As I am a huge horror fan, games like Layers of Fear always spark my interest. This is a jump scare filled psychological horror game that will have you sleeping with the lights on after you play it. If you are a fan of horror and can look past a few “technical” issues then you are in for a good, but scary time with this one.
How to Download Layers of Fear
You can download the game from Steam. You can also get on Switch, PS4 and Xbox One. Click on the Download button below the review. Check out also our review of its sequel Layers of Fear 2.
The Game Review
I would describe this as a very story-driven game. You play as an artist who is trying to complete his masterpiece but has been driven mad by a lack of inspiration. The game is his descent into madness as the dark, the unknown and the creepy start to take hold of him and his super creepy Victorian-era home.
The whole premise is very well done. The Victorian-era home that I just mentioned is kind of like a character in its own right. Do you remember how creepy P.T was? Well, that is the same kind of creepiness you have here, but it is the Victorian style that makes it even more creepy than P.T was. This place will change you in an instant.
For example, one moment you are walking down the hall and a door will appear or a wall will appear. There is writing on the walls, creepy dolls, people appearing out of nowhere. Yes, you could argue that these are all clichés of the horror genre, but I do not care! The game does them very well and you will be frequently jumping out of your skin.
The game is played from a first-person point of view so many of the scares are in your face. You have to do a lot of exploration where you will find things that move along the story. This is also true for most of the puzzles that you will have to solve. The puzzles are probably the weakest part of the game if I am being honest with you.
I would not say that any of the puzzles are flat out “bad” however, some of them are a bit too cryptic for their own good and can leave you a bit frustrated. I did have to consult a guide on a couple of occasions. The thing is, puzzles are not just what this game is about and I feel that the exploration is more prominent. The game can feel a bit rough around the edges in regards to your movement on occasion, but it is easy to look past.
There is some DLC that you can get, but even without that, there is plenty of reasons to play through this a few times. There are three different endings for you to experience and I found myself wanting to experience them all. I think this is a good testament to how invested in the lore and world I was that I wanted to play through the game multiple times.
I think that if you are a horror fan, Layers of Fear is going to be a smash hit for you. It does rely on many horror clichés, but I do not see that as a bad thing. The game looks great and the story will keep you guessing until the end. I do feel that its sequel improves on this in pretty much every way, but this is still worth a playthrough.
