Layers of Fear 2 uses the strongest elements of interactive story telling to immerse you in a horrifying experience – atmosphere and playing with perspective. Add to that a compelling narrative, and Layers of Fear kept me going even when I wanted to quit out of sheer terror and tension. You start as an actor on board an ocean liner, and are then tasked with exploring the space, discovering the stories of other characters and your own story.
What makes Layers of Fear 2’s horror elements different are the ways in which it plays with perspective. You could be walking along a hallway, and turn the camera around and find yourself in a different scene entirely. And all of this is boosted with strange surrealism that can often get under the skin. However, it is also visually stunning. The art design is definitely a tier above most games in the genre.
Pros:
Interesting Story
Looks Great, Also Creepy
Some Solid Scares
Excellent Audio Design
Cons:
Jump Scares Aren’t Always Inspired
Score – 8.5/10
About:
The cameras are all focused on you; the center of the scene. Not just in character, you are the character. The part to play is singularly yours. Written just for you. You are met with silence. No barking orders from the director. No call to action that you need to become this version of yourself. The demand to act fills your mind, but the script pages hold no words.
Your past has helped to mold you into what you are, forced upon you the skills required to hone your craft. That same past has scraped deep furrowing scars into you, not on the outside where the world can see, but in a place buried so deep within that it has become shapeless. You push those memories down but let the experiences drive you into who, or what, you must play.
Darkness surrounds as you stand silently in the spotlight, the only sounds to be heard over your heartbeat are the distant breaking of waves against the hull and the sound of cameras pointed in your direction preserving this moment for eternity.
A deep and commanding voice rises from the distance. Act.
What part will you play?
Game Features:
- Story-driven exploration – You must explore the world around you. Discover your past, and expose the reason for your having been cast for this film.
- Psychological horror – Is this part of the film, or are your memories playing tricks on you? Your world may change with the slightest of provocations, you must decide what is real.
- Ocean Liner setting – Your explorations into the depths of the ship that play the scenes for the film become ever more incredible, and ever more terrifying.
- Classical, ominous soundtrack – An original score composed by Arkadiusz Reikowski, conducted by George Strezov, and performed by the Sofia Session Orchestra
