X
Layers of Fear
Released On: Jun 15, 2023
75
6.2
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 30 Critic Reviews
75
57% Positive
17 Reviews
17 Reviews
37% Mixed
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
3% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 30 Critic Reviews
75
57% Positive
17 Reviews
17 Reviews
37% Mixed
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
3% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
There's no better way to play this series than the PS5 release of Layers of Fear, combining both stories under one cohesive umbrella. It also shows fantastic early potential in Unreal Engine 5, showcasing exactly what it can offer the rest of the gaming industry.
Layers of Fear 2023 stylishly combines Bloober Team’s flagship games into one beautifully terrifying definitive edition. The reimagined and drop dead gorgeous visuals built entirely from the ground up alone are reason enough to revisit these titles, but the added cherries on top are the brand new chapters that wrap all the narratives together. It’s a must play for anyone into psychedelic and psychological horror experiences, but may come off a little underwhelming for anyone looking for something truly scary.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 25 User Ratings
6.2
48% Positive
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
24% Mixed
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
28% Negative
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 25 User Ratings
6.2
48% Positive
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
24% Mixed
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
28% Negative
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
Despite some negative aspects like sound bugs, awkward looking models (especially in a mirror) and rarely encountered puzzles, Blooberteam presented to us a wonderfully reworked game, adding a new gameplay features, updated graphics and small story segment, which connects two previous chapters (and DLC’s).
The stories are deep, terrifying exploration of the main characters, in which players can experience their feelings, thoughts and emotions. Beautiful, surreal designs, atmospheric immersive visuals, detailed environments, excellent music and philosophical questions will open to you with Layers of Fear, only when you will let this to yourself, and give it a time and opportunity. This os NOT a classical horror games - there’s no survival elements or tense gameplay mechanics. If you concentrate on the stories of Layers of Fear and drown to its immersive experience - you will be fully rewarded. P.S. Blooberteam - you are a great guys, hope your Silent Hill will be amazing
Report
PlayStation 5
The visuals were amazing, they tied the stories together nicely, and the atmosphere was very well done. I guess I lost momentum about halfway through the second game. One thing to remember, this is two games, with DLC, AND extra content to tie it all together. it's a sweet package and a great remake of two, now classic, psychological horror games. But it can burn you out when running down hallways, solving puzzles, and dying from mistakes every so often become the norm.
Report
PlayStation 5
A very particular compilation, which collects the remakes of the two main stories of Layers of Fear, together with the two DLCs of the first chapter (one of which is unpublished) and a totally new adventure that binds everything together. The Unreal Engine 5 gives us genuinely terrifying settings and atmospheres and the "package" guarantees many hours of thrills but also manages to arouse emotions other than simple fear.
Bloober Team has paid homage to its series with an updated and extended package, both from a playful point of view and in terms of visual presentation. Thanks to Unreal Engine 5 we have faced an even more immersive thrill journey, strengthened by some new gameplay solutions. The defects of the second chapter have remained more or less unchanged, and we believe that the developers could have tried to file them with more conviction. Having said that, the work of the Polish collective convinced us, so we can only recommend the experience to fans of the genre.
Fans of the Layers of Fear series are likely to enjoy this new take on its stories, combined and enhanced with new elements. But at the same time, you’re likely to be disappointed that more hasn’t been done to make everything more consistent and unique. What’s more, it’s not as if these games are so old that they needed remaking; the Writer’s story could have perhaps been its own thing, expanded upon to offer something genuinely new. So, while Layers of Fear (2023) is a solid horror experience, we can’t help but feel like Bloober Team has missed an opportunity to really mix things up and impress.
Layers of Fear 2023 delivers an immersive and atmospheric horror experience across five different perspectives and 12+ hours thanks to its stunning visuals and haunting sound design, but its blend of jump scares, basic puzzle-solving and slow exploration probably won’t provide frights that will satisfy most gamers looking for a more interactive, combat-heavy game.
Layers of Fear is an admirable remaster that uses the fresh coat of paint to bring the series’ art direction up to modern standards but the bones of the experience remain fractured. Tedious and exhausting gameplay loops and tasteless writing make even this package a nice frame on an ugly painting.
A Good Scary Classic Horror Experience - Layers of Fear is a game that gets a lot of things. The story is interesting, and the Letters and texts are written well, making you want to learn more about what's happening.
The music and voices in the game are also very good, just like in all the other games by Bloober. The graphics in the game look very nice too. The way they use light and set-dress the locations you explore feel very detailed. It's always fun to look around and search for hidden clues.
The scary parts in the game work well sometimes, but not all the time. Some parts especially the chases are really scary, but other times not so much. My biggest problem with the game is the gameplay. After a while, it starts to get boring. You do the same repetitive interactions over and over, and it's not as fun.
Overall, it's a good game, but I hope Bloober can improve and make even better games in the future.
Report
PlayStation 5
Good-
Looks incredible; Impressive audio design; Some genuinely scary and interesting moments here and there; The Writer's story does a good job of recontextualizing, connecting, and framing the other chapters.
Bad-
Inconsistent (and frequently ineffective) storytelling; Bland, one-note gameplay loop quickly gets repetitive; Too predictable to be consistently frightening in any meaningful way.
Thoughts-
And that unfortunately really does pull the whole experience down. Layers of Fear is not a total misfire, and does have merits, from the incredible audiovisual achievements to some genuinely inspired mind-bending moments every now and then. Sadly though, those only serve to make its shortcomings everywhere else that much more frustrating. Properly done, this could have been a truly standout experience. As it stands right now, unfortunately, much as often seems to happen with Bloober Team, an amazing premise and some genuine glimpses of brilliance here are mired by far too many caveats and shortcomings.
Report
PlayStation 5
It's kinda meh, idk.
I mean it's fine, but not really something I would play again or recommend to my friends. Story and music was good, though.
Report
PlayStation 5
AVOID AT ALL COSTS.
Ok, so first let me get the only good thing out of the way- THE GRAPHICS.
Other than that, the game is a mess
It is just a walking simulator. You are never in any sort of real trouble.
If it is a psychological horror, at least the game should be scary, which it is not. You just walk across hallways, from one 'jump scare' to another which in my opinion are not scary at all. The game is so predictable that it becomes tedious. There is no real challenge. Add to that, a disjointed story and the game becomes a chore to play. I took half a month to complete this 15 hr game because I could not tolerate playing it for more than 30 min- 1 hr everyday.
You just walk through corridors without any purpose, open doors, examine paintings and very rarely, get chased by a mysterious entity and harming you is its last priority.
I just wanted to get this game over with by the end.
And YA, finally the thing that had me at the brisk of breaking my controller, the game deleted my progress when I was so close to earning the only gold trophy for this game. I just minimized the game and when I returned, I was again at the lighthouse in writer's story in first chapter.
I cannot emphasize enough that how broken this game is.
DO NOT PLAY THIS GAME. If you are a fan of horror games, look elsewhere. The game misses the mark by such a margin that the mark isn't even in sight.
Report
PlayStation 5
Kinda trash tbh. I was expecting more from the new content side and it's mid at best. The bugs introduced from swapping to a new engine make some of the old content unplayable.
Report
PlayStation 5
Summary Layers of Fears is a first-person psychedelic horror chronicle focused on tense exploration and immersive storytelling - a new game built upon the foundations of Layers of Fear, LOF: Inheritance, and Layers of Fear 2 with a surprising new story and gameplay direction. Created with the cutting-edge Unreal Engine 5 technology, the game ...
Platforms:
- PC
- Xbox Series X
- PlayStation 5
Initial Release Date: Jun 15, 2023
Developer:
- Bloober Team
Publisher: Bloober Team
Genres:
