Layers of Fear

- Reviewed on Switch -

Layers of Fear released on February 16th, 2016. 

To me, I went into this game completely blind with the expectations to have a very scary gaming experience, instead I got more of a walking simulator game with only a few scary moments, and the rest of the game was puzzle related. 

Layers of Fear has its fair share of creepy, uncomfortable moments but in the end, this title failed to give me the horror aspects I have grown to love in video games. 

This review WILL have Major Spoilers so keep that in mind before continuing...

You play as a painter who slowly goes mad trying to get the perfect painting masterpiece. 

With your daughter gone (SPOILER) because she was taken to a new home / family, and your wife unfortunately dead, the main protagonist must suffer through the horrific process of constant flashbacks and nightmares. 

The main issue I have with Layers of Fear is the fact that there is only two chapters that scared me the entire time. 

The first two chapters successfully put fear in me while the remaining four chapters failed to reach their fear level. 

The game plays through individual chapters, six to be exact and each chapter ends when you collect a specific key item. 

The main hub room in Layers of Fear is of course your painting room (due to the protagonist being a painter). 

As you complete chapters (by walking through the front door in the room), the key items will be put on display in a six-cabinet wooden display. 

After going through the six chapters, you will get a specific ending tailored to how you played the game (what rooms you went into, puzzles you solved, etc.).

I liked this style of gameplay, but the actual puzzles and speed of the game was not my style I preferred in a horror game. 

This game focuses specifically on paranormal scares / jump scares. One game mechanic that this game uses heavily that I kind of enjoyed, that was teased heavily in their trailer as well, is your scenery changing in a blink of an eye (and when you turn around). 

My playthrough of Layers of Fear was an average playthrough, and by that, I mean I did not tend to solve every puzzle or open every cabinet / drawer however, I do appreciate the lore and care that was put into this game and the Inheritance DLC. 

Another thing I appreciate / admire about this game is the environment building. 

Bloober Team (creators of Layers of Fear) put a lot of effort into making the environment as spooky and unnerving as possible and one detail that overcomes all this, is the paintings. 

There was one moment in Layers of Fear, in chapters one through two where I opened a door in a long hallway and the creepiest painting was the only thing on the other side, take this mixed in with no music whatsoever and that was the creepiest moment in a video game, in a long time. 

Where I am getting at is, the painting saved the horror factor in Layers of Fear, the paranormal aspect did not scare me whatsoever and the jump scares were very cheap and felt like they were put in last minute to get a pop. 

Not that much to say really about Layers of Fear, you play as a tormented painter / father who must go through all his nightmares and get the perfect painting (ending). 

The Inheritance DLC did not add anything new (game mechanic wise), but you got to go through the daughters' nightmares instead of the fathers and learn the very detailed lore behind all the madness within the family. 

Pros: 

    - Very Deep Lore

    - Realistic Graphics

    - Lots of Collectibles

Cons:

    - Slow Walking

    - Not Very Scary

    - Cheap Jump Scares

    - Short Game

    - Uninteresting DLC

    - No Names for Anyone

    - Boring Puzzles

My Rating for Layers of Fear (on Switch):

2 / 5

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Disclaimer

All Reviews, Ratings, Pros, Cons, and Opinions Shared on this Blog (Press A Reviews) are my (Connor Butler) own Thoughts and Feelings.