Fear & Hope is a charming and engaging decision-based narrative adventure game. You find yourself awoken in a mysterious forest, left to your own devices to discover the hidden secrets of this foreign land. How did you get here? Where should you go? Such questions are at the forefront of Fear & Hope. A truly unique experience in its genre, how will you solve the mystery?
Fear
The visuals here give echoes of a Zork-type game from the early 90s. For me personally, that adds a layer of charm and nostalgia that may not be available to everyone. Think Minecraft, Roblox and Zork had a rambunctious middle child. Its blending of science fiction with a dash of fantasy really intrigues one about the world of Hope & Fear, and begs the question; What is this place? Mysterious and mythical creatures are encountered alongside modern-day wiring and electronic contraptions. At first, I will admit the design and ambience of this game were a little jarring, notably the sci-fi and fantasy vibes seemed weird to me at first. However, at the tail end of my playthrough, I found myself more mesmerized and hooked. However, it took a while to build that familiarity!
Hope
As intriguing as the backdrop to Fear & Hope is, that’s not the heart & soul of this game (although it doesn’t hurt it!). What keeps you engaged is the puzzles and riddles you come across. Furthermore, Fear & Hope sets itself apart from other puzzle games with its replayability and fateful encounters. Throughout your adventure in this mysterious land, you will encounter puzzles of varying degrees of difficulty. You’ll be taking in a lot of different scenery, which hides puzzles of its own! Observation was by far my most tested skill in this game, but in a rewarding and fair fashion. A range of different puzzles are laid out in front of you throughout your travels, but some can mean life or death.
Just as the Hades games highlighted a few years ago, there is value in replayability. Fear & Hope hits the nail on the head with its death and resurrection. Dying is by no means the end here, merely a suggestion to dive deeper and try a path less travelled. Simply reload and try again. Whether it’s by not defusing a bomb quickly enough or failing to grab onto something while falling from a height, death is the ever-watching spectre for each puzzle. But it is by no means the only motivator. The mysterious encounters, creatures and contraptions are themselves a motivator to find out what the hell is going on and who you are.
What’s more, Fear & Hope introduces encounters where fate imposes its will upon you. The dice is cast and your fate is in the balance! These events at first seemed redundant and useless, a mere annoyance, but the more I encountered them, the more I appreciated them. A spanner in the works always enhances any run in Fear & Hope, begging you to come back for more.
Life & Death
Fear & Hope is primarily a narrative-driven game at the end of the day. A narrative which asks you to direct and discover on your own terms. The open questions, the mysterious paths, and the enticing world of Fear & Hope are what reel you in. Though not a heavy hitter or must-experience, this world is, above all else, an engaging and enjoyable one. It is, however, definitely an extremely niche and unique experience!
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