Ahead of their work on the Silent Hill 2 remake, Blobber Team has decided to give us a next-gen remake in the Layers of Fears series. Are you ready? Then check our Layers of Fear review!
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Ahead of their work on the Silent Hill 2 remake, Blobber Team has decided to give us a next-gen remake in the Layers of Fears series. The psychological horror franchise got its start back in 2016 on PlayStation 4. It’s now 2023, and we’re getting the definitive way of experiencing the Layers of Fear series. Why? Because Layers of Fear on PlayStation 5 reworks both Layers of Fear and Layers of Fear 2 in the Unreal 5 engine while also including all previously released DLC, along with the new The Final Note, which will give you a new perspective on the series.
Because of this, the lore for Layers of Fear as a whole has now been expanded. Sure, you’ll get to play as the Painter and the Painter’s Daughter in a retelling of the original Layers of Fear and its Inheritance DLC, but there have been some changes introduced here and there that help to make those segments feel fresh. The Actor’s journey from the sequel Layers of Fear 2 is more faithfully reproduced in this new release, wrinkles and all. Taking cues from an unseen director as a production is being filmed aboard a ship where the supernatural rears its ugly head I just the usual for the Actor, right?
As for the content that has been added on top of all that, we’re getting the story of the Writer. It seems she has won a contest and has been rewarded with a stay at a peculiar lighthouse that she’ll be calling home for a bit. A boat will visit once a week to bring supplies. There’s also a phone there she can use to call if anything is needed. Five minutes into this new section, the phone rings, and you’re kindly asked if you’ve already started to write since there’s a tight deadline to consider.
You sit down at the typewriter when a weird noise calls your attention. A room that you for sure thought was closed is suddenly open. Inside that room? A big mess, with rats running around. Oh, and a covered-up painting that will start to dial up the psychological horror right away. It seems that after hundreds of people submitted their entries to The Agency for the contest, the person who won was not a scholar or someone with a proper education who could make the most of the great opportunity. It was a horror writer…
The Writer will serve as the one who tells the overall tale, and the journey of the Writer, the Painter, and the Painter’s Daughter will be bookended with a look at the Layers of Fear lore from a new point of view: that of the Musician. Who’s the Musician, you ask? Why, she’s the Painter’s wife! Without spoiling things too much, once you complete the Painter’s story and go through what the Painter’s Daughter experiences, you’ll be able to better understand why the short story of the Musician helps to expand the mythos for the Layers of Fear series.
Since the game is played from a first-person perspective, you’ll be controlling your character with the left analog stick as you look around with the right one. The R2 button will be used to interact as needed. You can zoom the camera by pressing the Square button to get a better look at things. You can run by pressing and holding down the R1 button to run, or you can press in the right analog stick to toggle running. The Triangle button will allow you to crouch.
Press the L2 button to take out your flashlight, which you can focus on by pressing and holding down the button. And it’s the flashlight that will change how you approach your journey through the full Layers of Fear experience. Light vs. darkness is a battle that is now as old as time itself, and it will be through the light that you shine on things that the darkness – and the madness – will somehow remain at bay. It can also be used to buy you some extra time when you run into an enemy so that you can hopefully find a way to escape before it’s too late.
The game has a full trophy list with a Platinum trophy, for which you’ll need to work on unlocking 36 Bronze trophies, 14 Silver trophies, and a single Gold trophy. Since you’ll be playing as four different characters – the Writer, the Painter, the Painter’s Daughter, and the Musician – there will be several trophies that will unlock as you progress through the game’s story. There are also going to be trophies tied to finding the many collectibles you’ll find during your journey. There’s a trophy for taking 1,000 steps, which you will easily take care of early during the Painter’s story.
Layers of Fear from Bloober Team brings us a reimagined take on the entire Layers of Fear franchise, revamped for the PlayStation 5. It’s now been bumped into the Unreal Engine 5 with everything it has to offer, with dynamic lighting and a boost in graphics that makes every element come to life, which is certainly going to make a difference during your time with the game. As you explore the stories of each of the characters– the Painter, the Painter’s Daughter, and the Actor, as well as new characters, the Writer and the Musician – you’ll be getting the definitive Layers of Fear experience. The game is available on PlayStation 5 with a $29.99 price tag. There’s also the Layers of Fear Deluxe Edition which includes the game, the digital soundtrack, and a digital art book, which is available for $34.99.
Disclaimer
This Layers of Fear review is based on a PlayStation 5 copy provided by Blobber Team.
