Layers of Fear is a game stuck in two minds. It wants to be a thoughtful reflection on mental health and also YouTube Let’s Play fodder.
Playing as a demented painter trying to finish his magnum opus, you must journey around a constantly twisting and shifting mansion to find clues about what went wrong with your family. It’s a tragic story that is told really well and is the game’s main strength.
Visually, layers of Fear doesn’t compromise. It’s always throwing something disturbing at you, whether it’s a room full of dolls or a melting vinyl player. The soundtrack also gave me the heebie jeebies and also the willies, whatever that means.
However, the game falls down when it plays it too safe. Instead of trying to be something completely unique, it lifts an awful lot of its ideas from P.T. and isn’t even ashamed of it. The monsters and cryptic puzzle styles are very heavily inspired by Hideo Kojima’s infamous teaser demo, but with half the finesse. We’ve seen this before.
If Bloober Team had left the cheap jumpscares to other horror games, this could have been special.
As it is, Layers of Fear shows its hand early and bores more than it excites before the curtains close. Recommended for horror gamers, but you may be left wanting more.
6.5/10
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