Cover: screenshot Layers of Fear
In the “Special Opinion” section, the authors express exclusively their own opinion, which may not coincide with the opinion of the editorial office (or may coincide). They are free to do it as they like and in any format convenient for themselves. Everything is possible here.
Prologue
Imagine what you and your friends entered the Museum of Art. Most likely, one of you, dear readers, has already been here. And even in the dark, to the touch, without problems will find all valuable exhibits. In this museum you will see the most incredible examples of artistic art, the best works and the embodiment of the very nature of the creators. Work born after long works and hardships.
They promised you that it will be scared here. Yes, at first it may seem uncomfortable here, but, having tuned in, you get used to the chiaroscuro, and to sounds, and to the rats that rustle somewhere in the corners and sometimes run out into the light … But you quickly understand that the rats are not They pose threats. All this is part of the show, part of art. Your friends also know this.
Disappointed with the same type of halls and repeating paintings with personnel, they decide to play you. And when you enter the next room, in the distance you notice a strange contour of the body. Gloomy and dark. He is approaching and clearly posing. Another second – and pain cannot be avoided!.. Fortunately, you have a flashlight. And you direct the best light to the darkness!.. Your friend, who had recently pretended to be a monster, now holds his hands in front of his eyes, squints and cannot take a step towards you. It is defeated, funny and not at all dangerous. And if he tries to scare you again – you know what to do.
… Smiling sadly, you go into the next hall, so much reminiscent of the previous one and many halls before. You see all the same paintings, all the same frames, all the same shadows. You hear all the same melodies … Probably, only a great love for art and aesthetics will prompt you to walk around this strange establishment. Or buy a new Layers of Fear (2023).
In general, it was supposed to be a full -fledged review. Article with traditional pros and cons, as well as some kind of verdict. Perhaps even a hint of thought. However, the Layers of Fear, the author of these lines, found the writing of the review impossible. It's not only about the perception of the game: according to the sensations, I spent not ten in it, but all forty hours. Not only in her secondaryness. Not only in her message ..
There should have been a full -fledged review. Not perfect, because the ideal does not exist in the world of matter. But every word in it could become an accurate reflection of thought, how every smear of the artist’s brush would definitely correspond to his plan. Or every note standing exactly where the composer wanted … But after a few hours of the game I gave up. Lost. Agreeing with the authors themselves. Who again and again continued to stole tirelessly that obsession with work is the path of destruction of your world and the world around you. Bloober Team, And this is without any irony, thank you for this.
Yes, the author’s work is to write and talk about games even when you don’t like them in something. This is a game, and you are a "player", PlayOJO sister sites so shut up and write. What do you get your money for?.. And I write, albeit not as it should. Because the creators of Layers of Fear convinced me that the game is not worth the candle. But about everything in order.
Layers of Fear layers
The new Layers of Fear is a psychological horror who tells the stories of three creators: writers, artist (as well as his daughters and pianist wife) and movie stars. Those who played in the first two Layers of Fear know what happened to the artist and star. The writer invites us to get out of familiar heroes: she creates their stories, being on the mysterious gloomy beacon and encountering her internal problems (and, of course, the manifestations of the “supernatural”).
If you are a beginner and are not familiar with the concept of Layers of Fear, do not be alarmed. It is simple to the impossibility. You control the character and look for notes and objects that reveal his history. For example, what happened to him in childhood or how his family was destroyed, and he gradually went crazy ..
And for this you have to walk. Walk a lot. In the case of an artist – always walk. In the case of movie star – also to run. Search notes (or photographs) and read (or look). Sometimes to solve some riddles like finding a code for a castle, sometimes making decisions that affect the endings, and sometimes face "enemies". Who sometimes increase the heartbeat, but mostly easily win (more precisely, avoided) with the help of a flashlight and the legs of the hero. At the same time, the artist can find hidden objects thanks to the light, and the movie star can force some mannequins to move and influence the environment.
In between, having played a little for the character, we return to the writer, who was incredibly lucky. She won a unique opportunity to go to the lighthouse in order to inspire and write new books. Of course, horror. Because she is far from talent, and they know her almost by Boulevard, horror stories. Like the two main characters, she is faced with the need to create, and for the sake of this she is ready to sacrifice … In general, she is also very attracted by work.
This idea of work and victims passes through the whole Layers of Fear. For which you are ready to refuse for the sake of success? What are ready to destroy? Who are ready to kill?.. If we consider the psychological horror as a game not so much frightening, how many depressing and sometimes asking questions, then the developers definitely coped with their task. Another thing is that these very questions have long been outdated. But really terrible in Layers of Fear is not so much.
Everything is subjective. Much depends on the experience experienced by a person and his environment. And someone will probably find Layers of Fear frightening ..
Perhaps the words “sometimes trying to scare” would better play the game. Using screamers. Exposition. Darkness. If you play in Layers of Fear in the late evening or at night in a dark room, it becomes really uncomfortable. And the imagination can transfer intra-game images to reality, and now it seems to you that some gray figure has passed behind the door in the corridor … maybe so.
But most often, playing, you only realize the post -fact that this thing, apparently, should have scared you. And you just walked past her and unless you cast a look … or even looked completely the other way (fortunately, there is something to see in the game), and therefore did not see a dark figure, or its approximation and disappearance not far from you. You turn around and perplex: “Did I really miss something? Okay, let's go further ".
The in -game world is periodically transformed (sometimes it turns out really cool!) and takes you from a gloomy mansion to a strange maze. Here a monster chases you, here is a garden and a spaceship in the imagination of a child, and here are pirates or a mental confrontation (or acceptance) of cruelty. Scary? Sometimes. But more often all this causes only thoughts.
The beauty of the new Layers of Fear – in its beauty and atmosphere. How good is the picture on Unreal Engine 5! And its internal diversity, from the brightest to the twilight tones, and the elaboration of the environment!.. Yes, there were no visual bugs – where now without them. And if you peer, of course, you will see the primitiveness of not the most important elements of the visual series. But I don't want to do it at all. How cool it is to just watch and scree Layers of Fear, finding new angles and keeping local interiors as a keepsake. Small, but such bewitching.
And all this in combination with excellent performance: 60 frames per second almost the entire game. Of course, it all depends on the device and graphics settings, but it's nice when everything works so smoothly. It would be strange if in such a chamber game there would be constant falls of FPS … but, as expected, everything is fine here.
And what do we have in the end? Atmospheric and beautiful walking simulator. Well working. But not offering anything new. If Layers of Fear did not have the first two parts, I am sure that many would have put the novice of the highest points simply because of the concept-because of the related big story about the creators and their creations. But we got what we got. A game that will almost surely appeal to those who sincerely fell in love with the first two parts. Those who love art and leisurely narrative. Those who love beauty and are ready to put up with the lack of deep gameplay.
Now Bloober Team is working on Silent Hill 2 Remake. Considering Layers of Fear as a rehearsal before the most important performance on a wide audience, you hope that the remake will be recreated with the same care for the original. Having played the new Layers of Fear and without experiencing enthusiasm, I still sincerely believe that Silent Hill 2 will be a good or even excellent game. And I wish the developers to stop updating the past, focusing on new unique projects.
Epilogue
… the night is approaching dawn. The museum is full of visitors who are satisfied with the art and organizers of the show. Some are really afraid, others enjoy what they see, and others smile and remember how good it was when they saw it for the first time
But someone, wanting to want to roam the labyrinths of the exhibition, still turns his head towards the windows. And he asks himself: “Why did I come to where every creation tells you to return home to your loved ones?".