Flesh Made Fear, by developer Tainted Pact and publisher Assemble Entertainment, is a psychological thriller and action game that serves as an homage to older titles, such as Resident Evil or Silent Hill.
When I first started playing the demo, I was sure that I was about to embark on a Resident Evil duplicate. The story came off as a cliché, in that we are an elite unit hunting down a MKUltra scientist who has gone rogue and is residing in an abandoned mansion. The town has since been subject to several disappearances, mutilations, and zombie infestations.
However, I was sucked into the gameplay. Movement and camera alignment call back to the older Capcom horror games. Zombies also take multiple bullets before dropping to the ground. I found myself becoming more engaged with the puzzle solving and evasion of zombies outnumbering me. I definitely felt the tension in close quarters.
While I wouldn’t call the puzzles challenging, they expertly guide you to different locations and encourage you to explore the area more thoroughly. I laugh a little at the thought of a trailer park fence being locked by a lion-shaped pendant, but I enjoyed overcoming this obstacle, nonetheless.
Combat is uncomplicated but can be intense when maneuvering away from enemies closing in on me. You need to open your menu to equip your weapon of choice, such as a gun or a pair of knives. Bullets are littered in various locations as you move from building to building. Knives are not a bad idea when you are conserving ammo and are closing in on one individual foe.
Besides fitting and hugging corners, we can also look out for lore and plushy trophies. While Ripper, our main antagonist, comes off as a stereotypical villain, I enjoyed finding his journal entries and listening to his god complex unfold. We also have the opportunity to read journal entries from the unfortunate souls who met more grizzly fates.
Overall, Flesh Made Fear grew on me as I played more and more. I did not hold the voice acting against the experience I had either. This was also something that took a backseat once I started playing. After I lowered the bridge separating me from the team, I felt drawn to learning what happened to them more than hunting down the rogue MKUltra scientist. I think this will be a title worth investigating beyond the demo.
You can play the Flesh Made Fear demo for PC via Steam right now.
Related: Reviews by John Pruitt
I like to think of myself as the average Joe who grew up alongside video games. I have fun playing strategy games, RPGs, shooters, sandboxes, the whole shebang! Every game provides an experience whether it strikes you as profound, mundane, or someplace in between. I'd like to weigh in my two cents before you spend a single penny.
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