2023-06-15 16:00:00
When we humans are struck by fear, our animal instincts kick in. When we’re scared, adrenaline and cortisol are released in our brains, and they’re neurotransmitters that make our hearts work, blood flow faster, and our bodies prepare to defend themselves and flee to safety quickly. The whole body is on alert and it’s our instincts that take over. After going through the new Layers of Fear, I must be pumped with adrenaline and cortisol.
Layers of Fear is a psychological thriller, but despite the name, it’s not a remake or remake of the original of the same name — and neither is Layers of Fear 3 . It can best be described as a “rebirth” of the series, including reworked versions of the original Layers of Fear and its sequel, Layers of Fear 2, plus The Final Note (a new expansion) and The Writer, the one that ties it all together. A new chapter together.
You actually start playing The Writer, which takes place in a seemingly abandoned lighthouse where a writer has locked himself away in order to get some peace and quiet to write. After a brief introduction in The Writer, you’ll jump to what I remember as the original Layers of Fear or The Painter, as it’s called here. Here you take on the role of a severely disturbed painter on the verge of creating his last masterpiece, his mental state now in question as he moves uneasily through the vast Victorian house, horrifying scenes unfold before your eyes. The new expansion, The Final Note, offers a new perspective on The Painter and his family from the perspective of his wife.
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Afterwards, you play The Actor (or Layers of Fear 2), where you take on the role of an actor who, at the behest of a demanding 1930s film director, hops aboard a cruise ship to see if he’s up to it Director’s upcoming film. However, you quickly realize that this won’t be just a regular casting meeting.
The gameplay is pretty simple in nature; you move around a lighthouse, a painter’s great house, an abandoned cruise ship, and various otherworldly nightmare worlds, exploring your surroundings and solving simple puzzles. It’s more of a walking simulator with horror and easy puzzles, and as such, it works well. As a new feature, The Painter comes with a lantern that can be used to illuminate the environment to reveal clues to new puzzles, and it can also be used to disable enemies for a short period of time so you can escape. You can do the same thing with a flashlight in The Actor.
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Layers of Fear has always been a very atmospheric game, and this new version is no different. Mysterious things keep happening around you, often many small hints and glimpses, for example, silhouettes or shadows, far more terrifying than if you come face to face with the evil itself. You’re exposed to traumatic sights; paintings melt, things fly in the air, mannequins suddenly appear where they weren’t before, doors you just walked through are replaced by brand new hallways, rooms are destroyed the instant you turn around – or Whole rooms turn into impossible versions or rot before your eyes.
Of course, sound is very important in a game like Layers of Fear. The scariest moments are sequences of almost complete silence, or where you hear only what resembles quiet breathing. Or a little bell rings. Or a faint creak behind you. But it’s so faint that you’re not sure it’s there. You should definitely play with a good headset if you dare, especially since the game has 3D binaural sound, which really works here.
The new Layers of Fear is one of the first games to use Unreal Engine 5. I can’t say if the game takes full advantage of the new technology, but what I can say for sure is that it’s a truly beautiful game. Really beautiful and very well designed. The designers at Bloober Team know exactly how to design these terrifying worlds, and combined with great lighting and other visual delights, we have one of the most beautiful and atmospheric horror games ever created.
The only issue with the graphics is that the contrast is a bit weird at times and it’s hard to see what’s going on, but the Bloober Team is said to be working on a patch that should fix this before release. Finally, it’s worth mentioning that you can play in two different graphics modes; Quality at 30fps with ray tracing, 4K resolution and improved lighting, or Performance at 60fps but without ray tracing and at a lower resolution .
Layers of Fear has always been one of my favorite entries in the horror genre, especially because it’s always been carried by good atmosphere rather than cheap shock effects. The new Layers of Fear takes creepiness and atmosphere up a notch, thanks to beautiful new graphics and a stellar soundtrack. Layers of Fear might not be the game for everyone, as it’s more of an experience than a game. The gameplay is pretty simple, as you more or less just open doors, search through drawers and cupboards, solve some simple puzzles, and get scared out of your mind every now and then.
If you like this kind of entertainment, Layers of Fear is one of the best of its kind. I can’t remember the last time I experienced a match this intense, and it was just as unpleasant to play as Layers of Fear. In this case, this should be understood in the most positive way possible.
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