Shadowrun Returns-inspired, officially-backed Fear Effect sequel heading to Kickstarter

Fear Effect

A new Fear Effect game is heading to Kickstarter with Square Enix’s blessing, as part of the Square Enix Collective.

A successful crowdfunding campaign could see this added to our list of upcoming PC games.

Fear Effect and its sequel launched on the original PlayStation. You probably remember how they were marketed back then, with the lead characters’ lesbian relationship pushed to the fore.

This sequel, from French indie studio Sushee, won’t be big budget, it won’t be marketed as a sex fantasy, and it won’t even be a direct sequel, really, existing after the events of the cancelled third game in the series.

It’s a bit of a weird one, but I suppose that’s what the Square Enix Collective opens up the door for. The Collective allows developers to pitch games based on established, but perhaps forgotten, Square Enix IP. If Square Enix like it, they allow the developer to make the game and they take a percentage of the profits. Win-win.

Fear Effect Sedna, as it’s known, will be a big departure from the original games. “Fear Effect was back in the ’90s and 2000s a triple-A game. Our Fear Effect is an indie game,” Sushee founder Benjamin Anseaume told Eurogamer.

“So players have to expect major changes both in terms of the gameplay and the visuals. We are a small team of ten people. We are not Kronos. We are an indie team. We want to make something that respects the series, but it’s not going to be Fear Effect 3. It’s going to be a new Fear Effect with new gameplay.”

The combat is said to be inspired byHarebrained Schemes’ excellent turn-based tactical RPG Shadowrun Returns, which gets me a bit excited I have to say, but it might disappoint fans of the original’s Resident Evil-style gameplay.

Fear Effect Sedna will launch on Kickstarter on April 12.If the €100,000 Kickstarter is successful, Sushee plan to launch on PC mid 2017.

Thanks, Eurogamer.