry of Fear, why do you want to scare me so? It's ok, I like getting scared.

May 8th, 2013 0 people agree 0 people don't

very nice, one of the best game here.

May 6th, 2013 0 people agree 0 people don't

Best HL1 mod ever released to date.

Liked: Mechanics (inventory management, lights), gameplay, story, graphics, sdk, coop, general style and feel; all these were hands down amazing for gold source.

Didn't like: monsters (felt they lacked originality, expected a bit more from devteam), simple and some what predictable jumpscares.

Note: Veteran of horror games

May 3rd, 2013 0 people agree 0 people don't

I am giving 9/10, because the game has some great maps and sounds, but some kind of feeling is missing, but otherwise it's totally great.

I had problems with launcher (it didn't run at all) but I tried to finish the game, but I got stuck in the city. I almost ****** my pants.

May 1st, 2013 0 people agree 0 people don't

if you love "Silent Hill" games, you'll love this mod ! it's the same creepy atmosphere and monster design is disturbing.
The only reason for i don't give a 10/10 is the too much linear level design.
The storyline is awesome !
You must try this mod;