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The originalLayers Of Fearwas notorious for the hidden factors that influenced the story’s ending, and the remake keeps that air of mystery. The Painter’s Story is the most-changed out of the games collected here, so even if you know the 2016 version by heart you may find some surprises waiting for you!
Related:Layers Of Fear (2023): How To Solve The Empty Frames Puzzle
If you keep finding yourself trapped in the Loop Ending, it might take just a few changes to tip the scales toward Art or Family. Use this guide to see what you can do for a more satisfying conclusion!
How Is The Painter’s Ending Determined?
As you progress through the Painter’s Story, the gamesecretly tracks two separate scores, pushing you toward the Art ending or the Family ending. Based on your decisions and actions, the final tally will determine your ending when youfinish the painting at the end of Chapter Six.
In general,collecting items and taking paths related to the Musician and the Daughterwill push you toward the Family ending, whilecollecting items and taking paths related to the Painter or the Rat Queenwill push you toward the Art ending. There are some hidden factors at play as well, which we’ll detail below.
At the end of the story, if one score issignificantly higher than the other, you’ll get the related ending; while if neither score is high enough you’ll get theLoop Ending.The exact values of each action and the required score for the Art and Family endings are unknown, so it’s best todo everything that you possibly canto get the ending that you want whileavoiding the other ending.
Important Decisions
The biggest factors in determining which ending you receive are thedecision points, indicated by a scale drawing hidden nearby. Completing a decision point will push you toward one of the two main endings, and will always drop amemento(Family) or arat sketch(Art) afterward. you may usually (but not always) tell which choice is which based on the colors of objects in the room;green indicates the Family choice, whileRed indicates the Art choice.
Telephone Hallway
Three
Continue down the hallwaywithout turning arounduntil the phone breaks on the floor.
Turn around after the hallway loops for the first time andanswer the phone when it appears on the table.
Which Dream Should I Choose?
Four
Repeatedly go down theright-hand hallwaywith the red paint on the wall.
Repeatedly go down thehallway straight aheadwith the house drawn in green crayon on the wall.
Elevator
Five
Take the elevator up, thenburn the Echoes on the left side of each cellin the room you find.
Take the elevator up, thenburn the Echoes on the right side of each cellin the room you find.
Six
Pull the lever, then approach Babyface butleave without destroying it.
Pull the lever, thendestroy Babyfaceby burning the Echo holding it over the pit.
Ignore the wheelchair and keep going.
Push the wheelchair all the way to the end of the hallway, until it can’t move further.
Collectibles
The collectibles that you gather will each slightly influence your score. For best results,only pick up objects related to the ending that you want. Use the zoom function to get a good look at items before you pick them up; you can alsoreturn to the main menu and reload your gamefrom the start of the current room if you pick up an undesirable item.
Objects listed inboldseem to provide more progress toward their related ending, though this is not confirmed.
The most important objects (including the brush, locket, perfume bottle, and compact mirror for Family; the jar of pencils, bottle of wine, goblet, and broken palette for Art) will appearin the studioafter they’ve been collected; Family collectibles on the left, Art collectibles on the right. Comparing how many of each you have is the easiest way to track your progress, but it’s not a guarantee. The other collectibles willappear throughout the main area of the house.Note that some collectibles - especially those related to the Art ending - must be collected to finish the game, so you’ll need to work harder to get the Family ending.
Related:Layers Of Fear (2023): How To Solve The Telephone Puzzle
Miscellaneous Factors
Some gameplay factors seem to influence the game’s ending, though it’s unclear by just how much. It’s always best to err on the side of caution and try these tricks if you’re going for the Family ending!
Reassembling The Mirror
When you return to the main area at the end of Chapter One, go upstairs to the Musician’s bedroom. Around the edges of the room arepieces of the vanity mirror.Collect them one-by-one to reassemble the mirror for some extra score toward the Family ending.
The Musician’s Ghost
Whenever you’re being pursued by the Ghost,listen for her footsteps to stop.She will occasionally fall over and stay on the ground weeping for about a minute. If that happens,go to her before she gets up.You’ll be sent back to the respawn room as though she had caught you, but her voice lines will change, thanking you for helping her up. Not only does this help build toward the Family ending, but youkeep any key items you picked up before getting caught; potentially, this means that when you return to the room you’re able to escape before the Ghost reappears!
Rat Queen Paintings
Some paintings throughout the house willbriefly show the Rat Queen’s faceif you look directly at them. This pushes you toward the Art ending, so if you’re going for Familyload your saveif the Rat Queen appears so that you can avoid the painting. The only exception to this is thelarge painting of the Rat Queen undergroundlate in the story, which cannot be avoided.
