It doesn’t always flow as natural as it could though. Offering spooky, creepy, and on occasion, downright terrifying moments peppered throughout the journey.
Some of it unique, some of it par for the course for the genre. There is a lot here to keep a person’s attention. Doors becoming walls, lights turning off, visions of the past. It’s not a problem, but for a sequel, if players expected anything a bit deeper or more, that’s not what Layers of Fear 2 provides.Įxploring the varied environments as they story hops around players is about the most elaborate element here. There is no combat, very little in the way of traditional enemies, it’s more about the plot delivery and story narration. While the storyline is a huge element to what will drive the player’s experience, gameplay here is basically the same as the first: Exploration, minor puzzle solving, and some enemy avoidance is the overall flow. I was able to understand the core story line at the end of my time but it’s still not told in the most constructive way, confusion for confusions sake as I would put it. The game is cryptic and will take lots of analyzing to understand its’ complexity and I’m sure even as writing this there is probably some big discussion going on about it somewhere online. The story here melds with the idea of someone who possible could be having an identity crisis but the show most go on, as they say. One thing is certain though, the main character is an actor, and from what players will discover, a fine one at that having done many movies over their life…or have they? Even after having finished the game, I’m still left feeling the intro and ending feel as if they just happen with little weight to either. I won’t lie, it comes off a bit confusing and very similar to the first game, if not even a bit more perplexing on what is even transpiring. Over time, much like in the original game, clues, notes, and audio dialogue will dive deeper into the character the player are portraying. There’s really no intro dialogue, no set up, it’s just you suddenly placed into the game, which is abrupt, but intriguing nevertheless. Players will find themselves on what appears to be a luxury cruise ship in disarray. The answer isn’t quite as clear, like much of the plot, but as expected but Layers of Fear 2 still offers a good time with certain expectations adjusted.Īs far as story goes, Layers of Fear 2 starts off very, very sudden. Was it a true sequel or a new story being told? Would it improve upon the formula? Would it be scarier than the first? With much anticipation and excitement, I dove right in to the madness. Immediately awaiting it with baited breath, I had no idea what the game was even about but knew I was going to play it.
Well, here we are with our Layers of Fear 2 review! Is it worth diving into this madness again? Read on. Much to my surprise, was to see a sudden announcement for Layers of Fear 2 coming later this year.
Back in 2016, I stumbled upon just such a game, Bloober Team’s, Layers of Fear - A game that felt as if the player themselves were having a mental breakdown into absurd moments of insanity. Finding a hidden gem that manages to surprise and scare is a guilty pleasure. The work is sometimes uncomfortably personal, but musically compelling enough to bring it back across the decades.Horror games have always been a favorite genre of mine. "Memories Fade" offers emotional resonances reminiscent of "Working Class Hero," while "Pale Shelter" functions on a wholly different level, an exquisite sonic painting sweeping the listener up in layers of pulsing synthesizers, acoustic guitar arpeggios, and sheets of electronic sound (and anticipating the sonic texture, if not the precise sound of their international breakthrough pop hit "Everybody Wants to Rule the World"). (But Lennon had the advantage of being an ex- Beatle when that meant the equivalent to having a box next to God's in the great arena of life, where Tears for Fears were just starting out.) Decades later, "Pale Shelter," "Ideas as Opiates," "Memories Fade," "Suffer the Children," "Watch Me Bleed," "Change," and "Start of the Breakdown" are powerful pieces of music, beautifully executed in an almost minimalist style. Not that there weren't a few predecessors, most obviously John Lennon's Plastic Ono Band album - which was also, not coincidentally, inspired by the work of primal scream pioneer Arthur Janov. The Hurting would have been a daring debut for a pop-oriented band in any era, but it was an unexpected success in England in 1983, mostly by virtue of its makers' ability to package an unpleasant subject - the psychologically wretched family histories of Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith - in an attractive and sellable musical format.