Layers of Fear
Rating Summary
Based on 75 critic reviews
OpenCritic Rating
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Top Critic
One of the best horror games ever made, this will scare you in incredibly clever ways and make you question everything you see.
Top Critic
Layers of Fear goes into the mind of an insane artist and creates a horror game magnum opus.
Top Critic
Does it create emotion or stir up old memories? Fear. Pure fear. The most primal of emotions is the overwhelming one while playing Layers of Fear.
Top Critic
Truly, Layers of Fear is a masterpiece to behold. Buy it. Play it. Buy it and have a friend play it while you watch if you're faint-of-heart.
Top Critic
In my preview of Layers of Fear I wrote that "psychedelic" was assuredly the single best word to describe the game, and if I was to build on that at all my only other words would be "perfect balance." A perfectly balanced psychedelic acid trip through the mind of a delusional and less-than quintessentially tortured artist. At its core that's what makes Layers of Fear such an evocatively thrilling horror game: it strikes a fantastic balance between narrative, gameplay, atmospheric immersion, and evolving horror themes. If P.T. provided the inspiration for this new genre of atmospheric horror games, Layers of Fear has undoubtedly begun its perfection.
Top Critic
Layers of Fear is an incredible, mind-bending horror game. The gorgeous environments are both detailed and terrifying, and the story will captivate you as you work to unravel all the threads. What it lacks in polish it makes up for in how obsessed you'll become with finishing the masterpiece.
Top Critic
Layers of Fear is everything a mature, modern horror game should be. Subtle, smart, unnerving and genuinely intriguing.
Top Critic
If you are a fan of scary games, and you are still sad about P.T., this game is a must buy…
Top Critic
Layers of Fear is a fantastic example of why atmospheric games still deserve a place in the industry. While you'll be startled plenty of times by ghostly figures and distorted paintings, the tension and mood throughout the game will be what compels you to keep playing. The sound effects and music have been used to great effect and the way in which the environment manipulates itself around you adds all the more to the painter's insanity as he aims to complete his work. While the game is only at its full potential on your first playthrough, the extra secrets and collectibles help to add replayability to what may have originally been thought of as a "one play only" title, even if those extra playthroughs are quick ones. There have been much shorter and less polished games for the price point of £15.99/$19.99, so even though it's not exceptionally long, the quality easily counteracts this. If you're after an enthralling experience, horror fan or not, Layers of Fear is a great way to satisfy the itch.
Top Critic
This is a burgeoning sub-genre but Layers of Fear has to be a high-point, and it deserves to be seen as a standard bearer.
