FEARS

Have you got what it takes to face your Fears?

Everyone said it couldn't be done. It has been!!!

Prepare to meet thy doom.

• An awesome display of 360 degree 3D action
• 30 Levels of Manyk mayhem
• Null Modem Play
• Level designer allows you to create your own fields of battle
• 6 Different weapon systems
• 3 Levels of difficulty. Easy, Normal & Difficult

~ from the back of the box

After years of success, at least in Europe, the Commodore Amiga would eventually fall behind as it struggled to compete againt the ever advancing personal computers. If you could pinpoint a moment when the shift changed, it would arguably be when Doom blasted onto the scene to become an instant classic. Other systems attempted their own FPS and most failed. Even with upgraded hardware and some talented programmers the Amiga just couldn't compete - but boy did it try. It wouldn't be until 1995 when the aging machine could be upgraded adequately enough to run a raycasted shooter and out of the many that came out on the system that year, Fears looks the best by far.

If you had the hardware for it, Fears was one of the most advanced first-person-shooters for the system. It was the only Amiga Doom clone at the time to actually be a Doom clone and not an advanced take on Wolfenstein 3D. The reason for this is elevation. Unlike others such as the more infamous Gloom, Fears allowed for more than a single plane making for a varied set of levels with stairs, platforms and pits. It appears Gloom got its crown simply for rhyming (don't @ me). Because of this, Fears kept me interested in playing much longer than Gloom but that's not to say it doesn't have its faults.

There are several buttons scattered around the place. Diamond buttons change the environment (left),
triangular ones open locked doors (right) and square ones mark the end of the level.

Despite the inventiveness such a variety in geometry could conjure, the levels themselves are all mazes with lever-operated locked doors and death pits getting in the way. Just make your way to the end panel and hit the space bar. If doesn't do anything different than any other shooter at the time, but neverhteless each maze is quite fun to explore. All of the 30 levels do look quite nice on the Amiga, if a little pixelated and confined with a short draw distance. In this regard, it appearched archaic compared to what the PC was putting out. By the time it was released on 7th September 1995, the PC already had Descent, Dark Forces and Terminator: Future Shock wowing players but considering the technical limitations of the Amiga 1200, Fears was feat.

Over the course of 30 levels, you have to escape the confines of a mad doctor's massive laboratory killing his murderous experiments as you go. All of these experiments, which are often round and bloated monstrocities, canter towards you with unceasing determination occasionally spitting out slow moving projectiles with remarkable accuracy. The only real different is their visual design and hardiness with some of the later monsters absorbing bullets like a sponge does water. There's no real tactic at play and should you be targeted in one of the many narrow corridors, not even a side step will dodge it.

Look at the level map if you get lost (left) or make your own in the level editor (right).

I did enjoy playing through them for the most part, with each level being just difficult enough to provide a challenge, but not unfairly impossible (I am notoriously terrible at the genre). If I were to have one gripe it would be those death pits. Due the necessary lower resolution of the textures, it is often hard to tell when you've come to a ledge and it is very easy to fall off. Some of the times this can be a nothing more than a short fall or a shortcut to another part of the level, but mostly you end up in an inescapeable pit of red lava, green acid or blue water. This isn't an insta-death either. All you can do is sit there and watch your life drain to zero so you can restart the level. A ladder or stairwell would be a nice addition to give you a panicked chance away from death but this is a major niggle in what would otherwise be competently designed stages.

If you don't like those levels, there is a built in level editor so you can make your own. While you can't get something as complex as you would in the main game, you can make surprisingly large. There are a lot of options to choose from, but you will be limited to a maximum of three enemy types. I messed around with it for a short while and it's easy to let you imagination run wild.

One of the grunts in the original UK release (left) versus the censored version for the rest of Europe (right).

Fears also got a port on the Amiga CD32 for those few players still loyal to it. The only real upgrade is a swanky new menu screen, but most other changes are minor niggles. The arrow sprite doesn't animate on each level's intro map and one enemy has a different sprite thanks to it looking too human for other markets in Europe. It doesn't take advantage of the CD format at all; there isn't even any music tracks for better tunes. What it does have is a multitute of control options that thankfully has spilled over to the basic Amiga version (and its censored varient). You can use a CD32 gamepad, the keyboard, the mouse or any combination thereof. None of these default controls are intuitive to modern players, but they were adequately standard for the time. I used the emulator to re-map them allowing for dual analogue on a controller or WASD with the mouse on a keyboard. In this way it plays very well, even if the inability to look up or down feels odd.

All in all, Fears would have been a competent shooter lost amongst the better ones had it been released on PC. On the Amiga it really stands out, only being obscure due to the system it was released on. If you like boomer shooters, have no fear for Fears is one of the good ones.
 

To download the game, follow the link below. This custom installer exclusive to The Collection Chamber uses FS-UAE with WHDload to emulate the Amiga 1200 and CD32 versions. Censured European variant of the Amiga 1200 version also included. Manuals included. Read the ChamberNotes.txt for more detailed information. Tested on Windows 10.

File Size: 107 Mb.  Install Size: 215 Mb.  Need help? Consult the Collection Chamber FAQ

Download


Fears is © Manyk Ltd & Attic Entertainment Software
Review, Cover Design and Installer created by me

Like this? Try These...