This new version of Layers of Fear brings us all the titles of the saga and a new story.
The first installment of Layers of Fear is probably the title under which the Polish Studio Bloober Team rose to fame, becoming a landmark saga that led them years later to develop important games like Blair Witch or the fantastic The Medium. So, what exactly is this game that bears the same name as this title released in 2016?
3 games for the price of 1
The first thing is to say no, here we are not dealing with a remastered version of the Xbox One 2016 game or a remake. This Layers of Fear is a modern reimagining that seamlessly compiles previous Layers of Fear titles.. It includes all of the content from Layers of Fear (2016), the Layers of Fear Inheritance DLC, and Layers of Fear 2, while adding all-new elements that tie all episodes together. So if we were to define this delivery we end up with: 2 full games, 1 DLC, plus new content.
While in the first title you put yourself in the painter’s skin wrapped in the middle of personal dramain the Legacy expansion, you played as the painter’s daughter and in the second you adopted the role of an actor
The horror is in your own head
If you’ve played any of the previous Layers of Fear games, you probably already know what kind of game to expectBecause little has changed. You will spend most of your time wandering around spooky environments, interacting with various objects, reading documents, and solving puzzles. The game can be quite unsettling and confusing at times, especially with how much it tries to trip you up with unexpected jumps and crazy environment transitions. While in the original games you were completely defenseless, this new version provides you with a kind of flashlight which allows us to burn the entities that stalk you. It’s not a new combat mechanic introduced at all, since you won’t be able to kill ghosts, but rather It will serve to give us a break and to be able to escape. The flashlight obviously also serves a practical purpose, allowing for more illumination while exploring (which will become very necessary many times).
In this new version many improvements have been included in the quality of life, among which stands out the handy chapter selection screen. The first two Layers of Fear games offered three different endings based on selfish or selfless decisions you made during your game. The Chapter Select screen lets you jump to any chapter in the game to make different decisions without having to replay the entire game if you want a different ending. Additionally, it allows you to return to any section of the game if you wish. Finishing the full game will take us between 12 and 15 hours.
But is the game scary? The truth is no. Yes, the game is marketed as a psychological horror title and on more than one occasion it will put us in tremendous tension. The game is quite disturbing for its cool vibe, however, never puts us in a situation where you have to stop playing for a moment (like they’ve done a lot of other titles), not even when there’s the occasional chase sequence. There is hardly any threat for most of the game, which is more or less a turn-based simulation. Even if you die, the automatic checkpoints are more than generous . Just because it didn’t scare me doesn’t mean it won’t scare you, because Layers of Fear knows the rules of horror movies very well. The cool vibe set does a great job of telling a focused story on mental health issues.
Unreal Engine 5 at its best
Layers of Fear works like a charm on Xbox Series X with gorgeous graphics and very smooth performance. Load times are near instantaneous when starting the game and FPS is stable at all times. Two modes are available: Graphics, with 4K Ray Tracing at 30 FPS, or Performance, at 60 FPS
Here the true potential of Unreal Engine 5 is put into practice, especially with the Lumen system which offers dynamic lighting and reflections. You must know that this game was created from scratch with Unreal Engine 5 and that it is one of the first of its kind. The environment elements look more than photorealistic, with very detailed textures and particle effects, to the point that I constantly have to remind myself that I’m playing a video game and not watching a movie. To say this game looks great is an understatement, as it’s definitely one of the most visually impressive feats, period.
Spooky sound section
Each character has his voice in English and subtitles in Spanish, with top-notch voice actors who wrap the story. The soundtrack is haunting and emotional, with plenty of violin and piano themes in the background. Weird sound effects, like a baby crying in the other room or a woman crying in the distance, will be daily in the game, to make the hair on the head stand on end. The overall sound design, combined with the superb visual presentation, makes for a very good experience.
conclusions
Layers of Fear beautifully combines Bloober Team’s flagship games into a definitive edition that will delight horror fans. The new additions and a high-level graphics section are reason enough to replay these titles, but the icing on the cake is a very competitive price of $30 and new chapters that cover all the stories.
Layers of fear
29.99$
Benefits
- Visually stunning thanks to Unreal Engine 5
- Brilliant use of settings and their sudden change
- Great setting and atmosphere
- The new content is worth it
The inconvenients
- It’s a scary horror game
- Moments of confusion when you don’t know where to go
- He poses no challenge
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