Since a long time ago, namely since 2005, F.E.A.R. or First Encounter Assault Recon game (especially the first sequel, the second so-so, the third not at all) has been among the favorite titles of gamers who are fond of playing FPSs (first-person shooters), especially those with a psychological horror background. For years, it has surprised and troubled F.E.A.R. fans that no studio has attempted to replicate the series coherently. Even the later sequels did not have the same magic and something that the first part possessed and still possesses today. But it seems that things are changing.
Trepang2 is a game whose demo has been in Steam’s library for a long time before the official release in late June for PlayStation 5, Microsoft Windows, and Xbox Series X and Series S. It is a title that immediately caught our attention due to its very similar weapon mechanics, dimly lit environments, insane environmental destruction mechanics, and hints of horror lurking in the shadows. Is Trepang2 the so-called “spiritual successor” of the legendary F.E.A.R., a game that charmed and conquered us 18 years ago with a combination of first-person shooter elements, slow-motion effects, a horror atmosphere, an interesting and mysterious story, and kung fu elements, which seem to have come out of John Woo movies? We would dare say it is… for the most part.
Table of Contents
The Shooting Elements Are Reminiscent of F.E.A.R., with an Increased Pace
Trepang2 is a game that is much faster than the original F.E.A.R. You cannot aim the weapon, but the recoil of the weapon always seems bearable. You have access to various classes of weapons and the ability to customize each of the weapons to your wishes, i.e. your way of playing. The good thing is that each weapon is effective in its own way. Some weapons will allow the character to move faster and to take down opponents more easily in a silent and stealth way. Other weapons are heavier, larger, louder, and have greater penetrative capabilities. If we add to all this the various extra items that are scattered throughout the levels, we get even more combinations. You can enhance your gaming experience by using a hwid spoofer to keep your identity and hardware safe while playing Trepang2.
What we really liked about the original F.E.A.R. is that every weapon that is used feels impressive, and it is the same in Trepang2. If you have played F.E.A.R., you will remember that you first started the game with a regular pistol and a small machine gun. Later, as you progress the game, you find new and different weapons. We say different, not necessarily better, because each weapon has its advantages and disadvantages. But each weapon, regardless of which three they chose, seemed impressive and effective.
You could even go through the entire game carrying two pistols, a shotgun, and a small machine gun. Similar mechanics are present in the Trepang2 game. Every weapon is effective here as well, and when you add different accessories to the weapons, you open up an additional new set of possibilities. Every time you take down one of the clone troopers (um, um that sounds familiar, doesn’t it?), that soldier will fall in one of many different ways, which only adds to the realism and that great feeling that any decent shooter – which nowadays, unfortunately, are very little – should have.
Switching between weapons is quick and reliable, and the reload animations are detailed but not overly long. You are never subject to the whims of some realistic military simulations. Let us add the “dual wield” option, which has been upgraded to the extent that you can now carry two SPAS-12 shotguns. Imagine that. Imagine all those unfortunate people who come across your way. It is hilarious to see Subject 106 (the main character) loading two shotguns, one in each hand, as he slides down enemies, headshoots, and clips them by the head.
All in all, the gameplay is something that Trepang2 definitely excels at and something that is perhaps the strongest asset of this game. Trepang2 is in many ways an improvement and enhancement of what we have enjoyed since 2005 when we were first introduced to F.E.A.R. But, unfortunately, this game, like any other, has its downsides. They are not so hard to become deal-breakers or that you will want to quit the game because of them, but they do exist, to be honest. But we will say more about them a little later. Now on to the abilities of Pointman… oops, Subject 106.
Pointman Who Isn’t That Really
Subject 106 can become invisible, can slow time, and use two weapons of the same class each. Of these, you will regularly use “bullet time”, i.e., Slow-Mo from another game, and “dual-wielding,” but invisibility is usually reserved for dodging that last fatal bullet, not for full-on stealth. Some may think that the possibility of Slow Motion that exists in the Trepang2 game is a little overemphasized and that it should be “nerfed”, i.e. weakened.
But personally, we like this possibility exactly as the developers designed it. You can stay in Slow Motion for a long time, which means that you will be able to move every enemy in the room without any problem and carefully. When we talk about the Slow Motion effect, it should also be said that immediately after you turn it on, it strongly resembles Slow-Mo from F.E.A.R.; the screen will dim slightly, this time without that strange “glow” effect we had in F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin. Sorting out squads of clone soldiers in Slow Motion is truly a delight.
Because the action in Trepang2 is sped up and there is a lot more happening on screen, we would even dare to say that the whole concept of Slow Motion is vastly improved over F.E.A.R. But Slow Motion is not the only possibility that our Subject 106 can use. There is, of course, also invisibility and some other possibilities, which we will not talk about now, but we will leave them to you to discover. Of course, we still have kung fu elements, which are also visible this time in the form of punches, which you can use to finish off your opponents. There is also a slip-on, which is very satisfying to use.
We do not know how many times we managed to run into a squad of enemy soldiers, during which we first slipped into the one with the most armor on him, only to turn on Slow Motion afterward, take care of the less armored soldiers, and finally return to the enemy soldier who was just starting to rise from the floor. Very satisfying. It will take some time to get used to the combination of these elements, but once you get used to it, that is it. Nothing will stand in your way, not even a single soldier. Speaking of soldiers, let us say something about the enemies that will attack you in the Trepang2 game.
Enemies Differ Mostly in the Amount of Armor They Wear, While Bosses Are Something Special
As far as the enemy variations are concerned, it cannot be said that there are many of them. More precisely, the enemy soldiers who will attack you and you deal with them are divided into less and more armored, better and worse armed soldiers. In the beginning, you will be attacked by ordinary soldiers, whom you will be able to deal with easily, even with a single headshot, even from a pistol. Later, as you progress through the game, gradually better skill-wise and better-armed soldiers will come, who will no longer carry small machine guns, but heavy anti-personnel weapons, shotguns, heavy machine guns, and the like.
Heavily armored soldiers may be a little too armored. It happened to us several times that we had to sneak up on a heavily armored soldier more than once, get close to them or at point-blank range, shoot a few shots from the shotguns, move away, reload the shotguns, and repeat the same. What is especially good about the opponents is that their behavior and conversations have hints of F.E.A.R. 1.
Even their artificial intelligence, again due to the design of the levels, which are deliberately designed as semi-labyrinths, with multiple entrances and exits so as not to resemble the first F.E.A.R., partially resembles the Replica soldiers we fought against less than an hour before we started Trepang2 (we purposely played F.E.A.R. 1 before Trepang 2 so we could better compare).
The game also has certain supernatural elements, with the fact that they are weaker than in F.E.A.R., but they exist and are worth mentioning. How and why they exist, we will not say because that falls under spoilers.
The segment that disappointed us was the bosses. F.E.A.R. 1 had certain “big boys” or REV Type 1 Powered Armor as boss opponents, who were no joke, especially if you played on Extreme difficulty and if you did not have at least a heavy machine gun. The bosses here are OK in terms of design, but the performance itself, their behavior, and the fights themselves are below average. You basically have to play hide and seek with them to beat them. Simply try to be behind them, turn on Slow Motion, and that is it. The only trouble is that the bosses also invite ordinary enemies to the arenas. We know it is supposed to be an allusion to older shooters, but we did not particularly like this one. Someone might like it.
Visual Possibilities and Level Design Are Two Very Strong Assets of Trepang2 Game
Two other very strong assets of Trepang2 are the visuals and the level design of the game. The vast majority of the game takes place in dark or semi-dark corridors, rooms, and rooms, which in our opinion is great because it adds tremendously to the atmosphere. In addition, if you practice the stealth elements well, you can take out a whole squad of soldiers without anyone noticing you.
The first part of F.E.A.R. was extremely dark, but not too dark, just as much as it needed to be in order for the developers to achieve what they wanted. Trepang2 also copies F.E.A.R. 1 very well in this segment and even in relation to many secondary elements, it goes one step further, which is absolutely great. Darkness, semi-darkness, and the dim light coming from either your flashlight or the cracked light bulb at the end of the hallway will not only add to the atmosphere but will also make it even more difficult to find hidden ammo stashes and whatnot, which will greatly help you as you will be playing the game, especially when you get to the benches where you can upgrade your weapons.
The graphics in Trepang2 are very good. Looking only at the graphic options, it can be seen that the developers have put in a lot of effort and that at first, even at second glance, you cannot tell that it is an indie game. Usually, indie games are considered to be graphically inferior compared to AAA titles from renowned and large software companies, but Trepang2 is not like that. All in all, graphically and in terms of visual presentation, Trepang2 not only meets expectations but even exceeds them because, do not forget, this is still an indie game.
As for the sound, the soundtrack is good. Nothing special, unfortunately; we do not have the quality we are used to in F.E.A.R. 1 and 2 games, where the sound and the musical background could really contribute to the horror atmosphere. But the sound and everything about the sound is fine. Nothing special, but not bad either.
You’ll Learn the Most About the Story Through the Files You’ll Find in the Game
Although the game is not very long, lasting around 7-8 hours, you will need to work hard to unlock the “Completionist” achievement. Also, if you want to find all the parts for weapons and other items, prepare yourself for at least two playthroughs. This is by no means bad, the more replay value the game has, the better.
You will learn the most about the story through the files you will find in the game. Trepang2’s story is… okay. We cannot say more because we do not want to spoil the revelation, especially for players who have not played the game yet and plan to. But is the story of the Trepang2 game as good as the story of the first F.E.A.R.? It is not. Far from it. But that is nothing unusual because F.E.A.R. 1 was unique in many ways; maybe not story-wise, but the way the story was told and the way players learned and gradually discovered what was happening in the story was very good. Plus, other elements. Trepang2 tries to be like F.E.A.R. here too, but does not really succeed.
Final Verdict
When all is added up and subtracted, it can be concluded that Trepang2 is largely the spiritual successor to F.E.A.R. In many ways, Trepang2 is similar and even surpasses the first F.E.A.R. Here we talk about gameplay, speed, Slow Motion elements and their implementation, game level design, atmosphere, and enemies. In connection with all these mentioned elements, Trepang2 strongly resembles F.E.A.R. 1. But Trepang2 is not F.E.A.R. It cannot be. F.E.A.R. 1 is F.E.A.R. 1, a unique game that will remain evergreen in the world of shooters, and this can be seen more and more as time passes and as the genre of shooters is reduced more and more to copies of Call of Duty, Fortnite, and similar “looter-shooter” games which tend to flatter eSports and betting communities, which include betting sites with in-play betting at the site.
However, it must be admitted that the developers have done a very good job with the Trepang2 game. If you like good fast-paced shooters where you will test your dexterity and reflexes, and if you are a fan of F.E.A.R., then Trepang2 is a must-play game.