Halting your progress are a series of puzzles and whilst many of them are simplistic, we found them to deliver some of the tensest moments within the story. Walking simulator wouldn't be an apt term this time around as you can't simply push the analogue stick in the right direction to progress through the story. The new setting also helped to provide a lot more environmental variety this time around in one chapter we were walking across the ship's deck gazing at the glow of the setting sun on the waves and in the next we were trailed through a shadowy hedge maze by a mysterious figure. The creak of the hull, our unstable footing as the ship floats across the waves, and the booming of thunder and rain outside all helped add to an already tense atmosphere. We've seen this setting work well before in Cold Fear and Resident Evil: Revelations and here it's also realised to great effect. Layers of Fear 2 shoves aside the generic haunted house trope used by its predecessor and instead takes place in the middle of the ocean. It opts for the same method of storytelling as its predecessor as it leaves you to piece together things on your own by examining letters, children's drawings, and other snippets of correspondence, all to uncover the true meaning behind the horrific imagery that greets you around every corner. The entire story unfolds upon a luxury 1930s-style cruise ship known as the Royal Atlantic Line which is the set of the movie that you are about to make. Three years later and Bloober Team has taken a second stab at the formula and has made a handful of tweaks making for some mixed results.įollowing the theme of struggling creatives, Layers of Fear 2 casts you in the shoes of an aspiring Hollywood actor who has just taken on the role of his career. Sure the potential was there, but these flaws and more prevented it from being held in the same regard as other contemporaries such as Outlast and Amnesia: The Dark Descent. It followed an artist's inner struggle to achieve perfection whilst narrowly missing that mark itself with its limited interactivity and over-reliance on jump scares. Luckily, for those who desire to fully solve the mystery, Layers of Fear 2 does have a New Game+ option, allowing you to restart with all the items you discovered in your first run.We found Layers of Fear just a little ironic when we played it back in 2016. The one I received didn’t feel like the “bad” ending, but it was coherent enough to suggest that I missed some key steps. It’s unclear just how much your ending is affected by these choices. But you’re an actor, after all some scenes demand improvisation. The mystery director, with a voice eerily like Dr. Even locked doors won’t impede you for long, as the keys to unlock them are usually close by.Īt times, the game will present you with a choice in how to proceed. Some puzzles involve numbers, while others “challenge” you to pull levers or press buttons. In other words, none of these puzzles will stump you. I say minor, because they honestly just exist to provide a brief pause in the momentum. There are also some minor puzzles to solve as you progress. Inky blackness later begins to surround you, as arms reach out to you from the walls. You cautiously walk up toward a hanging mannequin, which bursts into flames as the unseen director growls his taunts. The world around you shifts and changes, taking you from the familiarity of the ocean liner to a pirate ship, or a field of leafless trees with gnarled branches. Color fades, shifting to black and white, or filtered through a sepia lens like an old-fashioned film. After scouring a room for clues, you may leave only to find yourself transported to a place you don’t recognize. Shadows dance on the walls as doors open and slam without warning. It doesn’t take long before the horror show starts firing on all cylinders. Was it the ship’s movement, or something else? You pass by a vase that drops to the floor as soon as it’s out of your vision. As the ship rocks lazily, its metal framework groans and creaks. You walk through halls and rooms of the ship, with books and luggage scattered and forgotten. It is, perhaps, the solitude that gets to you first. A horror game at its heart, Layers of Fear 2 ramps up the sense of dread slowly, but with purpose.
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