Trepang2 Review (Starstrike)
F.E.A.R was a game that absolutely amazed me in the early 2000s. The atmosphere, the aesthetic, the distinct look and feel of it all.
Trepang2 is pretty much that. The first F.E.A.R game but updated to an extreme. This game has some insanely good gunplay and the weapon sound design is loud, booming and best of all, powerful. Even the starter pistol sounds like it will rip through super soldiers like tissue. If done right, it for damn sure can too.
The graphics and presentation are stunning at times. So many modern games look lovely though a lot seems to blend together with very similar art styles. This game is one of very few where I stop and look at a scene just to admire the impressive lighting and heavy atmosphere. Some environments are just pure dark art.
Where this kinda falls apart is the story. It has twists and turns but overall, it sometimes feels out of place. You go from hunting a cryptid among poison zombies to... a castle full of fanatical cultists who hilariously scream "MY HOLY WEAPON IS EMPTY" or something along those lines. It's very odd to have such strikingly different environments with a loose story and little explained. The rest of the lore is pretty much in collectibles.
As far as the horror, it has so much potential and some scenes are genuinely cool. I LOVE horror aesthetics and this game has a lot of it. However, it's not consistent. The only consistent enemy type the entire game are soldiers, heavy armor soldiers and hard to spot spec ops soldiers. Monsters don't have a huge part in this. The one part that got me laughing was the very sudden inclusion of the Backrooms. Yyyyyeah.
Despite those odd negatives, This game is a full recommend from me. The gunplay carries this game. Look you can strap bayonets to a minigun and turn the end of your barrel into a blender while you reload. That alone is worth the price.