In 2016, Bloober Team took players on a psychological horror trip within the mind of a skilled painter who was losing his grip on reality and sanity. Layers of Fear, and its expansion pack, was an unsettling experience that I was glad to have played through and made me eager to see what the team would come up with next (review). Enter Layers of Fear 2 (LoF2), which offers a similarly disturbing psychological experience via the mind of a 1930s Hollywood star and the journey that his bizarre director puts him through.
In the original Layers, players explore insanity inside a large, old mansion. This time you’re aboard a transatlantic oceanliner, which is actually being used as the set of a new film that your character stars in. Both settings provide the necessary tight corridor, long hallway, multiple door locale that helps present an unsettling atmosphere. As with the first Layers, LoF2 sources its chills from a constant sense of dread and tension as opposed to jump scares, but there are some of those as well. At its core, LoF2 remains simplistic in its design in as far as the players is largely powerless in their journey, not too unlike a legitimate nightmare that we all have from time to time. The experience is mostly about walking, sometimes running, and exploring every accessible room, desk drawer, and corner of this massive oceanliner. Along the way you find a variety of artifacts, notes, old newspapers, and other miscellaneous ‘triggers’ that give you more context to the continually crumbling mental and psychological hell that the protagonist is going through, thanks to a warped director who takes his job far too seriously. I have to really applaud the quality of the writing of the notes and many of the spoken words from the director; they’re chilling and often thought-provoking.
Certain areas branch the game’s direction somewhat, though these can be hard to distinguish, making the New Game+ mode more potentially-valuable, if not required, given that you cannot manually save your progress nor reload individual chapters (acts). Granted, the chills and thrills aren’t as impactful the second time around, but unraveling the rest of the story is going to draw some players back in for more. Personally, I became pretty fatigued with LoF2 around the halfway point as the balance between genuine interest in the characters and events of the story began to get muddled and somewhat overwhelmed by the game’s other flaws. It was worth sticking through to the ending, however. For example, the use of an insta-kill presence aboard the ship is intimidating, but not so much in the positive way, but more so in the mood breaking, irritable way. When this shadowy, hyper fast creature-thing appears, you have to run through the corridors and shut doors behind you to create some distance, typically. Sometimes this entity pops up so quickly though its borderline unfair, but at least your checkpoint is close by.
That sudden change of pace from the slow, tension-maintaining dread was at odds with me, as were some of the puzzles which tripped up the game flow. There are times when you’re faced with a puzzle and it isn’t very clear what you’re actually trying to do other than having to manipulate some in-world objects, turning levers or adjusting dials and so forth. I actually ended some of my sessions with LoF2 due to such a roadblock. On the other hand, though, there are puzzles that are nicely executed and they feel much more ‘on topic’ for the setting and atmosphere of the game, and a lot less, well, trope-ish. Having to manipulate an old frame camera frame by frame (its quicker than it sounds like) to create a new doorway on the screen the film is projecting on is both cool and on topic.
Speaking of tropes, and I’m not typically a horror media fan, there is what you might consider a shotgun effect of horror related themes and ideas within LoF2 that may or may not resonate with you. Despite not being well versed in horror films, games, or themes (or at least I wouldn’t consider myself as such), LoF2 uses a lot of ideas that you’ve likely experienced previously. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, but I thought there was enough less-than-optimal usage of such design to make it a point of concern; it seemed to suggest a lack of clear focus, direction, identity for LoF2. Mannequins, for example, are used, and I think they can be used to excellent effect if done right — take 2006’s Condemned: Criminal Origins for example. However in LoF2, as you might surmise from the logo or key art from the game, there used a lot, and often to so-so effect. Then again, other designs that LoF2 employs are great; the way your surroundings change from one moment to the next as you look away and then look again, one of my favorite things about the first Layers, is also used a lot in LoF2.
Graphically, built on a recent Unreal engine and not having to worry about large, open world areas with tremendous moving detail, LoF2 offers a very sharp and realistic appearance. Lighting effects toy with your mind and comfort level, and are used well. But what really impressed me the most was the sound design. Voice-acting was great, there isn’t much of a soundtrack, but the sound effects are expertly crafted to help envelope you into this unsettling atmosphere. A cacophony of whispers, a rhythmic knocking in the distance, creaks and squeaks from the ship itself, and much more; Bloober’s sound crew did a superb job.
In conclusion, Layers of Fear 2 is a worthwhile experience, and even more so if you consider the launch price of $30. I can’t say I found it as thought-provoking or chilling as the first Layers, but it’s still pretty solid. The story, writing, sound design, much of the game design overall really, outlasts the lesser, but still very significant, flaws of the game.
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