At a certain point someone in Bloober Team He must have felt the need to bring together all the parts of the Layers of Fear series to make it into a single story. That the two main chapters, plus the DLC of the first, were connected was clear to anyone who had played them, because the stories had a clearly recognizable common matrix and generally dealt with themes of art, artistic inspiration and self-obsession. Furthermore, they were told in a similar way, even though the scenarios were very different from each other. That is why it is not surprising that a global reissue of the series has been decided, enriched with new content that serves as glue for the different episodes, now chapters of a single story. With the Layers of Fear review We will see if it can be said that the remake and synthesis operation was successful or not.
History
Layers of Fear begins with one history completely new, that of a writer who goes to a lonely lighthouse after winning a contest that guaranteed her a free period of stay. It is a completely isolated place and far from civilization. The woman seeks tranquility to write her new novel, also obliged by the contract signed with the organizers of the contest, but obviously she will find much more waiting for her, as can be understood from the beginning, given that in the introduction we see him return to the place in search of revenge. She will write the stories of the other Layers of Fear, and her story will evolve following her developments and taking on a truly central role in the entire experience. In fact, the different games are not freely accessible, but have been dismantled and recomposed into a larger, although always linear, plot. remains intact visionary of the different stories, enhanced by the technological leap, which we will talk about in a dedicated paragraph.
Then the crazy house painter (the protagonist of the first Layers of Fear) is even more surreal in its succession of seemingly random rooms and corridors, whose connections actually have a highly symbolic and dreamlike character. The same happens with the ship of the actor (the protagonist of the second chapter), whose environments are even more enigmatic and effective as they become the scene of the protagonist's obsessions compared to the past, also by virtue of the general story that now serves him. backdrop. .
The fact that the developers have made a huge effort to connect the different events, creating a common mythology explained in the writer's, makes it interesting to relive both main chapters, even for those who have already played them in the past. Only the DLC of the first chapter clashes a little with the work, given their nature as post-launch additions, but at the same time it would have been a shame to lose them, taking into account what they reveal about the painter's adventures.
¿Terror o no?
Now, let's define what Layers of Fear is in terms of game. At first glance it seems like a survival horror, but in reality it is a narrative adventure in which terror is more of a condiment. The game communicates almost immediately that it has no intention of hindering us too much when it comes to discovering the mysteries that await us. In fact, the different environments that can be visited are full of documents to read, the main way in which we learn the events that happened to the different characters, while the awkward movement system, with very slow operation and the lack of The possibility of crouching and looking from corners makes it clear that there is no stealth system and that, therefore, we will not have to hide from any specific hunter or enemy, so much so that the tension calms down almost immediately. At a certain point we will acquire "weapons", if we want to call them that, that will make hostile-looking creatures appear. However, don't expect much in terms of tension and terror, because they have to be addressed very directly. The only concern they cause comes from the fact that they cannot be removed permanently. So they will bother us as long as we stay in their areas. In any case, it is usually enough to close a door behind you to make them disappear and move on without worrying about their presence anymore.
In short, compared to the previous Layers of Fear nothing has changed in this sense, so much so that those who have already played them will find it difficult to try even the slightest. tension, even in the face of scenes that one would like to be more frightening. There are some more tense moments, but they are very few in the general economy of the game, which above all asks us to move forward, look around and find the different interactive objects. Exploration is also stripped down to the basics, even though the maps are seemingly labyrinthine. In reality it is just an impression, since most of the time you continue straight, taking some detours to find the different collectibles. There are occasionally keys and other small items to collect, but the lack of an actual inventory and automatic use of them doesn't make it much of a problem to understand where they should be used. In this sense, puzzles are used primarily as a rhythmic punctuation of the game, rather than as mechanics that in any way challenge the player's intelligence, to the point that we are left wondering what to do very rarely and never for more than a few minutes. few. seconds.
In short, Layers of Fear is above all interested in telling its stories, with game mechanics put at the service of the narrative aspect, which is not necessarily a bad thing. So were the originals, so is this remake collection. So don't expect anything too far, except that we've tried to find a way to merge the different experiences into one game. Everything is certainly broader, given that we are talking about two complete games with related DLC, old and new, plus a connecting story that takes its time, compressed into a single title, but the game systems have not undergone unexpected revolutions.
L'Unreal Engine 5 si ve en Layers of Fear
Where Bloober and Anshar have worked the most is undoubtedly in the technical aspect. Layers of Fear is the first game powered by5 Unreal Engine reach the market and exploit all the potential that the Epic Games engine offers, to the point of appearing graphically on another planet compared to the original titles, also thanks to a larger budget, considering the growth of the main development team in recent years , a growth that has also brought him prestigious collaborations such as the one he had with Konami for the remake of Silent Hill 2. Not only do the environments have an enormously higher level of detail, but the atmosphere seems much more elaborate, if we want to say it, thanks to the use of Lumen for lighting, which allowed us to create truly impressive places, no matter how small they may be. Thus, the rooms of the painter's house now appear increasingly darker, as do the rooms of the ship on which the actor acts. Overall, everything is much nicer to see than the original chapters and the style chosen for the game emerge with much less uncertainty, seeming more uniform, even in completely new content like the writer's story and the new writer's story DLC (experienced from the wife's point of view). In some ways, Layers of Fear is worth playing just to see Unreal Engine 5 in action.
Conclusions
Tested version PC with Windows digital delivery Steam, epic games store, playstation store, Xbox Store Holygamerz.com 7.5 Readers (26) 7.6 your voteFor Layers of Fear we can make a very similar argument to the one made for the original chapters: if you like horror video games in which the narrative part prevails over everything, you will surely appreciate it, especially if you don't like them. playing in a continuous state of tension. In addition, you will find more games inside, for a long and complex overall experience, considering the standards of the genre. However, if you are looking for a greater focus on horror gaming, then you should look elsewhere, as the choice made by the authors here is quite clear. In essence we are faced with a technically interesting game for the simple fact of being the first to use Unreal Engine 5, narratively excellent, with three different stories very well linked together, but which can greatly disappoint those looking for a video game. That doesn't tell him fear, but above all it makes him experience it.
PRO
- Technically excellent
- Interesting and well-told stories.
- All in all, it's three games in one.
AGAINST
- It creates very little tension once you understand the mechanics.
- The enemies are more of a nuisance than anything else.
