Layers of Fear (2015)

The true masterpiece is the endless struggle to create art. Jump scares and predictable tricks in horror games won't work anymore. The story of the artist is intriguing while still making you feel tense and uneasy about what you see. Layers of Fear made story, gameplay, and atmosphere work together in harmony.

When flesh is the only adequate canvas and blood runs the color of regret, you will discover that the most horrifying monster is the one within. Layers of Fear will make you scream into the empty room time and time again, even though you think you know what is coming. It will make your every hair stand on end and keep you playing, helpless, lost in the throes of deepest nightmare. One of the most intense horror experiences of recent years.

If Konami let you down when it killed the new Silent Hill game, then Layers of Fear will help ease your pain. It's not perfect but it's punctuated with some great moments and you can't beat the price.

This horror experience infuses deep feelings of fear, both through great sound and images. However there should have been bigger interactions and extended puzzle solutions.

Layers of Fear masterfully toys with your sense of reality, when it's not throwing cheesy jump scares in your face.

If you’re looking for something to scare you for an hour or two on a dark night, then this is a title you should consider picking up. If you’re looking for the next great horror title, however, your efforts will be better served elsewhere.

In other words, not so much a game as a tool to drive traffic to someone’s YouTube channel. That’s not game development. It’s pandering.

the best horror game i play with the best graphic and the good soundtrack the best part i play

“Babyface isn’t even that bad, f*** the critics.” Layers of Fear is a Haunted House romp in the key of House of Leaves with inspiration drawn from The Picture of Dorian Gray among others beyond my artistic grasp. The player spends their time walking through the impossible, ever-shifting geometry of the manor, contending with the protagonists psychosis while uncovering the history of his family and the tragedy therein. All while attempting to complete his magnum opus. On the pantheon of psycho-horror walking sims, Layers of Fear deserves a place, but perhaps on a lower rung. It’s not perfect - fatty around the edges, short in its list of spooky-tricks. Still, it’s a theme park ride I would recommend, at least once. Presentation and atmosphere are what excels for as long as the player is enthralled by its spell. Exploring the manors surreal spaces, uncovering clues to the past - there’s a good story being told well here. Thematically, the world, and narrative make a nice tight knot. Voice performances are solid, and music, when used, is beautiful and effective. Gameplay consists of walking, opening containers and collecting notes. Occasionally a simple puzzle will rear its head. It’s not noteworthy, nor should it be for the genre Layers of Fear aims for. The term “walking-sim” is not an immediate death sentence for me. However I was a bit dismayed at the ratio of opened containers to missing notes by the end of the game. I think the games length is its primary flaw. Layers of Fear eventually runs out of new spooks, and the story is so revealed as to piece together the full narrative well before the climactic ending. With no additional twists, in either gameplay or story, the game begins to outstay its welcome. A problem which perplexes me, as the game asks you to double-down and play it again, making obscure choices, in order to reach a “true”, “conclusive” ending. Imagine going through a haunted house attraction and then immediately going back in a second time, with none of the scares changed. With a game that is so singularly focused in setting and theme, I think slicing an hour off would be to its benefit, as well as nixing the multiple endings. Make it more concise. Keep the magic from running out early. I dare say the Inheritance DLC is an all around upgrade compared to the main game. It serves as both a new perspective and an epilogue. Some of the scares are familiar but the presentation, its setting, its use of the main cast, are all excellent and kept me hooked. A combination of presentation and shortened length ensured I remained interested, avoiding my aforementioned problems with the base game. Additionally there’s a Halloween season specific mini-episode of content that exists in the Basement. I had no idea and unintentionally stumbled into this bit. Another fun bite-sized vignette which strengthens my belief that the shorter these pieces are, the more enjoyable they become. The more pure they stay in my memory. On the whole, Layers of Fear is a haunted house theme park ride. A solid ride but one that lasts maybe a bit too long, spread a bit too thin. But theres a lot of good at its core and I look forward to experiencing the next Bloober project whenever I get around to it. If The Inheritance DLC is any indicator of their new direction, then I won’t be disappointed. A play-it-once enjoyable 7 out of 10

The biggest plus i found playing in this game in 2024 was great audio experience. I highly recommend to play with headphones. I don’t like that type of games, but that one had something.

An effort in emulating P. T. that ultimately ends up being a walking simulator with average or below average scares. Of course P. T. was a walking simulator, too, but it was way more original... and also it was meant to be a playable teaser, not a published game you actually had to pay in order to play. Putting this aside, the game offers nothing aside a decent ambient/atmosphere and an over-the-top, pretentious narration. This game is nothing special but thinks it is. The main form of narration is through flashback voices, documents, paintings, drawings and sketches, but sometimes it forces the narration through these means. The result is that some of the sketches and letters appear to be far-fetched and cringe. I don't even know if this can be considered to be a game since all you have to do is to walk. It is an interactive experience -- and not a particularly brilliant or compelling one. Also the depiction of mental illness leaves much to be desired: that's not what actual mental illness is... trust me on this, I'm a psychologist. All things considered, a forgettable experience. Not horrible but surely nothing worth of mentioning.

pros: - looks good - decent soundtrack cons: - even though it looks good, there are glitches - confusing plotline - relying too much of jumpscares - no puzzles whatsoever - got too lost many times - most boring gameplay but if you ever got scared one of the sequences in this game, kudos to you but i just had an emotionless experience within this game so thank you, Layers of Fear for not giving me an adrenaline rush xoxo