Not since 2016’s Suicide Squad was followed up by The Suicide Squad in 2021 has there been such a flagrant attempt to make something as needlessly difficult to Google as the new Layers of Fear. This 2023 psychological horror game is neither a sequel nor a total remake of the 2016 original of the same name. Instead, it brings together the first installment, its 2019 follow-up, previously released downloadable content, and a couple of new playable stories to form a Frankenstein’s monster of manipulated hallway horrors freshly reimagined in Unreal Engine 5. However, while this version of Layers of Fear is visually impressive and expansive, it ultimately falls short of delivering a truly terrifying experience.
Inspired by Hideo Kojima’s P.T., Layers of Fear invites players to explore the troubled minds of various artists and piece together their tragic backstories. Each surreal setting is filled with handwritten notes, newspaper clippings, and other evidence of past trauma. The game attempts to unsettle players with thunderclaps, screams, ominous graffiti, menacing shapes, and moving furniture. It also utilizes clever perspective tricks and rearranges the environment when the player’s back is turned.
However, the constant use of these disorienting techniques quickly becomes predictable and diminishes their impact. Layers of Fear’s pacing feels rushed, focusing primarily on jump scares rather than building a sense of dread. Additionally, combining the events of the first and second Layers of Fear games into one story results in a weaker and longer experience. The sequel relies heavily on scenes and imagery from iconic films, lacking originality and feeling derivative. Playing through both games consecutively leads to fatigue and a sense of repetition.
While Layers of Fear fails to strike the right balance between tension and release, it does feature remarkable improvements in textures and lighting. Each story boasts visually striking moments, from glimpses of moonlight in the darkness to seamless shifts in color. The enhanced lighting system also introduces a new mechanic with the flashlight, allowing players to interact with the environment in different ways. The flashlight can reveal hidden objects and momentarily animate mannequins, providing more engaging gameplay outside of simply opening doors and searching for clues.
Furthermore, the flashlight can be used to stun enemies encountered in the game, offering players a chance to escape rather than facing instant failure. While this mechanic reduces trial and error, it also diminishes the sense of danger and turns the enemies into less threatening entities. The flashlight can also assist in solving puzzles by revealing hidden messages, but the puzzles themselves remain relatively simple and lack complexity.
Layers of Fear ties together the stories of the painter and the actor with the introduction of the writer’s tale. The writer, who is working on a book about the painter, faces her own personal demons and experiences similar hallucinations.