5/30/2023 0 Comments Layers of fear 2 png![]() When the credits rolled after roughly five hours with the game, I just kind of sat there taking it all in (also relieved to finally have regulated my breathing again as well) trying to deduce what had happened. This was the same case as the first Layers of Fear, and shows the prowess of talent within Bloober Team to create a piece of work that isn't just to make you laugh at YouTubers who scream in horror or something quick for you to play over the weekend to give you your fix for the genre - Layers of Fear finds a way to connect with you on a personal level, however small or big, and manages to be memorable and equally enthralling. Weeks later I still remember most, if not all the significant moments that occurred, as if I played it yesterday. Without making too many comparisons to its predecessor, since there's no real connection outside of a nice little Easter egg early on in the game, Layers of Fear 2 itself still stands out from its contemporaries, delivering a unique experience that sticks with you. To some, however, it may come as a bonus. It's also possible that the semi-Lovecraft approach didn't connect with me as much, making it less of a satisfying experience. The first Layers of Fear had the best of both worlds, and while it's possible that the aura of a haunted house in general may always be a lot more palpable than a haunted ship, Layers of Fear 2 still doesn't capitalize as well despite the large shift in focus. ![]() I felt Layers of Fear 2 relied a lot more on sudden shifts in the environment - not to be entirely confused with jump-scares - to help players stay engaged and looking for that next "oh my god" moment, however plentiful, instead of a story with any real cohesion. Flashbacks, while fine, felt a little unnecessary, and were riddled with puzzles that felt like more of a frustrating obstacle to prolong gameplay rather than having any real significance to the actor's life and overall narrative. While Layers of Fear in general is certainly meant to be a psychological horror game that's meant to be borderline esoteric, the second entry has a lot of back and forth moments, going from the actor as a child, looking at things through his sister's eyes, going back to being an adult as you traverse the ship, and other odd narrative choices that almost makes it hard to keep up with. His voice lends such an eerie vibe that the dark nature of Layers of Fear is exuded further, but outside of his, well, direction, things can get a little baffling. Players are brought aboard a ship where the actor is planned to film, and throughout is spoken to and narrated by the director, voiced by Tony Todd from Candyman fame. Layers of Fear 2, while simple in its approach, isn't as consistent as its predecessor, though there are lots that this entry does that does improve on the first. Layers of Fear 2, much like the first, does such a great job at keeping you uncomfortable as you go through the tale of a troubled actor, that every moment is felt like intense improvisation as you try to quickly decipher what to do next before the walls around you seemingly close in, making Layers of Fear 2 a worth successor to the first, which is arguably the most elaborate "haunted mansion"-esque experience to date. Layers of Fear 2 continues with this, bringing narrative through environmental storytelling while keeping players on their toes as quite literally, in the blink of an eye, the world around them could contort into something entirely different, never giving them a chance to breathe or find a safe space. Narrative was driven by picking up key objects throughout the painter's mansion with accompanying anecdotes in authentic voice acting that was equally as somber and raw in tone. Layers of Fear did something so vastly different when it came out in how it terrified players, because rather than being chased by an enemy, put in a dangerous location, or fighting for survival, the environment around you is what shifted in agony, with players in the shoes of someone who's hit rock bottom in their profession, fighting with themselves and struggling to keep any sense of sanity. If you ask a lot of people that are familiar with horror games to list some of their favorites in recent memory, more often than not you'll always get Layers of Fear placed somewhere on their list.
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