times. The crazy PT lady clone is here and snatches you up, then does it again not too much later. You also get a creepy baby-doll scare and then get it a dozen more times. Heck, I’m not even sure there are any other jump scares besides the two things over and over again. I spent the last half of the game just walking about not even being affected by any scares, instead just opening anything I saw while the game tried in vain to spook me.
Layers of Fear relies on these tired and repetitive jump scares and while it attempts to copy the narrative of Gone Home, it just falls really flat. There is an interesting story under there someplace, but it just never gets explored with any great depth. Odds are you will finish the game and say to yourself, “That’s it?” The game also only runs a few hours with my competition time being just over three-hours. Even with such a short game it felt like it was dragging by the end. Again, not having the fear of perma-death really hinders the game from being something truly special. There are times where you have to run away from monster lady, but if she can’t kill you, then where is the real fear in being caught or hauling ass out of the room? I really would have loved to have seen Layers of Feel opened up a bit more gameplay wise and have a stronger narrative pacing instead of being so linear and predictable.
One big issue that cropped up during my review was me getting sick. The game uses a weird walking style (makes sense in the game) for the player, but this motion is so unnatural that it gave me motion sickness on two separate occasions. The first time I have to stop playing and lay down for a while just to get my bearings back. The games transition effects also didn’t help as I was stumbling around. But don’t think that I hate Layers of Fear, no matter how much I am knocking the game. The developers have something special here, and the ideas they are trying to present are worth developing more. Unfortunatly, Layers of Fear ends up being a pretty boring game with small bits of greatness that just never truly get developed like they should be.
Where the game does really shine is in the visual department. Layers of Fear is probably the most beautiful horror game that I’ve ever seen. The mansion, and all the goodies inside are well crafted with a high level of details. When things go into the macabre (as they do) the game really benefits. Locations are truly spooky and will make you want to play with the lights on. Those new to the horror game genre are really going to have a fantastic time playing this one. You really do feel like you are descending into madness as the game progresses. On the other hand, those that have played these sort of games wont be all that impressed beyond the pretty/horrid locations. What’s really cool is that the game is running on the Unity engine and looks even better that many newer games running on the AAA Unreal Engine. Layers of Fear is a real testament to the engine and should be used to promote it, especially the indie developers that are working hard to create awesome content.
The sound also does a good job setting the mood. In horror games especially, the music and sound design has to be top-notch or you’ll lose much of the impact. Audio cues will tell you what to expect in terms of jump scares, but they can also trick you into a false sense of security. It all works really well in Layers of Fear and all of the jump scares the game throws at you are magnified thanks to the audio. Unfortunately, no matter how good the sound is, it doesn’t change the fact that the game gets really boring really fast. I know I sound like a broken record, but if the game only let you lose in some way (it might, but it never happened to me on multiple playthroughs) the game would have kept the tension high throughout the entire adventure.
Layers of Fear is an interesting game that I see more of a proof of concept for the developers and UNity 5 than a fully fledged game. Still, even with all the issues I actually do recommend you pick up the game when it’s on sale (it’s $20 regularly) because it really is something that should be experienced. You just need to come into the game with a certain mindset and treat it more like a really pretty looking storybook adventure sort of thing. I played it on the Xbox One and I never encountered any issues, but many PC players have had problems with the game and various bugs. While Layers of Fear isn’t all that great, it does get me excited to see what comes next from the developer, so supporting them by picking the game it would be pretty cool. -J.Luis
B. Simmons