You have nothing to fear but free-to-play: F.E.A.R. Online announced

The F.E.A.R. series has been contorted into a free-to-play online multiplayer shooter, developed by Korean company Inplay Interactive and published by MMOs-you've-probably-never-heard-of specialists Aeria Games. According the press release, F.E.A.R. Online "will focus on several team combat modes spanning over ten ominous maps packed with grotesque details such as still-twitching bodies hanging from meat hooks and messages smeared in blood." Messages like "Have you remembered to buy enough Aeria Funbucks?", perhaps?

Fear Online will find the time to "[further] the dark and ominous story surrounding Alma Wade", but I suspect it'll mainly involve shooting armoured dudes with guns. You'll be able to play as members of the Fear team or as the chaps from Armacham, and both co-operative and competitive modes are promised. Interestingly, Fear 3's Soul King multiplayer mode will be making a return, so if you liked that, well, you have something to look forward to. Perhaps.

You can sign up for the closed beta on the website . Fearsome announcement trailer below.

Tom loves exploring in games, whether it’s going the wrong way in a platformer or burgling an apartment in Deus Ex. His favourite game worlds—Stalker, Dark Souls, Thief—have an atmosphere you could wallop with a blackjack. He enjoys horror, adventure, puzzle games and RPGs, and played the Japanese version of Final Fantasy VIII with a translated script he printed off from the internet. Tom has been writing about free games for PC Gamer since 2012. If he were packing for a desert island, he’d take his giant Columbo boxset and a laptop stuffed with PuzzleScript games.