Filmmaker John Carpenter consulted on the cutscenes and script, which was written by comic writer and novelist Steve Niles.

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.

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 they were unimpressed with the plot, the absence of any real horror, and the short length of the campaign.

[10] 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.

[12] 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).

[12][15] 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).

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.

[b] As the interrogators demand to know the location of Jin Sun-Kwon,[c] a red mist floats through the room's closed door, and possesses one of them, who then snaps the other's neck.

The brothers escape the prison via the sewers and steal a helicopter, flying back to Fairport, unaware of how dangerous the city has become.

Finding a distraught Becket, Fettel possesses him, confirming he is telling the truth about his role in Alma's pregnancy and learning about Project Harbinger and the attempt to artificially create psychic commanders.

Called "the Creep", it is a monster manifested from the cruel actions of Harlan Wade towards the brothers and their subsequent psychological trauma.

[41][42] Warner also revealed that film director John Carpenter was working as a creative consultant for the game's cutscenes and script, which was being written by comic book author and novelist Steve Niles.

[46][47] The following week, Warner released additional details about the game mechanics, explaining that the co-op mode would be "divergent", wherein players won't necessarily have to help one another and can, in fact, compete for bonuses.

[49] The Day 1 game was loosely inspired by the Philadelphia Experiment, and was to depict a new phasing technology falling into the wrong hands and being used to open up a passage to and from a supernatural parallel universe called the World Behind the Walls.

His main role was to integrate into the existing framework the characters and events that Day 1 originally weren't allowed to use and to mould the concept for F.E.A.R.

"[49] When it came time to write an actual script, Warner hired Niles over the objections of Day 1, who wanted to use Brian Keene.

[59] He wrote a conventionally formatted script; we started, and at first they would show me the story and literally hand me a graph, because they're the tech people.

[49] On the other hand, both Dinehart and narrative designer Cory Lanham said that Carpenter was involved, albeit limited to conference calls where he would listen to the team's ideas and give suggestions, occasionally advising on cutscenes and the script.

"[61] Behind the scenes, however, Day 1 initially wanted to make the game more like the original than the sequel - emphasising the survival horror elements, such as a dearth of ammo and medkits, and a real sense of being isolated and alone.

"[49] In relation to the game's co-op, Hay explained that one of the benefits of the system is that Point Man and Fettel can combine their attacks to create a unique offensive unavailable to either one of them alone; "we thought maybe there could be a tie in with some of the powers, and how they work in conjunction with one another.

The hope was that this would lead to situations where players would start to actively compete for points, stealing kills from one another, and playing to try to maximise their own score.

[67] The decision for the game's single player campaign not to feature an AI-controlled ally was met with some surprise, but Hay explained that they chose not to go this route so as to try to retain a horror element; "the F.E.A.R.

[70][71] Also announced at that time were three pre-order bonuses; players who preordered the game at Amazon would get a prequel comic, those who used Best Buy would get access to an exclusive multiplayer weapon called the "Shredder" that fires nitrate bullets, and those who used GameStop would give access to a multiplayer weapon called the "Hammer", a .50 caliber handgun.

[82] IGN's Colin Moriarty scored the PC version 8 out of 10, praising the combat mechanics and the "authentically chilling" atmosphere.

Although he was critical of the graphics, he praised the sound design and music, concluding, "you won't find the be-all, end-all shooter experience with F.E.A.R.

"[87] Eurogamer's Jeffrey Matulef scored the Xbox 360 version 8 out of 10 and was critical of the "subpar scares" and "shoddy narrative", arguing that the game is "comically ineffective at getting us to care."

"[39] GameSpot's Carolyn Petit scored all three versions 7.5 out of 10, criticizing the graphics and lack of scares, but praising the shooting mechanics, co-op, the different gameplay styles, and multiplayer.

However, he praised Fettel's gameplay and the multiplayer, concluding "the strong combat and clever mechanics save it from its own clumsy campaign.

He praised the shooting mechanics and multiplayer, which "makes the ambition festering within Day 1 Studios immediately plain", but he criticised the story and lack of scares.

"[88] Calum Wilson Austin of The Sydney Morning Herald praised the gameplay but was critical of the plot; "I would hate to see this entry be the death knell of the franchise [...] those looking for any resolution from the previous games will be sorely disappointed.