Appointment With FEAR
- August 26, 2014
- Tin Man Games
Get on SteamIn "Appointment With FEAR" , players take on the role of a superpowered law enforcement officer tasked with protecting Titan City from devious super-villains. This interactive graphic novel edition features dynamic choices that guide players through encounters with various villains, ultimately leading to the Titanium Cyborg. The mission is to uncover the location of the FEAR meeting, capture the Titanium Cyborg and his associates, and bring them to justice.
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Reviews
- The game features a vibrant art style and engaging comic panel layout that enhances the superhero theme.
- Players can enjoy a nostalgic experience reminiscent of classic Fighting Fantasy gamebooks, with humorous dialogue and fun character customization options.
- The game offers a unique take on the choose-your-own-adventure format, providing multiple paths and replayability through different superhero powers and quests.
- The gameplay can feel overly reliant on luck and specific choices, often leading to frustrating game overs without clear guidance.
- Many players found the story to be shallow and lacking depth, with a linear progression that diminishes the sense of exploration.
- Technical issues such as a clumsy interface, lack of audio options, and a cumbersome checkpoint system detract from the overall experience.
- story19 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The game's story is criticized for its lack of depth and coherence, with players feeling it lacks an overarching narrative and often resorts to generic comic book tropes. While it offers some replayability through various quests and hero powers, many side quests feel disconnected from the main plot, leading to a disjointed experience. Overall, the storytelling is deemed mediocre and uninspired, failing to engage players meaningfully.
“A radical change of direction from the usual sword and sorcery style games set in the world of Allansia, this one is a comic-inspired story set in Titan City.”
“The story is a simple comic book one - you are the hero of the city that has to save it from the villains.”
“It has nice art and a very branching story (with many, let's say 'side quests') abundant with superhero genre clichés.”
“No overall story or narration, only a goal you have to meet in 3 days, and then you jump from event to event hoping you picked the right one, or look for a guide online.”
“The story goes nowhere.”
“One of the worst games I've ever played; the storytelling tries for campy but ends up dull and unimaginative. The combat and skill tests are just pseudo-random dice rolls with all the excitement of playing an overlong game of Monopoly.”
- graphics11 mentions
- 64 % positive mentions
- 9 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their appealing comic-like art style, which aligns well with the game's theme and is particularly enjoyable for fans of classic comic magazines. While the visuals are described as vibrant and well-executed, some reviews suggest that they are somewhat overshadowed by weaknesses in the story and gameplay mechanics. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the game's aesthetic experience.
“The graphics are really nice, well-done comic style that really fits the theme of the game.”
“The graphic has a nice style and feels absolutely comic-like which is the goal of the game.”
“It's super fun, graphically very pleasing and with added fun.”
“The only thing I can barely praise is the art style.”
“Graphics and interface: 6/10.”
“This visual novel resembles old comics with flashy graphics that pop out at you, but it suffers from terrible names for fighting moves and superheroes.”
- music8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The music in the game is described as engaging and fitting the comic theme, featuring cool electronic tracks that enhance the experience. However, it is noted to be repetitive and lacks audio options, forcing players to mute it at the system level if desired. Overall, while the music contributes positively to the atmosphere, it may become tedious over time.
“You're greeted with an engaging layout full of comic panels, bright colors, and moody music.”
“The music is pretty cool electronic and definitely serves the comic game with science playing a big role.”
“Sound and music stings, strong color illustrations, the whole adventure has a nice old-school sense of fun, and there's a lot of new content here.”
“More importantly, there is no way (that I could see) to run the game in anything less than full-screen, and there are absolutely zero audio options, so the annoying music will play until you mute the game at a system level.”
“We throw in some public domain sound effects, maybe 1-2 songs you'll be listening to constantly... the game is just shallow and has nothing to offer.”
“The music is repetitive but really nice.”
- humor7 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the nostalgic animations and witty dialogues, others find the overall comedic elements lacking in engagement and coherence. The name generator is frequently highlighted as a standout feature, providing both amusing and absurd results, though the humor in the dialogue varies from funny to underwhelming. Overall, the game attempts to parody the superhero genre, but its effectiveness in delivering consistent laughs is debated.
“The animations and quips bring you back to the old Batman show and keep you laughing.”
“The dialogs are nicely written; some are funny, others are more typical for comic books, but they all feel well integrated.”
“The name generator is quite hilarious, and the phrases the character utters during fights are simply memorable.”
- gameplay6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The gameplay is described as streamlined and casual, lacking significant challenge, which may lead to a quick sense of completion for players. While it offers a choose-your-own-adventure style with decision-making and exploration over several days, many players may find it ultimately limited in depth and replayability.
“While I don't know exactly how this remake differs mechanically from the original, it looks like they've streamlined the gameplay.”
“I've always been a fan of choose-your-own-adventure stories, and I thought that this gameplay would add another dimension to that formula.”
“Gameplay is set over the course of several days, giving you a chance to stop (or ignore) different crimes, explore different locations, and make a lot of decisions about where to go next.”
“[b] Gameplay & story: 4/10 [/b]”
“While I don't know exactly how this remake differs mechanically from the original, it looks like they've streamlined the play.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate the opportunity to explore different hero powers and quests, others find the high difficulty and limited variety reduce the incentive to replay.
“Appointment with Fear is a nice comic-style adventure, which will offer you some fun moments and replayability.”
“High difficulty also leads to low replayability.”
“This game offers some replayability, since you can try out multiple hero powers and check different quests and crimes in the city.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, detracting from the sense of exploration and enjoyment.
“Very tedious.”
“Whatever sense of exploration I wanted to feel was bogged down by a heavy sense of tediousness.”
- character development1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is largely criticized, with players finding the character designs unappealing and the name generator producing nonsensical names. Additionally, there is a lack of depth and emotional connection to the characters, leaving only the clichéd hero as a somewhat relatable figure.
