I’ve always been quite lenient when reviewing video games, forgiving instances of glitches or bugs that occurred through tight deadlines or small dev teams. However, Fear Effect has been on my radar for quite a while now, and since watching a trailer online, I was really looking forward to playing such a classic PlayStation 1 title. Unfortunately, what I eventually played was a slow, audibly horrific mess that is somehow Steam Deck verified, despite the fact that the game runs incredibly poorly.
The Fear of a Smooth Frame Rate
Square Enix released Fear Effect for the original PlayStation back in 2000, a fixed camera, cinematic action/ adventure game that let the player control three different mercenaries in the city of Hong Kong who are aiming to kidnap the daughter of a mob boss and hold her for ransom, only to fall into a chaotic battle with demons and the undead. I would have liked to have gotten further through the game, but the sluggish frame rate and horrible, displaced sound made it incredibly hard for me to formulate a full playthrough. Following on from watching gameplay clips on YouTube, its action-packed scenes and cinematic excellence, unfortunately, did not make themselves known for my playthrough, simply because I was unable to even get past the introduction.
The Effect of Wasted Time
During the introduction cutscene and even the logo movies, the sound was instantly crackling, which I initially forgave and assumed it could have been a sound glitch that only occurs before the main menu. However, even the main menu itself presented slow navigation and janky transitions that felt like a PowerPoint presentation. Once the game begins, our first protagonist cannot run any faster than a brisk walk, which told me that maybe it’s not just the audio that is slow and fragmented but rather the entire game itself. From what I could tell, the game takes inspiration from other fixed camera horror titles like Resident Evil or Parasite Eve, using static backdrops to add a more cinematic effect. I would have enjoyed the scenery if the gameplay had actually worked in my favour.
A Disappointing Experience
Possibly becoming one of the shortest reviews I’ve ever written, I have to say that it’s a real shame that I could barely play the game, I was so excited to get drawn into it. After making several attempts to load the game, clear the cache and completely reset my Steam Deck, it appears that Fear Effect has a bias towards handheld computers and refuses to show any compatibility, hopefully prompting the devs to change the verification status until everything has been fixed.
Developer: Implicit Conversions
Publisher: Limited Run Games
Platforms: PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Steam
Release Date: 29th August 2025
Gaming Respawn’s copy of Fear Effect (Re-Release) was provided by the publisher.
