Cry of Fear is a standalone Half-Life mod developed by the independent game studio Team Psykskallar (Psykskallar is Swedish and can be roughly translated as "psychoheads"), the same studio behind the game Afraid of Monsters. Cry of Fear runs on the GoldSrc (or GoldSource) engine, which is a heavily modified version of the Quake engine that was made for and powered Half-Life. Unlike their previous game, Afraid of Monsters, Cry of Fear was built completely from scratch and doesn't share any assets with Half-Life. Development for the mod started in 2008 and after four troubled years of development, it released on popular modding site ModDB as a Half-Life mod in 2012. After being submitted to Steam Greenlight, it was accepted for a release on Steam and in 2013 was publicly released as a standalone game.
The game follows teenage protagonist Simon Henriksson as he wakes up in an alley after being the victim of a hit and run. With only his phone and a pocket-knife, he makes his way through the unnamed city (based off locations in Stockholm, Sweden) and encounters hallucinations and monsters. Throughout the night, he continues to question his sanity as he continues his way home.
Cry of Fear is significantly more complex than Team Psykskallar's previous game, Afraid of Monsters. Cry of Fear includes cutscenes, voice acting, an inventory system, and utilizes advanced graphical techniques. While Afraid of Monsters plays more like a shooter, Cry of Fear plays more slowly with a focus on survival more like Resident Evil and Silent Hill. Cry of Fear also includes a deep plot whose themes are similar to aforementioned Silent Hill and movies such as Jacob's Ladder, relying heavily on symbolism.
The original mod is available on ModDB and the standalone game is available on Steam.
The following weapons appear in the video game Cry of Fear:
Cry of Fear is a survival horror game and not a straight up shooter. The player has limited inventory space, must use morphine syringes to regenerate health, can only save via the use of a tape recorder (on Nightmare difficulty one must have a tape that can only be used five times in order to save, somewhat similar to the use of typewriters and ink ribbons in the earlier Resident Evil games). Ammo and firearms are also fairly rare, and the player will probably end up using more melee weapons than firearms throughout the story, similar to the Silent Hill games.
The game has three modes, the first being the main story line following Simon.
Completing that unlocks the "Doctor Mode" where one gets to play as the Doctor character from the main story. While short, the Doctor mode is also significantly harder than the main storyline.
The third mode is a co-op campaign where up to four players can team up as Police Officers trying to find Simon. The co-op has a much bigger focus on action than the other modes.
While the extra modes have their own stories that tie into the main narrative, they are seen as non-canon.
The game features an enemy players should be weary of using firearms around called the "Drowned". If one has a firearm equipped close to them, they will force the gun to Simon's head, with the player having to click the mouse button to resist the urge to pull the trigger.
A small but interesting detail is how the game handles ammo. Weapons that are fed with detachable magazines only track the number of full magazines the player has picked up, and upon reloading one of these weapons, any rounds left in the magazine will be lost instead of magically added to the player's reserve ammo pool as in most video games. This means that one must consider potentially wasting ammo in favor of a faster reload and ensuring one won't run out early into a fight. Weapons with internal magazines - the Taurus 605, Remington 870, and Lee-Enfield - go for different systems depending on the weapon, which are noted in their specific sections below.
Handguns
All handguns except for the Taurus Model 605 can be dual-wielded with any other non-handgun item such as melee weapon or some type of light source. However, it is not possible to reload or aim a handgun when it's being dual wielded. While Simon will hold any weapon in his right hand and support it with his left when using it alone, he will hold weapons in his left hand when dual-wielding any other item, indicating that he might be ambidextrous.
Glock 17
The Glock 17 is the most common firearm in the game, being the very first gun Simon gets his hands on. It's incorrectly labeled as a Glock 19 in-game (it even has Glock 19 markings), which includes holding 15 rounds in the 17-round Glock 17 magazines. It can however be identified as a Glock 17 due to its size. The Glock 17 is also used by the "Suicider" enemy type, making them the only non-boss enemy to use firearms while also making Glock ammo the single most abundant type.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingGlock 17 (3rd Generation) - 9x19mm ParabellumError creating thumbnail: File missingGlock 19 (3rd Generation) - 9x19mm Parabellum. For comparison.Error creating thumbnail: File missingSimon's first encounter with the Glock 17 is all but usual.Error creating thumbnail: File missingNot phased by corpses hanging from the ceiling, he grabs the Glock pistol and begins racking the slide. Here, the length of the slide is obviously the same as a Glock 17.Error creating thumbnail: File missingSimon with his Glock 17 as he prepares himself to leave the apartment.Error creating thumbnail: File missingThe Glock's iron sights are of the factory-standard variety.Error creating thumbnail: File missingOnce out of ammo, the slide properly locks back and it's possible to see details inside the gun.Error creating thumbnail: File missingReloading from empty. Simon drops the dry mag...Error creating thumbnail: File missing...and inserts a new one. Here it's possible to see the size of the grip is more in line with a Glock 17 than the slightly more compact 19. It's also possible to make out the incorrect Glock 19 markings.Error creating thumbnail: File missingSimon then racks the slide to chamber a round, which oddly has a black tip. Also noticeable (though difficult to spot) in this shot is that part of the interior of the slide, just ahead of the front edge of the ejection port, is not rendered, letting you briefly see through the gun. On a more positive note, Simon displays some excellent trigger discipline.Error creating thumbnail: File missingSimon with both Glock and a lit flare in hand, making his way through a vent as he encounters something really creepy. The Glock's model, as with all other handguns that can be wielded together with another item, is mirrored in this case.Error creating thumbnail: File missingA Suicider with a Glock 17 next to him after the committing the eponymous act. These enemies, once they spot Simon, will run towards him firing wildly. They can be easily taken care of with one headshot as their heads are rather large. However, if they get close enough to Simon, they will raise the gun to their head and kill themselves.Error creating thumbnail: File missingThe Glock 17 can be fitted with a Streamlight TLR 1 weaponlight, making it even more effective as one doesn't have to put away their light source in order to reload, on top of being brighter and longer-reaching (though with a more narrow cone of light) than the phone. The game states that the "extra weight added to the end of the barrel will affect accuracy", albeit it's hard to notice any discernible difference.Error creating thumbnail: File missingThe Streamlight TLR 1 weaponlight fitted onto the Glock 17 in a blood-stained apartment as Simon drops a magazine partway. A note is that it's still possible to dual-wield the Glock 17 with Simon's phone after acquiring the light, which will make the TLR 1 disappear from the model.
Heckler & Koch VP70M
The Heckler & Koch VP70M with its distinctive stock is a fairly rare weapon in-game. Due to the fact that it is locked to fire in three-round bursts (leading to strong recoil) and its ammo being somewhat rare, it is a rather impractical weapon.
The Ruger P345 is first seen in a bowling alley in the mental hospital. When first picking it up, it's empty and there's no ammo around for it. Simon must bring it to the Doctor, where he's given the choice of either keeping it for himself or giving it to the Doctor. If one chooses to give it to him, it's not possible to acquire the Taurus Model 605 later on. The P345 is also the starting weapon in co-op mode, as all four Swedish cops will have one with a few extra magazines for it. While it has more stopping power than the Glock 17, it's overall a worse weapon, having a slower reload, smaller magazine capacity, rarer ammo, and more recoil.
A Taurus Model 605 with rubber grips, called the "Taurus .357 Magnum" in-game, is carried by the Doctor in the story mode and the unlockable "Doctor's Story" mode as well as being a obtainable weapon in Co-op mode. He will use it against Simon if the player chooses not to give the Doctor the P345 in the mental hospital, whereupon Simon can take it after defeating him. Doctor's Story has him start with one in his inventory, with 25 rounds in reserve.
It is very powerful, being able to take down most smaller enemies with just one shot. It can't however be dual-wielded with any other item, limiting its use. It also only holds five rounds, has very strong recoil and a long reload time. Additionally, reloading will cause Simon to drop every round loaded into the weapon, without attempting to retain any unfired rounds, then reload them one at a time - although the second half can be interrupted after any number of bullets have been loaded if the situation requires it.
A Browning Hi-Power Mark III makes a brief appearance in the endings of the game, however it is only briefly usable in one of the endings. Hidden underneath the grip panels is an image of Lara Croft from the Tomb Raider franchise, which cannot be seen in normal gameplay.
The B&T MP9, originally and incorrectly referred to as the earlier TMP, is only available to people who donated money to the game's development; it and its ammo take the place of some spawns for the VP70. It is not a particularly useful weapon as the recoil of firing in full-auto leads to very poor accuracy.
To get the Heckler & Koch MP5A3 one must first make a "quality map" for the game, then they must contact ruMpel who will then invite the creator the Mapper's steam group, which will activate the weapon in-game for the player to use. An update in November 2020 changed this so anyone can join the Mapper group, meaning the weapon is now available to everyone. Once activated, the weapon will be available early on in the game. However, it's locked to full-auto and while one gets nine magazines for it when picked up, there are no other ammo pickups in the game for it.
A Remington Model 870 with a 4-round magazine tube that holds 5 rounds is the only shotgun in the game. While its ammo is fairly rare, its power more than makes up for it. Its ability to reload at any time without having to lose ammo (thanks to its tubular magazine) is also very helpful. As with all long guns, however, it's limited by the fact that it can't be wielded along with a light source, having to settle for what light shines through Simon's bag if he leaves the phone light on when putting it away.
The Stag Arms AR-15, a civilian semi-auto rifle in reality, appears as the sole assault rifle in the game that does not require unlocking. The in-game model is a mix between Stag Arms' rifle and the military M16A2 - like the semi-auto rifle, it does not have a bayonet lug underneath the gas block and the first non-safe position for the selector switch is labeled as "fire" rather than "semi", but it also features the A2's upper receiver with built-in carry handle (the SA AR-15 features a railed upper with removable carry handle like the M4/M4A1 and M16A4) and an additional unmarked 3-round burst mode. It is a powerful weapon, though one should stick to semi-auto unless they've got a damn good reason, as the weapon has high recoil when firing in bursts and is generally overkill against most enemies. It's generally better to go for one shot to the head instead of three in the chest. It is loaded with 20-round magazines that correctly hold 20 rounds.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingColt M16A2 - 5.56x45mm NATO. Select Fire rifle (Safe/ Semi/ 3-Round Burst).Error creating thumbnail: File missingSimon finds an M16A2 on the ground after running away from a pesky chainsaw wielding freak. Here it's possible to note the lack of a bayonet lug on the gas block, indicating it as a civilian rifle.Error creating thumbnail: File missingSimon overlooking a park with his M16A2. This park bears strong resemblance to an actual park in Stockholm, Sweden, albeit the in-game rendition is much smaller. The orange building to the far left would be Stockholm's stadsbibliotek (Public Library) while a building to the right (out of frame) would be Handelshögskolan (School of Economics).Error creating thumbnail: File missingIron sights.Error creating thumbnail: File missingLoading up the M16A2 with a new 20-round mag.Error creating thumbnail: File missingPulling the charging handle to chamber a new round. The bolt doesn't seem to lock back on the last round.Error creating thumbnail: File missingWhile hard to notice, a nice detail with the AR-15 is that the fire selector actually moves when Simon flicks between the fire modes. Here's he's putting it on burst-fire...Error creating thumbnail: File missing...and here on semi. Note the markings on the rifle denoting the semi-auto mode as "fire" rather than "semi".
Lee-Enfield No. 1 Mk.III* (HT)
The Lee-Enfield No. 1 Mk.III* (HT), the sniper variant of the No. 1 Mk.III*, is the only firearm in the game with some sort of optic/scope. While it's powerful, it has limited use as most of the combat in the game takes place at close ranges. Its 10-round magazine is always loaded with only 5 rounds. A minor detail is that when the player starts a reload on a partially-loaded magazine, the chambered round will be lost, while the rest will remain in the magazine.
The FAMAS G2 is only available to players who have completed the game on Nightmare difficulty, which is no easy feat. The effort is however worth it, as the weapon has infinite ammo. Its presence is possibly a reference to the team's first mod, Afraid of Monsters, wherein completing that game by seeing every possible ending unlocked the "gm_general", an Enfield L85 with infinite ammunition (Cry of Fear even recycles the infinity-symbol HUD icon from AoM for the FAMAS).
The Gewehr 43 is only available in the co-op mode. The weapon deals slightly less damage than the SMLE with similarly high recoil, but has the obvious advantage of semi-auto fire and using sights more suited for the close ranges of the majority of the game's combat. Unlike the SMLE, the G43 correctly holds 10 rounds per magazine.
