Layers of Fear (2023) Reviews
Layers of Fear is an admirable remaster that uses the fresh coat of paint to bring the series' art direction up to modern standards but the bones of the experience remain fractured. Tedious and exhausting gameplay loops and tasteless writing make even this package a nice frame on an ugly painting.
The changes made in Layers of Fear 2023 have mostly damaged the overall experience of the original games. And the new additional content does not add anything meaningful to this package, whether story-wise or gameplay-wise. We recommend that instead of this buggy remake, you would play the original Layers of Fear 1 & Layers of Fear 2.
Review in Persian | Read full review
It certainly feels like the type of game built for people who love YouTubers that play horror games, as it is easily accessible and not a very difficult game to get through. It is a game built to get a reaction from the audience and not much else. Layers of Fear (2023) just doesn’t seem to scratch that itch that many will be looking for when searching for a game to play. It does do many things right in the sense that it does feel like a scary game, but it certainly isn’t for everybody.
Layers of Fear is one of the most visually impressive games this generation, most certainly the most stunning horror game ever made. It’s a smart, creative approach to a remake by mixing up puzzles as well as incorporating a new storyline which links everything together with compelling, haunting writing. However, it is product of its time, with slow, aimless walking, constantly retreading familiar steps and cheap scares at almost every turn. The definitive way to play Layers of Fear but also a cautious reminder the substance is mostly at a surface level.
Bloober Team's horror series is reimagined from the ground up, but the foundation still feels shaky.
The 2023 Layers of Fear is definitely the best way to experience the Layers of Fear games, but they were never particularly good to begin with. While Layers of Fear is what put Bloober Team on the map, the studio has put out significantly better games since then, like sci-fi horror game Observer, the Blair Witch game, and the Silent Hill-inspired The Medium. Horror fans should consider checking those out before taking a chance with Layers of Fear.
Layers of Fear is an acceptable package of horror stories, but that's about it. Its few scares do just about enough to earn a title that includes the word "fear", however it isn't in the same ballpark as other genre titans.
Thankfully, its sequel is a calmer affair. Set aboard an ocean liner, it relies on a more subtle creepiness and is much less reliant on clichéd tropes such as thunderstorms, dolls and toy clowns. Away from the constraints of the first game’s mansion, it presents a more imaginative mise en scène and the path forward is mercifully clearer. Overall, this is a good package with plenty of scares, although at times it can feel a bit much, like being bludgeoned by a haunted fairground ride.
The return of Layers of Fear is a welcome one thanks to the power and immersion provided by Unreal Engine 5, meaningfully evolving Layers of Fear in a way you simply won’t ever want to look back from. The environmental details and subtleties are undoubtedly impressive and worthy of kudos. However, save for the overhauled ambience and a decent new chapter, the gameplay remains disappointingly unchanged and overly tedious. Though the atmosphere is suitably spooky, the genuine scares never come. To its credit, it does try to get you when you’re unaware, but it’s hard to feel the jolt of the jump scares on offer because they aren’t set up well enough to surprise you. As a polished reworking of Layers of Fear, this latest entry is aesthetically pleasing, it just needed to be a scarier game.
Layers of Fear is an enjoyable walk through a hall of mirrors that reflects your inner nightmares, but there isn't much to hold on to outside of the cheap thrills and flashing lights.
Layers of Fear’s ambition was to bring the whole series into one cohesive package, with some additional content. In concept, the premise was interesting. Unfortunately, as horror titles, they really don’t stand up at all, being completely devoid of any scare factor. Bloober Team just doesn’t make the most of some of the more unique and interesting concepts that pop up throughout.
Layers of Fear (2023) has new gameplay elements that breathe life into the older games, but the new story additions just feel tacked on.
Layers of Fear is gorgeous to look at, but its beauty is skin deep. From rudimentary, repetitive gameplay to predictable attempts at scaring you, this definitive reimagining of Bloober Team's horror franchise stumbles too often to be able to make a meaningful mark.
All told, when Layers of Fear (2023) is firing on all cylinders, it feels like a genuinely mind-bending thrill ride as pathways behind you twist and contort in the blink of an eye. These qualities are best exemplified in the lithe and tight debut title. That said, what truly flies in the face of the collection’s overall charms is its uneven storytelling, repetitive puzzles, and buggy technical performance. In essence, much like the fractured psyches of the artists that form the soul of these vignettes, Bloober Team’s latest collection is simultaneously beautiful, fascinating, and deeply, profoundly… aggravating.
Layers of Fear (2023) starts out strong with the story of The Artist, and loses itself amidst its own ambition during the story of The Actor. Bloober Team’s once meaningful exploration of a character’s descent into madness quickly becomes redundant amidst a sea of film references and blurred storytelling. Layers of Fear is certainly a cohesive remake that brings the original games together, and there’s no denying that it looks great, but its second act feels incredibly lost when contrasted against such a strong start. Layers of Fear (2023) is one major case of whiplash, that’s for sure, but it does showcase Bloober Team's potential to do good if it can nail down the focal points of the stories it tells.
Layers of Fear is an atmospheric tour through the shattered psyches of some seriously tortured artists, but predictable shock tactics fail to provide more than a handful of genuine scares, let alone layers of them.
Layers of Fear 2023 re-packages the first two games with better visuals and sound, but gameplay is a miss.
'Layers of Fear' is an improved version of the previously released games. All stories are bundled into one whole and have even more depth than before.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Layers of Fear is, without a doubt, a worthwhile experience for those who are curious to enter the franchise and haven't had the opportunity yet, since the package includes the two main games, DLCs and extras, making it a great attraction. However, it is necessary to emphasize, for those who already know the experience, that you will not find anything substantially new, having in the graphic improvement its greatest strength, keeping the rhythm, puzzles and gameplay loop intact and not correcting the mistakes of the franchise's past.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
The game flexes all the muscles with the excellent use of Unreal Engine 5 but is undermined by obsolete tricks to create tension.
Review in Italian | Read full review