Bloober Team has firmly established itself as one of the premier horror game developers in the entire industry. Before Bloober Team was trusted to remakeSilent Hill 2, one of the most beloved horror games of all time, it proved itself with horror games likeObserver,The Medium,Blair Witch, andLayers of Fear, the latter franchise being what really put the studio on the map.Bloober Team released the firstLayers of Feargame in 2016 and the sequel followed in 2019, but now the two games are being combined into a single package simply titledLayers of Fear.
Game Rant recently had the chance to go hands-on with thenewLayers of Feargame(previously-titledLayers of Fears). The short demo featured the brand-new lighthouse story as well as a couple of segments in the painter’s mansion, showcasing the game’s incredible graphics and some of the new mechanics that series veterans can look forward to come launch in June.
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Layers of Fearstarts as new character “The Writer” finds herself at a creepy lighthouse. Many of the lighthouse doors remain locked tight, creating a sense of claustrophobia as players navigate the relatively small area. TheLayers of Feardemo doesn’t spend enough time with The Writer’s story to firmly establish what exactly it’s bringing to the table, but it seems like it could be a framing device of sorts for the meatierexperiences the game has on offer. The lighthouse being a brand-new location makes it particularly intriguing, and it will definitely be interesting to see what secrets it holds once the full game is out.
Layers of Fear Graphics Are Next-Level
After walking around the lighthouse and interacting with a few objects, the demo shifted to a familiar location: the painter’s mansion from the originalLayers of Fear. While this should be familiar to fans of the original game, the newLayers of Fearhas dramatically improved the graphics.Leveraging the power of Unreal Engine 5, the mansion looks nothing short of jaw-dropping. The game’s second-to-none lighting helps tie it all together, creating a genuinely spooky atmosphere that leaves players on edge.
The newLayers of Feardoesn’t just have shinier graphics on offer. Unlike the original, thenewLayers of Feargives players a means to defend themselves. Players get their hands on a powerful lantern that is used for puzzle-solving, lighting the environment, and driving back demonic spirits. On one hand, the lantern made the minute-to-minute gameplay a bit more engaging, but the downside is that it made things a touch too easy.
The demo fast-forwarded to a later segment of the game where the goal was to find three gears to solve a puzzle, all while being pursued by a demonic entity. The lantern made such quick work of the spirit, though, that they hardly seemed like a threat.Layers of Fearstill manages to be scarydespite this, but hopefully the spirit in the final product is more dangerous.
It’s clear from playing the demo that the newLayers of Fearis going to greatly appeal to fans of the original game. It offers new story content, vastly improved graphics, and some new gameplay mechanics for good measure. The jury is still out on if it all comes together like it should, but horror game fans will find out when the game launches next month.
Layers of Fearlaunches June 2023 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X.
