Review: Fear Unlimited

When I play Flash Games online, a majority of them to me are disappointing. They are usually either interactive movies or simple reaction tests with Gameplay unchanged from the heydays of the Atari 2600. But it is to be said that some absolutely brilliant games are made with Flash. And Fear Unlimited surely is with those great games and even further.

The basic framework of the Game is a Hack-and-Slash-Em-Up where demons appear and you have to kill them all using your sword and gun to advance to the next level, pretty much like Final Fight-style games you get on many systems. But it has been enhanced with incredible, horror-themed 2D graphics with a hint of cel-shading, a thumping Techno/Metal soundtrack, and a brilliant control system. Through three keys (plus the arrow keys) at least a dozen moves can be used. And many more are available as well as you go through the game, with upgradeable swords and guns you can equip.

The Gameplay itself is reminiscent of the Devil May Cry games, but placed into a 2D perspective. What the game lacks in depth it makes up in sheer, brilliant fun. It's great to play, with the screen exploding with blood and the music blaring in the background as you fight the ongoing horde of the Undead. It gets even more fun when Demon mode is activated, and the fighting gets incredibly insane. You keep getting Overkills' when you slash enemies in this mode, which lead to a higher ranking at the end.

One of the things I should mention is a glitch that I did find. When in the air after a just, hold down the bottom arrow key and hit the shoot button constantly. You will float in the air while still shooting downwards. This is due to the downward shot always moving you up a bit. But to be honest you'd never really notice this, as you will be too busy trying to attack at ground level. The Game is seriously difficult, perhaps one of the hardest games I have ever played.

The storyline is pretty reminiscent of Devil May Cry, with a demon warrior named Encon fighting against an evil demon Urami for the sake of the world. Despite Encon been a demon, he is fighting against his own kind. As the game was positioned to be a tribute to Devil May Cry, that pretty much explains the storyline comparison. But it has to be said that the storyline in Fear Unlimited is much better and makes more sense. Striking 2D Artwork and Story Summaries are much better than the long video scenes seen in the game it replicates.

In conclusion, Fear Unlimited has to be one of the best games I have played on a PC. Even though it looks aged by its Sprite-based graphics, it beats a lot of games you buy for 40 a piece in shops due to the sheer fun of it all. So is it like Devil May Cry? Yes. Is it better than Devil May Cry? Oh Yes.

Graphics 9/10
Sound 10/10
Longetivity 8/10
OVERALL 96%