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The Fear Business

The Fear Business Game Cover
93%Game Brain Score
Most mentioned positive aspects:gameplay, story
Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, grinding
93% User Score Based on 73 reviews

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The Fear Business Game Cover

About The Fear Business

The Fear Business is a single player survival survival game with horror, mystery and violence themes. It was developed by selewi and was released on October 28, 2024. It received very positive reviews from players.

Note: THIS IS A DEMO. Full game available on Steam! A DIRTY JOB BUT SOMEONE HAS TO DO IT Whispers of a shadowy satanic cult connected to dozens of missing people have ignited a firestorm of rumors. Some believe the tales are true, while others dismiss them as a hoax. In the wake of a brutal wave of journalist layoffs, Sarah is ready to chase the story no one else dares touch. But as she digs dee…

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Reviews

93%Audience ScoreBased on 73 reviews
gameplay8 positive mentions
replayability1 negative mentions
  • Strong nostalgic survival horror vibe inspired by PS1 era and classic Resident Evil style with fixed cameras and tank controls.
  • Well-designed large mansion environment with many secrets, puzzles, and interesting layout that encourages exploration and backtracking.
  • Highly atmospheric with effective sound design, immersive VHS-style aesthetic, tense stalker encounters, and a gripping if straightforward story.
  • Unbalanced difficulty due to a relentless, fast stalker that often ambushes the player without adequate warning, causing frustration and repeated deaths.
  • Inventory and save system is restrictive and can feel tedious, with limited inventory slots, only one item chest, and one-time use save points leading to excessive backtracking and progress loss.
  • Map design lacks sufficient details, making navigation confusing and forcing memorization of complex layouts, which combined with the difficulty can detract from enjoyment.

  • gameplay

    25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    32% positive mentions, 56% neutral mentions, 12% negative mentions

    The gameplay offers a solid survival horror experience with a large map, atmospheric tension, puzzle-solving, and a persistent stalker adding intensity, though some find the hide-and-wait mechanics frustrating and saving system unevenly paced. While praised for its style, pacing, and innovative elements, the gameplay can feel repetitive or exhausting due to frequent backtracking and limited save points. Overall, it's a worthwhile, nostalgic experience with room for deeper mechanics and longer content in future iterations.

    • “The game offers a new gameplay experience, a much larger game map and a more insistent stalker than its predecessors!”
    • “This game has some very nice innovations that give the hunter/hunted gameplay more depth.”
    • “I think this game just has a large enough scale and just enough complexity of gameplay to make it worth your time.”
    • “While still worth playing, it's basically just Cannibal Abduction with a much larger map but a far worse stalker and no real update on the gameplay except defense weapons.”
    • “On-screen effects tell you when he's close, but without knowing where he is, it grinds the gameplay to a halt and you just have to hide and wait for him to go.”
    • “I don’t feel the purchase has been worth it when the gameplay feels exhausting; it’s like fighting for my life constantly and this is not the reason I play survival horror games like classic Resident Evil.”

  • story

    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    50% positive mentions, 29% neutral mentions, 21% negative mentions

    The story is generally regarded as fitting well with the gameplay, offering an interesting, nostalgic survival horror experience with engaging puzzles and atmospheric details. While not highly original, it maintains player interest and complements the game's suspenseful, found-footage style. Some critiques note minor plot inconsistencies, but overall the narrative is praised for its effective mood and development.

    • “If you are looking for an old school, survival horror experience with a huge mansion full of secrets to uncover, a killer that you cannot just hide from but defend yourself against, and a familiar but still disturbing story, then this one is for you!”
    • “I highly recommend playing this game; it has a lot of puzzles, great music, good story, amazing details, and is very scary. The killer is always there to jump scare you. In my opinion, this is the best Selewi's game. If you like Puppet Combo and Torture Star, you really should play Selewi's games as they are very scary and have great stories.”
    • “Very good ambiance, very good story development, very good game.”
    • “The inexplicable title does refer to something in the story, but it arrives so late and is so inconsequential to Sarah’s goals it may as well not exist in the story at all.”
    • “Story is meh but it fits the gameplay well enough, decent puzzles.”
    • “The story isn't the most creative, but it works well enough.”

  • graphics

    13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    31% positive mentions, 46% neutral mentions, 23% negative mentions

    The game's graphics deliver a carefully curated retro aesthetic reminiscent of PS1 and early PS2 survival horror titles, enhanced by VHS-style effects that evoke 1970s-80s horror films. While the low-poly visuals and fixed camera angles contribute to a nostalgic, eerie atmosphere, some players find the VHS grain somewhat intrusive during extended play. Overall, the art style and design effectively support the game's tense, classic survival horror vibe.

    • “The unique brand of survival horror puzzles, menacing psychopaths relentlessly following you, and the classic PSX graphics combine here into one of my favorite horror games of the year.”
    • “Fixed camera, tank controls, low poly but extremely curated graphics, film grain, tons of puzzles to solve, and of course a deranged sicko on our trail!”
    • “The VHS aesthetic can be a bit too intrusive and hard on the eyes at some points after playing for over an hour.”
    • “The game feels like Silent Hill with PS1-style graphics but set in a slightly different world.”
    • “Graphically, the fear business is pitched at an interesting stage along the retro graphics spectrum - in terms of texture quality and some model designs, we're clearly past the PS1 and maybe reaching for PS2 in places, with some rooms slightly reminiscent of something like Obscure.”

  • atmosphere

    13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    62% positive mentions, 15% neutral mentions, 23% negative mentions

    The Fear Business excels in creating a highly atmospheric retro horror experience, skillfully evoking PS1-era and "Blair Witch" vibes through its haunting settings, effective use of light and shadow, and tense gameplay elements. While the intense VHS effects and occasional annoyances can detract from the mood, the game consistently delivers strong suspense, spooky encounters, and a richly detailed manor that immerses players in mystery and fear.

    • “The Fear Business is a highly atmospheric, retro horror game that beautifully channels the PS1 era.”
    • “Very creepy, incredible atmosphere.”
    • “In the specific, I think Fear Business is, so far, the most tense and atmospheric production of Selewi, mainly thanks to the killer design, the haunting setting, and a formidable use of light and dark.”
    • “With modern controls this could have been a tense blast, instead it's annoying and it drains all the atmosphere pretty fast.”
    • “The setup delivers absolutely no surprises, with some very straightforward characterisation (and some mixed vocal performances), but it provides a solid charge of atmosphere and mystery.”
    • “They’ve nailed the style and atmosphere, but I’d really like to see them take more time with their next project, something longer, with deeper survival horror elements and more developed mechanics.”

  • music

    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The music is consistently praised for enhancing the game's tense and scary atmosphere, complementing the overall artistic design and storytelling. Players find the soundtrack engaging and fitting for the horror experience.

    • “The soundtrack perfectly complements the tension created by the fixed cameras and limited inventory, enhancing the overall atmosphere.”
    • “This game features great music that, along with amazing details and a good story, contributes to a very scary experience.”
    • “I highly recommend playing this game; it has great music, a good story, lots of puzzles, and intense scares that keep the killer always present.”

  • optimization

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    50% positive mentions, 50% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The optimization is straightforward and functional, delivering a solid atmospheric experience without technical issues. Audio performance is generally stable, though vocal quality varies between actors. Overall, the setup runs smoothly and supports the game's mood effectively.

  • replayability

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    The game offers limited replayability, primarily through unlocking higher difficulty levels, but is likely to be a one-time experience for most players.

    • “It's short and has little replayability, with higher difficulties unlocked, but it's probably a one-and-done for most players.”

  • grinding

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    Grinding in the game is engaging and enjoyable, with puzzles that are challenging without being frustrating or requiring external guides.

  • humor

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The humor in the game starts off strong and engaging but quickly diminishes, becoming repetitive and less effective as the gameplay progresses.

  • character development

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    Character development is highlighted by expressive character designs full of personality, complemented by effective animation that brings them to life. The overall presentation, including lighting and effects, enhances the characters' appeal.

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Play Times

3h Median play time
3h Average play time
3-3h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

The Fear Business is a survival survival game with horror, mystery and violence themes. Common tags for The Fear Business include indie, psychological, third person, psychological horror, retro and others.

The Fear Business is available on PC, Mac OS, Steam Deck, Windows and others.

On average players spend around 3 hours playing The Fear Business.

The Fear Business was released on October 28, 2024.

The Fear Business was developed by selewi.

The Fear Business has received very positive reviews from players. Most players liked The Fear Business for its gameplay but disliked it for its replayability.

The Fear Business is a single player game.

Similar games include The Night of the Scissors, Cannibal Abduction, Murder House, Heartworm, Them and Us and others.