Bloober Team has had the best time ever when it comes to making games. The original Layers of Fear was a huge success upon its release in 2016. But that success fell even further in the years that followed, with Blair Witch, Observer, and even Layers of Fear 2 receiving mixed reactions. So why not go back to that well that has brought you so much success in the past? And if you’re going to do that, why not make sure you create the best version of the game ever released ?
The PS5 version of Layers of Fear is a new chapter revolving around both the main game, two DLC expansions (one of which is The Final Note, the most recent), and a writer who acts as a means of holding the series together. It consists of an experience. This new framing device is particularly interesting because it helps essentially transform the entire Layers of Fear series into his one cohesive game. And it works amazingly well. You play as a writer staying in an eerie lighthouse, using it as an artistic retreat to start writing again. While there, discover stories or come up with ideas that recall the events of previous games and expansions.
All of the series now operate more or less on the same level, but the original title remains the real star. With haunting Gothic mansions and hypnotic paintings, The Painter’s Journey is a deeply unsettling experience, while still highly engaging. The ‘melting’ paintings and the spontaneous reconstruction of rooms are as fascinating and exciting as ever. This gameplay his component is a great tool for puzzles, as clever visual tricks allow him to lock in new areas and solutions. Having the world around you radically change based on what angle you happen to be looking at is incredible, and the disorientation factor can be a very effective tool when it comes to horror. Bloober continues that principle with his DLC and sequels, but with diminishing returns each time.
Playing the series on a package like this highlights how little gameplay has evolved. While not as lacking in interaction as traditional walking simulators, Layers of Fear treads this line precariously, incorporating LoF2 and lighter vignettes more fully. The environments are nice enough to walk around the story and glean tidbits of information, but things are arguably more compelling when the title makes use of winding and evolving environments to set up puzzles. However, this is not the case when you have to flee from your enemies. It’s a cheap tactic that neither increases fear nor increases experience. The environment you’re in doesn’t need these chase sequences at all, as it acts well enough as an “enemy” on its own.
The title’s original release was slightly less appealing with each entry, so this collection took time to level the playing field. At its most basic, the visual fidelity of everything is on the same level, which is amazing. Every detail in every environment looks incredible and greatly increases the fear. The introduction of HDR is especially noticeable in painterly areas, and lighting is great overall. However, the trade-off for prioritizing graphical fidelity is that the frame rate drops fairly regularly. Performance mode is recommended as it has a steady 60 frames per second and looks about the same.
The sound design is also amazing, another important staple of good horror. The ambient sound design is excellent, capturing all the squeaks of houses and ships while leaving plenty of room for haunting whispers and unnatural noises waiting to pop into every nook and cranny. Given all this, the title does a great job of avoiding an over-reliance on jump scares. Of course there are still a lot of these, but often you get them. Due to the nature of the environment being reconfigured instantaneously, sudden loud noises are more appropriate. As such, these scares are more than welcome, and even enhance the experience in ways that relatively few other horror titles can.
However, this admiration is a bit difficult to express in the voice acting’s performance. The original content’s voice work is all fine and we see a great performance by the painter, his wife or his 2 director Tony Todd, but the new content all has questionable voice work. It stands in stark contrast to the rest of the experience and stands out from the rest.
A new addition to the collection, Chapter Mode lets you go back and replay chapters and discover new ones without worrying about dirtying your main save. Branching stories and multiple endings are staples of Layers of Fear, and this exploration mode makes it a little easier to explore and witness how some of these decisions differ. All the while finding and exploring an amazing array of collectibles in the game.
Conclusion
The latest version of Layers of Fear is incredibly impressive. In addition to offering a high-quality remake of the entire series, this version takes a step forward and creates new material with the express purpose of bringing all of the series’ existing content under his one umbrella. . With an exceptional visual overhaul, fascinating changing environments, and excellent sound design, this horror series ensures that it does a phenomenal job of remaining a worthwhile experience.
