Independent developer Sushee launched a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter today for Fear Effect Sedna, a new entry in Eidos' action-adventure game series that began on the original PlayStation. The French studio is doing so with the blessing of publisher Square Enix, as part of the company's Collective program.
Fear Effect Sedna, unlike previous entries, is a real-time tactical action game, Sushee says. It will feature the original cast — Hana, Rain, Deke and Glas — in a new adventure that takes place a few years after the events of the first Fear Effect.
Here's the narrative setup for Fear Effect Sedna and an introduction to a new character, Alex:
Things have changed for the team. Hana, freed from the Triad, lives with Rain in Hong Kong and works as an occasional mercenary, while Deke has grown apart from them since Glas returned to the US.
Hana accepts a small mission for a shadowy organization asking for her services. Her target: a mysterious ancient statuette held by the ambassador of China in France. She sees it as a good opportunity to visit her birthplace... But this 'easy' mission is about to lead Hana to something bigger than expected. Meanwhile Glas is approached by a client who catches his attention and piques his interest, enough that Glas sets out for Greenland.
Axel is a mysterious French secret agent in charge of watching and spying the Chinese ambassador in France. The confrontation against Hana is inevitable, as he stands in her way, but destiny will force them to cooperate. Together they set out on a journey to the North Pole where they face Inuit folklore & legends... for real.
While the developer is new and the gameplay may deviate from the first two Fear Effect games, Sushee promises that the "atmosphere, characters and gameplay — which mixes tactics, puzzles and stealth — are true" to the franchise's roots.
The original Fear Effect games were marketed with ads that highlighted the relationship of its two female stars, Hana and Rain, in a heavily sexualized fashion. "These two ladies put the ass in assassin," was the tagline for an infamous magazine ad for Fear Effect 2: Retro Helix. Sushee said it doesn't plan to shy away from their romantic relationship in Sedna.
"The only thing that we will be careful about is not to over-sexualised [sic] this love relationship, that has been probably clumsily highlighted in some marketing campaigns in Fear Effect Retro Helix, and wasn't doing justice to these two strong characters' love affair," the developer said in a FAQ.
Sushee is seeking €100,000 (about $114,000) to fund development of Fear Effect Sedna. The game has an estimated May 2017 release date.