Having a little bit of time to explore a relatively normal house or forest makes the surreal environments more jarring. So the sequel is a bit more restrained in that respect.īoth the first Layers Of Fear and Blair Witch also do a slightly better job of establishing a sense of place before the reality-warping effects start happening. Though to Layers Of Fear 2's credit, it doesn't repeat the same gags over and over again the way that the first game does, and more of the rooms have atmospheric set decorations to help establish a mood, instead of every one having some silly jump scare. Blair Witch at least had the forest setting to play up the idea of being lost in the dark, and also had some more varied and unique puzzles and set pieces.

It's the exact same stuff as the first Layers of Fear and the last couple hours of Blair Witch, but without feeling like a novel technical accomplishment. Pretty much the whole of Layers Of Fear 2 is still just walking into a room, looking at what's in the room (often some weak jump scare), then turning around and walking out the same door into a different place than where you came from. Then walking out the same door into a different room or hallway than the one you came in from. Most of the game is walking through a door into a room, looking at what's in the room, I found it much easier to follow along with what was happening in the first game, and its simpler, more streamlined gameplay (and shorter length) made it less tedious. I think I might have actually liked the first game better. I was skeptical to bother with the sequel, but I liked Blair Witch just enough to pick up Layers Of Fear 2 on a Steam sale. In either case, I didn't find the game particularly scary. As time has gone on, and I've played other 'walking simulators' that I've enjoyed much more, I've leaned further and further towards the later. I wasn't sure if it was an auteur masterpiece, or a boring walking simulator. I honestly didn't know what to make of it at the time.The game had been out for years, so I didn't think there was much desire for a late review, and.I didn't bother reviewing it at the time because I played the first Layers Of Fear a couple years ago (just prior to the release of Blair Witch). MegaBearsFan's Parental Rating: Mature players only, because of:ĭepictions of death, murder, and suicide. ( < indicates platform I played for review) XBox One (via XBox Live digital download). PlayStation 4 (via PSN digital download), Hard to navigate in monochrome hard shadows.Too easy to get a meaningless non-ending.Restrained use of jump scares makes the few more effective.Swaying of ship creates false perception of movement.And you end up going in bizarre circles without any sense of satisfaction.

With Todd being a particular highlight.īut once the novelty of a new game fades, what we're left with is a failure of a title that simply loses itself after the first hour or so. The ship you're on is detailed and when the weirdness kicks in the graphics live up to what's trying to be accomplished thanks to thoughtful use of lighting and the whole 1920s noir film vibe.Īnd the sound is also well done. That said, visually this is a very good looking game. The gameplay is bland – go here, open door, run from monster, etc. It tries to be a detailed insight into the mind but Layers of Fear 2, unlike its impressive predecessor, constantly tries too hard to offer a lasting impression and ends up failing. You'll find yourself being chased down corridors, attacked by mannequins and monsters with weird things staring back at you in the mirror.īut they don't have the effect on the player they should.Īnd it leaves you often feeling cold when you should really be hiding behind the sofa. The starting point is you playing an actor who's tasked with creating a character on an eerie boat at sea. And what we're left with is a confusing title that loses itself in a desperate bid to seem deep and meaningful.

The problem is the lofty ambition never gets realised by the developer. It's best early on and has a slight Kubrick feel to it. There's a lot of good atmosphere building in this wannabe horror tale. Layers of Fear 2 Review: A horror of a game (Pic: PH) (Image: PH)

Layers of fear 2 monster chase