FEAR Online stepping cautiously into beta next week

Thanks to the bungling of his new chef, Randy had a lot of cleaning to do before the health inspector arrived.

Aeria Games’ free-to-play multiplayer FEAR game, FEAR Online, will be getting separated from its friends and heading into the dark corridor of beta next week.

The beta, which begins on 26 May, incorporates a number of improvements from the alpha. Expect an “extensive redesign” and a whole bunch of gameplay changes, along with new maps, a new scenario, and a redesigned weapon crafting system.

FEAR Online is a team-focused multiplayer shooter with a variety of game modes and “ten ominous maps”, which apparently have lots of delightful little environmental details like twitching bodies impaled on hooks, and messages written in blood. Charming. It’s also got co-op scenarios that take place parallel to FEAR 2: Project Origin‘s story, with up to four players battling it out against both Armacham personnel and horrible monsters.

You can sign up for the beta over on the official website. I’m kind of wary of a single-player horror-themed FPS making the move to free-to-play multiplayer shooter, but it should at least be worth a look. A bunch of new screens are below.