Fiend Review (PC - Freeware)

Genre: Adventure/Survival Horror

Developer: Frictional Games

Publisher: Frictional Games

Release Year: 2001

System: PC

Hmmm... I dont get used to reviewing freeware or that unpopular games but thats doesnt mean I am against them! On the contrary! I kinda despise popular titles such as God of War that to me look really shallow and I think that by really digging and searching you can masterpieces that are just well hidden behind the glam of national companies or bad promotion etc. One of the hidden gems is that title here called Fiend. Fiend is a 2D survival horror game with a pokemon like point-of-view that its influences lie on the Resident Evil/Alone in the Dark series and the Lovecraft tradition. And guess who's behind all this... Frictional Games, the company that gave us the Penubra and Amnesia series!!!

PLOT: 9/10

You are Nick Cane a guy that works for a mining company and you are sent from Boston to a small village of Lauder for work. You gain Control as soon as you step foot on the village's grounds, village that for some strange reason it reminds me the town of Lucky Luke. There you are searching for a guy named Smith but soon you will realise that this will be the least of your concerns as you discover that horrid events haunt the village area that go way back. I wont reveal any more of the plot since it will be a spoiler but feel free to find out yourself.

GAMEPLAY: 7/10

While the idea and the theoritical part of the gameplay was really promising the actual thing is a different story. The walk around part of the gameplay it is an imitation of the RE series but there they were kinda cool cos it was somewhat of a 3D game but here the movement can be quite tricky. You open the inventory with SPACE where you hold your files guns etc. Run with SHIFT and fire with CTRL (you should waste your ammo very wisely because you run out quite quickly). You have to collect keys and stuff in order to unlock doors or talk to people to reveal new hints to progress in the game. 

GRAPHICS: 7/10

The graphics part of the game though they look a bit amateur the depict really well what they want to represent and this the most important for an indie freeware attempt. They are 2D with a bird eye view and will reveal only what is a few meter ahead of Nick and thats pretty scary! One thing that stuck in my mind are a avatars of the characters .. Why the protagonist has to be soooo ugly?! 

MUSIC/ATMOSPHERE: 9/10

Though almost musicless, Fiend, depends a lot on the surrounding sounds and the sound effects . It is the main source of stress creation and it does a pretty good job if you ask me! It seems quite realistic that there is no music at all. Silent Hill is scary gory and all that but music makes it sentimental as well for instance but this has a different result. Thumbs up!

OVERALL: 8/10

Catchy, scary, gory, old, oldschool, free, Frictional Games!!! Need anything more?!