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Replica Forces
- Voiced by: Mark Lund
The Replica Forces encountered in the first game are under Paxton Fettel's control, and are dubbed the "Variant VI" versions. The Replica encountered in the second game are the "Variant VII" versions, mostly stored in large underground vaults beneath Fairport, and are reactivated by Alma's psychic signal. The third game also features Replica soldiers in the later levels, although their model type is unspecified.
- Ambiguously Human: They're biologically human, but their level of augmentation is never truly clarified, nor is their sapience. On the one hand, they clearly display emotion in combat, and one Foxtrot 508 seems to be developing signs of independent thought when he questions a superior's tactical choice (which gets him executed). On the other hand, they have no independent wants or desires of their own unlike pretty much every human ever, and without a Psychic Link from their commander, they literally just stand still and do nothing but breathe, like organic robots.
- Badass Army: Their basic troops are pound for pound a match for Delta Force, with similar training and discipline (more accurately, programming) and better morale, senses, reflexes, and pain tolerance. Their elites take it to the next level. This is especially noticeable in the first game, where small squads of Replica routinely drub small squads of Delta in scripted sequences; in gameplay, when engaging ATC mercenaries even the lowest-level Replica pretty much always win by handily outflanking and outshooting the opposition.
- Clones Are People, Too: Zigzagged Trope. Though the Replica clearly have their own emotions and independent thought processes, they are dependent wholly on their psychic commanders for objectives and orders, and otherwise aren't affected by the angst of being clones whose sole purpose is to fight and die. A possible comparison is Metal Gear's philosophy of "you're only alive when you're on the battlefield", to the logical and literal extreme. The Replica only 'live', act human, speak, think and so on when they're in use. In combat, they scream, curse, display fear, anger, surprise, argue with each other, even refuse suicidal orders, and generally act how you'd expect a reasonably bright human in a high-stress life-threatening situation to act. Without orders, they simply stand and breathe, like organic robots on standby mode. It's freaky.
- Of note is that at one point in Reborn, a Replica begins to question orders, asking about their deployment and requesting a higher clearance level. His commander requests permission to execute his underling, receives it, and carries out the execution. In the moment it takes for this to happen, the curious Replica does not do a single thing to defend himself. He doesn't even seem scared. Like any other Replica, he simply awaits orders until shot in the head.
- Clone Army: They're all copies of Paxton Fettel, or at least the Variant VII units are, presumably to make them easier for him to control. Not perfect copies, but functional enough for their purpose.
- Clone Degeneration: Since they go fully masked and armored at all times, it's not until late in the second game that you see how... wrong the manufacturing process can go. There seems to be only one Replica who actually resembles his template - Foxtrot 813, who looks identical to Paxton Fettel.
- Decapitated Army: Want to put them all down at once? Kill their commander. They'll lapse immediately into dormancy. Until Alma takes control. Interestingly, this only applies to the ones grown and conditioned for psychic commanders, as earlier versions were programmed to respond to voice commands, which is presumably why the Replica in the third game are still loyal to Armacham.
- Determinator: The Replica will do whatever it takes to stop you, including following near-suicidal orders and tactics.
- Drop Pod: In the second game, you see how they're deployed and stored when not in combat. They are literally stored and stacked away in crates; when the time comes to use them, you drop them on the field, pop the doors and bam! Instant army.
- Dub Name Change: In the Spanish dub of the first game, individual Replica soldiers are called "Replicants" in a nice Blade Runner reference.
- Elite Mooks: Replica Elites are among the best troops the Replica have to offer, packing the best weaponry, health, and armor.
- Extraction Point adds a special variant of the Elite, named the Laser Elite, who uses a Type-12 Laser Carbine as his weapon.
- Enemy Civil War: In the first two games, the Replica forces are actively fighting against ATC security.
- Faceless Goons: Possibly justified. The ones we see without masks... aren't pretty.
- Heavily Armored Mook: Those that wear or ride suits of armor. See Mini-Mecha and Powered Armor below.
- Keystone Army: They're conditioned to go dormant if their commander stops giving them orders. During the intro of the first game, several are shown looking as though they're asleep on their feet, then abruptly straightening up, readying their weapons and marching off in ranks as Fettel takes control of them. Later the Point Man shoots Paxton Fettel in the head, then turns to encounter a trio of Replica Elites doing absolutely nothing. They just stand in place, heads bowed, as animate as dolls. By the third game, Armacham has removed this feature; their Replica keep fighting no matter what.
- Mini-Mecha: The REV armored units. They are called "powered armor" but the larger ones are really bipedal tanks.
- Oh, Crap!: They often freak out if you take down many of their squad or dodge their advances with Slow-Mo.
- Super-Soldier: Built from the DNA up to act as them. Specifically, however, they aren't intended as the One-Man Army sort of supersoldier;note instead they are marketed as cheap, reliable, loyal, and disposable soldiers who are just as well-trained as human soldiers but vastly cheaper and able to do missions that would be impossible for normal humans. As ATC's marketing team puts it: "UNQUESTIONING LOYALTY AND UNSHAKABLE DISCIPLINE AT STANDARD PMC PRICES!". They also never lose morale or surrender unless ordered to; the only way to beat an army of Replica is to kill them down to the last man.
- Deconstructed to a degree, as their unwavering discipline can occasionally be a liability: if their commander makes a bad call, they will follow it, whereas a regular human soldier would've adapted on the fly if his orders were blatantly counterproductive (the U.S. military in particular heavily encourages this). The very rare Replica who does try to show initiative is executed on the spot.
- Powered Armor: The small REV units (REV-6 and REV-12) Heavy Armor and Heavy Riot Armor soldiers.
- Private Military Contractors: This was originally how Armacham was going to market them. Within the second game's intel items is an unnervingly chirpy brochure that lists their many advantages over regular soldiers, including their quick and inexpensive production, their elite training, their simple maintenance, and their complete and utter lack of independent will or conscience. Cheap! Effective! Reliable!
- There Was a Door: The armored Replica are prone to break nonchalantly through walls despite having an open door some feet next.
The Senator's Faction
- Government Conspiracy: A network of military, corporate, and mercenary connections managed by a powerful US politician.
- Nebulous Evil Organization: Virtually nothing is known about the Senator's motives.
The Senator
Senator David Hoyle
- Voiced by: Colby Chester
A member of the US Senate associated with Armacham and most specifically the Project Perseus. After learning of the Fettel incident, he calls for the F.E.A.R. team to be deployed.
- Bad Boss: He clearly doesn't care a bit about the fact that the several forces he is manipulating are butchering each other and killing innocents.
- Big Bad: In some form, of Perseus Mandate, given that the Nightcrawlers work for him, though his game presence more amounts to a Greater-Scope Villain, with the Nightcrawler Commander serving as the Big Bad and The Heavy.
- Corrupt Politician: He is involved with unethical and surely quite illegal corporate experiments, and even has the number of a Washington elite troubleshooter and a mercenary firm, so it is not very difficult to guess.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": In the first game, he's just referred as The Senator.
- The Faceless: After having been The Voice in the first game, he finally appears in Perseus Mandate, though only being seen his back. Of course, you can hardly see nothing aside from his nice suit and black hair.
- Here We Go Again!: In the Perseus Mandate timeline, he ends up with Paxton Fettel's DNA, implying he will initiate another Project Perseus, having learned nothing from Fairport's destruction.
- Karma Houdini: He seems to get away with everything he does in both timelines.
- Manipulative Bastard: The Senator is playing with several cards at the same time: ATC, the US Army and his own agents and mercenaries.
- Mole in Charge: He is the reason the F.E.A.R. team is contacted to hunt Fettel and destroy the Vault, and the reason Harbinger subjects of Dark Signal are dispatched to take Genevieve Aristide into custody and serve as her bait against Alma.
- The Unfought: Justified because he's just a politician.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Like many others, he is not even mentioned in the third game. Whether he's still active in the events or he ultimately severed his involvement with ATC and just moved on is not revealed.
Gavin Morrison
Gavin Morrison
- Voiced by: Peter Jessop
Senator David Hoyle wanted to a little shoplifting for Armacham's data and DNA samples of Paxton Fettel and Alma, so he gets ex-NSA operative Gavin Morrison and the Nightcrawlers to do the work.
- Artistic License – Military: Has the role of a field agent in the game, and even his denominations as an ex-NSA "operative" and a "troubleshooter" imply a very action-oriented background. In real life, however, NSA is in task of basically just collecting and processing data, and thus doesn't have operatives in the same way CIA or FBI have.
- Big Bad Wannabe: Acts like the hotshot in charge of the operation for the Senator, considering the Nightcrawler Commander to be merely The Dragon at best, when it's quite evident the Commander is the real Big Bad of the game.
- Bullying a Dragon: Stupidly mouths off the deadly, powerful Nightcrawler Commander, who in turn orders his Elites to murder Morrison the moment he has outlived his usefulness when Morrison steps out of earshot. And would have gone through with it if not for the Second F.E.A.R. Team's timely intervention.
- Dropped a Bridge on Him: An armored truck, really. After surviving an impressive number of threats and being built up as a somewhat important character who is being escorted by the Second F.E.A.R. Team and aiding the Sergeant in his mission, Alma suddenly arrives, levitates a Replica truck and drops it on top of him, leaving only bloody smears and his crushed feet poking out of the bottom like the Wicked Witch of the East.
- Heel–Face Turn: Apparently has a change of heart after being targeted by the Nightcrawlers, offering to help F.E.A.R. and saying that Alma's DNA cannot fall into the wrong hands. Although it easy to see he might be playing good guy to save his own skin, his help is genuine. Though unfortunately for him, it seems to put him on Alma's radar.
- Non-Action Guy: Although early drafts show him carrying a gun, he is unarmed and solidly non-combatant through the game, and still managing to survive through an impressive amount of time and incidents, including surviving the Replica, the Vault's destruction, some of Alma's apparitions and the Nightcrawlers who turn on him.
- Noodle Incident: His "cowboy attitude" and the scandal which got him fired from the NSA are unspecified.
- Smug Snake: Acts like this despite his repeated setbacks and humiliations, right up to his anti climactic end.
- Too Dumb to Live: After mouthing off the Nightcrawler Commander it's a near miracle the Nightcrawlers didn't get around to killing him, though they certainly planned to.
The Nightcrawlers
The Nightcrawlers
A combination of brains and brawn, these guys outclass everyone in a straight fight, including the Super-Soldier Replicas. A radio debriefing from Captain Raynes indicates that the whereabouts of the Nightcrawlers, "a permanent free-standing army", is a closely-guarded secret. The Nightcrawlers communicate in a very dull, calm, collected tone, which suggests that they're seasoned professionals who don't let certain emotions to get in the way of their job. Some of them seem to have superhuman reflexes that rival the Point Man's and the Sergeant's.If you observe their combat patterns carefully, the Nightcrawlers can be distinctly divided into two classes: the lower echelon, the regulars, and the upper echelon, the elites.
- Badass Army: Beat everyone in a straight fight, be they most Replica, ATC security, or SFOD-D. Tellingly they massacre both the ATC Security and the Delta Force commandos sent into the data facility before the player ever meets them.
- Big Bad: The Nightcrawler Commander is ultimately this as well as The Heavy of Perseus Mandate.
- Danger Deadpan: All of them. Unlike the Replica, whose Oh, Crap! moments are all over the place, the Nightcrawlers have plenty of Casual Danger Dialogue. The upper echelons of the Nightcrawler group ramp this up twofold; the calm demeanor breaks only at the presence of Alma or Fettel.Nightcrawler Elite: We've lost six men to the creatures in the shadows. Avoid the dark, if you can.
- That quote, by the way, is dictated in a heavily bored voice with absolutely no emphasis.
- Their commander is the ultimate king of this trope.
Nightcrawler Elite: Sir, Paxton Fettel has entered the area.Nightcrawler Commander: Ignore him. Get the vault open.Nightcrawler Elite: But...Nightcrawler Commander: I said, "Ignore him!" - Dragon-in-Chief: The Nightcrawler Commander.
- The Heavy: The Nightcrawler Commander proves to be the biggest source of conflict for the Second F.E.A.R. Team.
- Private Military Contractor: Hired by Senator Hoyle.
- Right Hand Versus Left Hand: The Commander orders Morrison, the agent they are supposed to escort, to be killed so he can take the DNA to the Senator himself.
- Seen It All: They consider their mission to Armacham to be "serious, but not unique". This is said after they run into the aforementioned supernatural creatures in the shadows, Paxton Fettel the cannibal, psionic ghost, Alma Wade, and after the Point Man set off a nuclear weapon inside the city.
Nightcrawler Regulars
The lesser class. Much like Replica regulars, but with twice the badassery. They don't have supernatural abilities like their elite brethren do, but because of their unparalleled durability and overwhelming numbers, they can pose a serious threat. They have a particular liking towards using VES Advanced Rifles, VK-12 Shotguns and other small arms of similar caliber, usually leaving the serious firepower to their elite counterparts.- Faceless Goons: Just like the Replicas, the Nightcrawler regulars wear what looks like Gas Masks.
- Elite Mooks: They can't be called super soldier clones like the Replicas because there's no explicit statement about it, so this is the best you can make of them. They are smarter and tougher, with the lighter regular is a few Hit Points stronger than its Replica counterpart.
Nightcrawler Elites
The greater class. When you think of Nightcrawlers with BFGs and fast feet, you think of these guys. They're generally spread thin but when you encounter one, you had best take plenty of cover and firepower while you still have some.- Badass Boast: To complement their Trash Talk, which includes Precision F Strikes and Pussy Cats. And they will walk the talk, too, by doing a Wall Jump.
- Boss in Mook Clothing: Going head-on with four of them at once is like going head-on with the commander.
- No-Sell: Your Bullet Time Super-Speed doesn't make life any easier for you when the Nightcrawler elites use their version of it.
- Final Boss: The Nightcrawler commander himself.
- Malevolent Masked Men: Unlike the rank-and-file Nightcrawlers the Elites wear much lighter, but no less badass facemasks.
- Superpowered Mooks: The Wall Jumping and the Super Speeding atop the enormous health distinguishes the elites from everybody else (Replicas and supernatural entities included).
- Super-Speed: Presented in the form of a short, split-second Flash Step instead of a ten-second Bullet Time.
- Wall Jump: Like Replica Assassins, they have a habit of latching to a wall to quickly escape enemy crosshairs aimed at head height. They'll sometimes follow up with a pair of hand grenades, a proximity mine or a deployable turret.
Alma's Apparitions
The various ghostly creatures born from Alma's thoughts.- No Body Left Behind: One thing all these creatures share in common is that they disintegrate into ash or just straight up dissipate when they die, leaving no physical remains behind.
- Our Ghosts Are Different: Monsters created or corrupted by the will of a powerful psychic. Also, unlike the usual representation of ghosts, these ones are corporeal enough to be killed or driven off with gunfire.
- Undead Abomination: Entities born from the reality-warping power of Alma, herself a case of this, that manifest as ghostly or zombie-like creatures. Some, like the Remnants, actually were people before being corrupted into their current state.
F.E.A.R. Apparitions
Nightmare
The most common apparitions, resembling charred human torsos with glowing eyes and legs severed at the knees. Nightmares fly at you and explode into a black cloud upon contact. They are initially only encountered during hallucinations, but they began to manifest into the real world after Alma is released from the vault.- Suicide Attack: Their only form of attack also destroys them.
- Zerg Rush: They are often encountered in large groups and are individually weak.
Shade
Invisible apparitions introduced in F.E.A.R.: Extraction Point. They appear after the Origin Facility's destruction and are possibly made from the victims of said event. Functionally supernatural variants of Replica Assassins.- Demonic Head Shake: Their visible forms are seen doing this on several occasions, most notably when they attack and kill Douglas Holiday.
- Invisible Monsters: In their hostile form, they are completely invisible, besides their eyes.
- Lean and Mean: As seen in their visible form, they are extremely emaciated. It does nothing to stop them from brutalising anybody that they come across.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Their most-notable trait.
Scarecrow
Apparitions introduced in F.E.A.R.: Perseus Mandate. These creatures dwell in huge black "puddles" on the ground, waiting to catch an unsuspecting victim. If someone steps on the puddle, the Scarecrow will drag them down and claw them to death. Like the Shades, they appear after the Origin Facility's destruction, but are only encountered by the Sergeant.- Absurdly Sharp Claws: They sport these, and used them to great effect.
F.E.A.R. 2 Apparitions
Spectre
White phantom-like apparitions introduced in F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, suggested to be created from the remains of Fairport's residents killed by the explosion at the end of the first game. Functionally replaces the Nightmare, which does not appear in the second game.- Armor-Piercing Attack: Unlike the Nightmares, their attacks completely bypass armor.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To the Nightmares, as the most common apparition.
- Zerg Rush: Like Nightmares, they are individually weak and attack in groups.
Remnant
Warped humans that can animate corpses to attack those that approach it. Introduced in F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin.- Animate Dead: Their most notable ability. They let out a piercing scream which reanimates the corpses of ATC Black Ops. These corpses will attack enemies using firearms in a rudimentary manner.
- Body Horror: All of the Remnants you encounter have been hideously distorted by their transformation, possessing features like stretched, sagging or dry skin, numerous tumours, a torn up jaw that can be unhinged to release their scream, and disintegrate into ashes when finally put down.
- It Can Think: As can be seen with the first two Remnants you encounter, they retain enough of themselves to ape their last actions. The first trying to hail a taxi when Becket stumbles upon him, and the second one being caught trying to play a piano.
- Lightning Bruiser: Despite their shambling movements and disfigurements, they are very quick on their feet, are ridiculously hard to kill and can throw a mean punch if they are allowed to close into melee range.
- Make Me Wanna Shout: Their screams are powerful enough to not only raise the dead, but harm and distort the vision of any who hear it.
- Rage Quit: The second Remnant you encounter will be trying to play a piano rather tunelessly, and if you stand there long enough, he’ll eventually stop, slam his hands upon the piano keys in what seems like frustration, then scream and attack.
- Was Once a Man: Out of all the apparitions spawned by Alma, the remnants seem to be the only ones made from actual people.
- Mini-Boss: Only three are encountered in Project Origin, each possessing large amounts of health. Two are also encountered in Reborn.
Ghost Soldier
Apparitions that take the form of Replica soldiers. Only appears in F.E.A.R. 2: Reborn.- Degraded Boss: They fight the exact same way as Harold Keegan's ghost form in Project Origin.
- Elite Mooks: Fight like Replica enemies, with the added ability of Teleport Spam.
- Glass Cannon: Only take a few bullets to kill at most, but their teleportation powers and assault rifles make them a very difficult adversary.
- Teleport Spam: Frequently shift positions, making them hard to hit.
