Layers of Fear (PC) Review

Layers of Fear is, if nothing else, a beautiful-looking game. The attention to detail in even the smallest things, like a wall crevice or a tarp, is awe inspiring. Even the rainstorm outside your not-so-humble abode looks beautiful, almost lifelike, as it smacks against the window pane. Exploring the corridors of your wretched mind is fantastic when this place feels so real.

The story is one of obsession, and rings very personal. All of us have had an obsession that has driven others away from us, and this game absolutely nails the kind of loneliness that comes with said obsession. While the messages within the game are often too cryptic to really grasp the nature of this self-isolation, the person the player embodies feels all too real, even in the most uncomfortable of ways. Too often, gamers expect games to just be fun, over-the-top experiences, and they forget that sometimes, it can be nice to feel other emotions.

Sound effects are generally sparse here, instead making way for the almost easy listening piano soundtrack. From time to time, the piano becomes almost drone-like, which further widens the feeling of uncomfortable dread that permeates Layers of Fear. This game is clearly an exercise in atmospheric horror, and one that does a sublime job of setting up that atmosphere. It's such a shame that the horror never really shows up.

The level of interactivity is commendable, but also something gamers have seen before. Using the mouse to pull open a door is immersive, but not in any new or exciting ways. The player is mostly left to explore the corridors for keys or lock combinations, reading through notes in what have become rudimentary adventure game mechanics. Even when exploring the house, cheap parlour tricks are used in lieu of anything genuinely scary. Entering a room and solving its puzzles leads to the corridors rearranging, in an effort to throw the player off-course. What it manages, however, is a vague moment of "Ooo," followed by trekking through to the next destination. The game's short run time manages to keep this from becoming too tedious, but all too often, you may be searching for more of something that simply isn't there.