F.E.A.R. 3 (stylized as F.3.A.R.) is a 2011 first-person shooter psychological horror video game for PlayStation 3, Windows, and Xbox 360. Developed by Day 1 Studios and published by Warner Bros. Games, it was released on all platforms in June 2011. It is the third game in the F.E.A.R. series. In 2015, it was released on GOG.com, and in 2021, it was added to Microsoft's backward compatibility program, making it playable on the Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. Filmmaker John Carpenter consulted on the cutscenes and script, which was written by comic writer and novelist Steve Niles. It is the only F.E.A.R. game to feature co-op gameplay.
The game takes place nine months after the conclusion of F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, with Alma Wade's pregnancy nearing its end. When a resurrected Paxton Fettel rescues Point Man from captivity by Armacham Technology Corporation (ATC) in a Brazilian prison, the two distrustful brothers head back to Fairport. Point Man plans to save the still-missing Jin Sun-Kwon and prevent Alma from giving birth. Fettel, however, has an entirely different motive. Meanwhile, a new threat emerges, one of which even Alma herself is terrified.
Beginning life as F.E.A.R. 2, the game was initially to be published by Vivendi Games as direct competition to Monolith Productions' Project Origin. However, when Warner acquired the rights to the entire franchise, the game was reconstituted as F.E.A.R. 3. Subsequently, a difficult development cycle saw Day 1 and Warner clashing over multiple gameplay and tonal elements, with Warner forcing Day 1 to build the game as a co-op. Enamoured of the success of the Call of Duty games, Warner also mandated more focus on action and less on horror, the exact opposite of what Day 1 had originally planned for the game. Forced to crunch, many of Day 1's staff left the project before it was completed. After three postponements, the game was eventually released, but few at Day 1 were happy with it, feeling that although it was a satisfactory first-person shooter, it was not a F.E.A.R. game.
F.E.A.R. 3 received generally mixed reviews. Critics generally lauded the multiplayer, co-op, the differentiation between the play styles of Point Man and Fettel, graphics, gameplay and the combat mechanics, but were unimpressed with the plot, the absence of any real horror, and the short length of the campaign. The game's sales were considered disappointing, and the F.E.A.R. franchise has been on hiatus since its release.
Gameplay F.E.A.R. 3 is a first-person shooter in which the campaign can be played in either single-player mode or co-op mode. As well as being playable online, co-op is also available offline via split screen. In single-player mode, the player can initially only play as Point Man. However, upon the completion of each level, the player unlocks the ability to play through that level as Paxton Fettel. Level layout, cutscenes, and dialogue are identical irrespective of which character the player is using.
When playing as Point Man, the player's arsenal includes a handgun, assault rifle, submachine gun, combat shotgun, sniper rifle, nail gun, rocket launcher, machine pistols (which the player can dual wield), and arc weapon. Only two different firearms can be carried at any one time. Point Man also has access to three different types of projectile - frag grenades, flash bangs, and zap grenades (electricity-based). The player can initially carry only two of each type, but this limit can be upped to five via upgrades. The player can carry all three types at once, but only one type may be equipped at any one time. Players can also "cook" grenades before throwing them; arming them but holding onto them for a moment before tossing them. An on-screen meter tells the player how much time is left before they detonate. Point Man also carries a knife for hand-to-hand combat, and can perform a silent insta-kill on an enemy if he can sneak up behind the enemy without being seen. He also has several melee attacks, such as a punch, a jumping kick, and a sliding kick.
A prominent gameplay element when playing as Point Man is "reflex time"; an ability which slows down the game world while still allowing the player to aim and react at normal speeds. This effect is used to simulate Point Man's superhuman reflexes, and is represented by stylized visual effects, such as bullets in flight that cause air distortion or interact with the game's particle system. The duration which reflex time lasts is limited, determined by a meter which slowly fills up automatically when the ability is not being used.
Instead of reflex time, when playing as Fettel, the player has access to a possession ability. Like reflex time, possession is determined by an on-screen meter, but unlike reflex time, possession only becomes available when the meter is full. The ability allows Fettel to take control of an enemy NPC, who then becomes the playable character. When Fettel possesses an NPC, he gains access to any abilities and weaponry wielded by that individual, meaning that although the player cannot use guns when playing directly as Fettel, they can use guns when Fettel possesses gun-wielding enemies. Once in possession of an NPC, the possession meter will begin to empty, and when it is depleted, the possession ends, and the player returns to controlling Fettel. The meter fills up automatically when the ability is not being used, and killing enemies while possessing an NPC will drop psychic energy pickups that the player can collect to recharge the meter by a set amount. The player also has the option to manually end possession at any time.
Although he cannot carry any weapons in his normal form, Fettel does have other combat abilities. He can fire bolts of psychic energy, use telekinesis to lift and throw objects, punch enemies, crush their heads with his hands (if he can successfully sneak up behind them), suspend them mid-air, explode them (if he is close enough to a suspended enemy), and send out a concussive blast (only available in co-op mode, and only when the other player is using Point Man's reflex time ability).
Whether playing in single-player or co-op mode, the player can permanently increase the size of the reflex time/possession meter via the game's ranking system, which is based on completing various challenges in four different categories (aggressive, technical, aptitude, psychic). These challenges include such things as killing a certain number of enemies, using specific weapons a certain number of times, finding hidden collectibles, using reflex time or possession for a certain amount of time, killing a certain number of enemies from cover, etc. Completing a challenge awards points, and when enough points have been accrued, the player's rank increases. Each rank progression gives the player an award, such as increasing the size of the reflex time/possession meter, unlocking new melee abilities, increasing ammo and grenade capacity, or allowing the player's health to regenerate faster.
As with F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, the player can use mechs, although in F.E.A.R. 3 there are two available; the REV9 Powered Armor and the Enhanced Power Armor (EPA). The REV9 is armed with two burst cannons and a head-mounted raygun. The EPA has two miniguns and a shoulder-mounted rocket launcher. Ammo is infinite for all weapons, but the cannons/miniguns overheat if fired continuously, and require a short cool-down period. Similarly, the raygun/rocket launchers require a moment to arm. Both mechs also have fully regenerative health. New to the EPA in F.E.A.R. 3 is that it has shields, which can significantly reduce incoming damage. However, when the shields are deployed, the rocket launchers cannot be used. Also new is a target lock system for the rockets, a melee attack, and a foot stomp that stuns enemies within a certain radius.
F.E.A.R. 3 also features an active cover system, the first game in the franchise to do so. When cover is available to the player, a command prompt will appear on-screen, allowing the player to snap to cover. Once in cover, the player can peer around or over their cover and can move around to a limited degree while staying snapped. If another piece of cover is nearby, the player can move from one piece to the other without having to leave cover. Players can also vault over cover and automatically spin 180 degrees to face in the opposite direction and target any enemies who have emerged behind them. Players are also capable of firing from within cover, both standard firing and unsighted firing over the top of the cover without being able to aim.
Multiplayer The game's multiplayer, like co-op, is available both online and offline, via split-screen. There are four different multiplayer modes, each allowing for up to four players.
In "Soul King", all players have the possession ability and are unable to bear arms. To win, the player must possess enemy NPCs and collect their souls; the winner is the player with the most souls at the end of the match. As well as acquiring souls, when a player possesses an NPC, they get access to that NPC's weaponry, and thus the ability to kill the other players. Killing another player causes them to drop half of their souls, which then become available for other players to pick up. However, the player with the most souls at any given moment is highlighted via a glowing outline, making them an easy target.
"Contractions" is a co-op mode. Players must defend a base against a series of increasingly difficult enemy waves, working together to collect resources, construct barricades, and revive one another when necessary. Additionally, Alma is present on the battlefield, and if a player attacks her or keeps her in their sight for too long, that player dies.
In "F**king Run!", players must fight their way through enemies as they move towards an extraction point, all while running from Alma's "Wall of Death". If a player is killed by an NPC, their teammates can revive them, but if the Wall consumes any one player, the game is over for all players.
"Soul Survivor", like "Contractions", sees the players defending against waves of enemies. However, in this mode, one of the players is randomly corrupted by Alma at the commencement of the game, and that player's goal is to possess the other players before the time limit expires. When a player is possessed, they too become corrupted and work to possess the remaining players. To win the game, a player must survive until the end of the round without being possessed.
Plot The game begins nine months after the events of the first two games. Young Alma is shown sitting at a tree, playing with her doll. She pauses, listening for a moment, but then continues playing. Suddenly, there is a growl, and Alma becomes instantly terrified.
The game then cuts to a prison in Brazil where Armacham Technology Corporation (ATC) soldiers are interrogating Point Man. As the interrogators demand to know the location of Jin Sun-Kwon, a red mist floats through the room's closed door, and possesses one of them, who then snaps the other's neck. Point Man immediately grabs a knife and slits the possessed interrogator's throat. The man's body falls to the ground, leaving only Fettel, surrounded by the red mist. Point Man then sets out to rescue Jin, who is trapped in Fairport, and is joined by a reluctant Fettel, who is more concerned with Alma's pregnancy than Jin's fate.