Don’t let the name confuse you,Layers of Fearis an enhanced remake of the first two Layers of Fear games and serves as a testament to Bloober’s progress and apparent improvement in game-making and storytelling.
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While subtle at first, the additions to the game drive impact and tie the knots together between the original games' stories. What may have confused you in the older games comes to light here, but will still keep you on your toes.
6New Graphics
The 2016 version of the Layers of Fear game was made on Unity, but the remake has been built from the ground up in Unreal Engine 5. Bloober has experience working in the engine thanks to Silent Hill 2, and working with Unreal Engine has become much easier than it was during the original games' development, especially in terms of graphics and visuals.
There is undeniable realism, and the atmosphere is just much more convincing than the first game, with dimmer color tones and more realistic textures. This can be seen with nuance in details like lighting. The sheer level of detail, and the way light interacts with game objects in the 2023 version, add more impact to the whole experience.
5Unfolding A More Complex Story
Going into the game, those who’ve played the previous games might think this is simply a remake of the Layers of Fear game from 2016, but they’ll be in for a good surprise.
While many things have definitely remained the same or have just simply been enhanced, the 2023 game is a combination of all past games, with some new plots and characters. The end remains open to interpretation and leaves you with a consistent sense of confusion, which elevates the game experience.
In the first game, you played as the Painter, before controlling his daughter, Lisa, in the DLC Inheritance. Later, in the sequel, we got toplay the actoron a ship. All these stories are rehashed in the anthology but recontextualized to piece the whole story together like missing puzzle pieces.
4New Plots & Players
The new plots that feature the additional stories of new playable characters add more depth and ultimately tie the whole thing together, as we’ve already mentioned. In the 2023 game, you’ll get to play as the Writer. She is the main character in this version of the game, but her playtime is paradoxically shorter than the other characters.
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The game makes the writer the character responsible for the other stories, as if she wrote everyone else’s story, and that they were all fictional. But of course, the psychological horror game will have you thinking twice.
Additionally, you’ll get to play “The Final Note” story, a DLC exclusive to the remakes which gives you a new perspective on the past games. In it, you get to control the painter from the first game’s wife, and uncover aspects of the story not seen the first time through.
3Different Game Mechanics
A few changes have been made and added to the game in terms of game mechanics. Firstly, Bloober has decided to reduce the interactive options, ensuring you can only interact with key items and avoid getting hung up playing with trinkets that had no bearing on the actual game.
There are other different game mechanics as well, such as the lamp. By using the lamp, you can burn away creepy and shadowy parts of your environment. You can also burn ghosts away with the flame.
2Platform Exclusivity
While the rest of the series is available on PS4, Xbox One, PC, and even Linux, the new anthology is only available to play on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series consoles. Unfortunately, those who haven’t upgraded to the new platforms won’t be able to enjoy Layers of Fear 2023. If you don’t rely on consoles and have a gaming desktop then you might have more luck.
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Perhaps the decision to make it exclusive to the new platforms is tied to the better graphics, which includes features like ray tracing that isn’t possible on older hardware. If you do have a PS5, Xbox Series X|S, or a PC, you can enjoy the new additions to this morbid collection with a new level of detail. Bloober was not joking when they went through the details.
1Longer Play Time
The older games took around ten hours to complete and see the different endings. The DLC took less time, but, since the 2023 version is an anthology, it will take much more time to complete the whole game. However, thatdepends on how fast you play.
Some players reportedly finished the game in eleven hours, but if you like to take your time you might clock in a higher amount of hours. The game was designed to be played at a slower pace, so there’s no need to rush. Immerse yourself in the creepy storyline and take your time.
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