Fear Effect is a crowning achievement in style, which is fully integrated in the subject matter and storyline, and it showcases the ability to make impressive characters, animations and backgrounds work seamlessly together in creating a visceral gaming experience. From the main characters to every single bad guy, characters retain a cel-animated look and feel that perfectly captures the essence of anime features like Ghost in the Shell. Fear Effect keeps this cinematic feel going strong with a very high quality soundtrack. The solid voice acting makes the numerous in-game cinemas a pleasure to watch, while the music and sound effects keep you riveted in action sequences. Only the occasional hiccup from load times and cinematic transitions mar this perfection.
Control is the only weak spot in Fear Effect.
It takes a while at first to get a hold on what the eight buttons do for your character, and the awkward menu system is a trip, but once you get a grip on that you still find yourself being tripped up on some of the stylish camera angles. When moving about different rooms or from scene to scene, camera angles move wildly, sometimes changing so much that you lose your bearings and head in the wrong direction. Fear Effect is an amazing game, full of action, puzzles and characters you actually give a damn about. The solid integration of visual design and solid gameplay makes Fear Effect a must for any survival, horror or action-adventure fan. This game has an unmistakable look that you won't soon forget.