Video Interview: F.E.A.R. 2 Project Origin combat and level design

 Space and the feeling of confinement is one of the elements that made F.E.A.R. a very successful horror game. So how did the team utilize the element of space to make it even more advantageous for the sequel,  F.E.A.R. 2 : Project Origin (Xbox 360, PS3)? Primary art lead Dave Matthews Principal game designer Craig Hubbard discuss that and more in the video interview we have after the jump.

Dave Matthews (primary art lead) and Craig Hubbard (principal game designer) of Monolith Productions sat down together in this video interview to discuss the processes F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin‘s development went through to get that eerie, confined, thrill-ish vibe to the game.

On the combat and level design, Dave Matthews (yes, I did a double-take too when I saw the name just to make sure he wasn’t of the Dave Matthews Band) revealed that one of the critiques they got was that they were playing too much in confined office spaces.

He said that while there is great gameplay in “really close-in your face tight combat”, they also wanted to “augment that with change in the volume of space, so by opening up can create an ebb and flow of pacing of combat.”

To solve that issue in Project Origin 2(Xbox 360, PS3), they then decided to bring the gamer to other environments such as the nuclear facility, the school, hospital, etc. And to maintain that authentic feel to the game, designers even went out to take photos of pipes and water stains on the walls to use them as texture references.

Meanwhile, Craig Hubbard says that he believes “the key to keeping the players on the edge of their seats is to surprise them, not get too comfortable.”

Why don’t you check out the video embed below for the full interview, and catch some choice gameplay and cutscenes footage as well while your at it?

• F.E.A.R. 2 Project Origin exclusive DC Digital Comic trailer
• Monolith gains access to F.E.A.R. Brand, Project Origin now F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin