Layers of Fear Xbox Series X Review 6/10 “Constant corridors and predictable scares” 😱 @Layers_Of_Fears #IndieGames #GameDev

Layers of Fear is an enhanced remake of - you guessed it - Layers of Fear, but it’s not just an enhanced remake of the first game, it also includes a remade version of the sequel as well as ‘The Inheritance’ DLC, and two new additional stories – ‘The Writer’, and ‘Final Note’.

I have never played any of the original series, although I have heard of them, and had an idea of what they were about - but I never went ahead and gave them a go, so with this release, it seemed a perfect chance to jump in and experience them in all their new Unreal Engine 5 glory.

In Layers of Fear you play as several characters; ‘the artist’-  a troubled painter; ‘the actor’ - a failed thespian trying to reignite his career; and ‘the writer’ - an author trying to finish her book at a secluded lighthouse. The artist is from the first game, the actor is the main protagonist from the sequel, and the writer is a new character that brings the first two games together, her chapters are interwoven between the two, giving their stories cohesion.

Layers of Fear follows the standards of a typical horror walking simulator, you explore creepy locations moving from section to section, and along the way you solve some basic puzzles. As you play through, various things will happen that might give you a fright, such as doors slamming, or the sound of footsteps nearby, or perhaps the ghost of your dead wife haunting you from beyond the grave, as she deeply - and might I add, rightfully - resents you for becoming obsessed with your work, neglecting your family, and becoming increasingly more violent and erratic… also, some books fall off a shelf.

I will give the game credit as it does build the horror and tension quite slowly in the first part, at first I thought it was just slow and a bit dull, but given how it ratches up in the last half, I actually liked how slow the first couple of chapters are. I always give these types of games a lot of flack for just being continuous jump scares, so it was a nice change of pace. Sadly, by effectively taking two games and making them one, by the end of what would have originally been the first game, I had already had more than my fill of this type of experience.

As much as I enjoy a horror walking simulator, after a few hours the few tricks they usually have run their course, rooms suddenly changing, or the sudden sound of thunder - they are all versions of the same thing, and in short, doses are great - but most scares you can see coming a mile away and you just develop an immunity to them. Add in the fact you are opening a door every twenty seconds, and rifling through the same drawers over and over… it just wears on you. 

The prospect of doing it again for another five hours really got me down, I played through what is the second game, and though I did like some aspects of it, a lot felt so familiar and predictable, even with a change of setting it still boils down to constant corridors and the repetition of scares. The second game isn't worse than the first but with everything being intertwined it makes your playthrough 10-15 hours long, and I just don’t think a horror walking sim can sustain anywhere near that length.

What does stand out for this game are the graphics, the game looks stunning. The lighting is gorgeous, especially the light beaming through the windows, casting shadows across the dimly lit corridors. It was impressive, and everything looked almost photorealistic. I’m not one who is particularly driven by visuals, but they really were something special.

This version also adds in a light mechanic, which is largely used to fight off enemies, but in the second half of the game it is also used to move mannequins who are in your way, or are holding a key - once you shine a light they move for a short burst of time like you are fast-forwarding them.

I also want to add, whoever came up with the - beyond idiotic - idea of naming it ‘Layers of Fear’ should really get a stern talking to. It creates such a tedious problem that is so simple to fix, don’t call a game the same name that the original had, it’s confusing and really stupid.

SUMMARY

My time with Layers of Fear was one of both enjoyment and frustration, I had a lot of love for the first half of the game, and I really enjoyed the writers’ story connecting everything, but the over-familiarity and predictable scares really do hold it back.