Layers of Fear 2 (Xbox One) Review

Layers of Fear 2 is frustrating. By all accounts, it is precisely the sort of game that should take root in my subconscious to haunt and delight my thoughts. Yet, even with the achievements in storytelling, sound, and visuals, the gameplay holds back an otherwise profoundly interesting horror experience.

Layers of Fear 2 is the sequel to a game that found significance among many let’s play channels but didn’t strike well with critics. It was hailed as a glorified haunted house as no real threat was present for the player; it was all visual and audio scares, lacking the mechanics found in a more traditional game. For the sequel, Bloober Team added in monsters that can kill the player but the execution of this creates some of the most irritating segments in horror I’ve seen in a long time.

While the first game was all about an artist painting a masterpiece, Layers of Fear 2 stars an actor struggling to meet the expectations of his likely insane director and play the role he’s been tasked to play. The whole game takes place on a huge cruise ship that’s been outfitted to accommodate the making of the film, complete with 1940s themes. Film and the study of what it means to bring on characters to one’s personality are the main ideas at work, all framed around the unraveling of a painful tragedy.

The game is entirely in first-person with the ability to interact with objects by grabbing and manipulating them with the right stick, a pathetic run speed, and a slight zoom to get a better look at things. Mechanically, it’s incredibly simple. There are some puzzles to keep players engaged but they usually only require a few steps to solve. This is a game one is meant to experience by soaking in all the stimuli.

Immediately, Layers of Fear 2 does that thing that so many indie horror games have played with. Doors and paths change based on where the player is looking, resulting in jump scares and confusion. Going down one hallway could result in a repeated area or an instant warp into an entirely new one. It can be really hard to navigate and it plays with the players logic and sense of space. This can be extremely effective as a way to create a particular feeling in the player but because it was so frequent, I found it more annoying than anything else, especially when I would often find myself stuck in a few rooms only to find that if I had just turned a certain way the solution magically appears. It was effective in P.T. due to pacing and the fear of the unknown but Layers of Fear 2 doesn’t meet the mark due to it being more of a hindrance.

I also ran into a staggering annoyance with one particular area. I found myself in a circular room with a rotating chalkboard in the center and many mirrors outlining the outer walls. With no other options, I quickly grabbed the board from the bottom and flipped it up like I had done many other boards in the game. I did this, rather than grabbing from the top because it seems to react faster to my influence and doesn’t stick as bad. Come to find out, the event only triggers when grabbing the board from the top, so that led to an angry guide search.

Truly though, Layers of Fear 2 has some cool ideas at its core. It was fun to slowly find movie posters and references to classic film. Sometimes these secrets were tucked away in the darkest corners of a room to the point I just stumbled into them more often than not but it does create a goal for the player to chase. There are also decisions to be made at various points which result in a particular ending and image slides to discover, so there is some replay value for those interested.

Sometimes the game is stunning with beautifully crafted spaces. There were several moments where I slowed my pace to let it sink in. Other times the game would rely too much on darkness, making it difficult to navigate even the most straightforward segments.

There is quite a bit of academic study possible with this title for those eager for it. Some of the dialogue is thought-provoking and the symbolism seems clever after my first run through. Sound design is also powerful and can lead to some really intense moments. Most of the scares are sudden, with most starring mannequins, but some scenes were more and more disturbing the longer I studied them. It’s a mixed bag with an occasional spark of brilliance.

Unfortunately, the game’s antagonist, a static-riddled faceless monster, holds back an otherwise unique horror game. This beast pops up to chase the player, which is usually fine in horror but this thing moves so quickly that it hardly seems fair. The game also is designed in a way that requires extremely precise actions in order to succeed to the point I attempted dozens of runs only to meet a quick doom. It’s always the same death animation of the creature just running forward too, so there’s little variety in it. There’s not enough time spent to learn about the thing either. It’s a pointless roadblock to the journey.

Because death can be so immediate and frequent, the load times are made more and more tiresome. Loading between chapters or deaths takes quite some time on the Xbox One S, which could be better on other platforms or after updates. Honestly, I found myself checking social media in between attempts. Every time the monster showed up, I would groan and prepare for some new, familiar bullshit.

I did rather enjoy what the story was going for though. If Bloober Team ever releases an update or even a mode that removes the creature like what was done in Frictional Games’ Soma, I would like to revisit Layers of Fear 2 to see what I may have missed.

Overall, this is hard to recommend to most players. Anyone interested in classic film will probably find something to love and discuss but anyone hoping for something more dreadful than the first game or others like it will probably want to avoid it for now.

These developers are admittedly getting closer and closer to a great horror game though. If they could just nail down their gameplay, we could have a worthy successor to horror gaming greats.

For more information on Layers of Fear 2, check out the official website. A digital copy for the Xbox One was provided for the purpose of review.

For more horror driven stories, check out our review of A Plague Tale: Innocence. We also have a list of some of our favorite horror anime that are definitely worth watching.