Layers of Fear 2 is a sequel to the first person horror adventure game from developer Bloober Team. If you love jump scares and freaky things, then this game is right up your alley.
I did not get the chance to play the original Layers of Fear in 2016 so I played the sequel with a fresh perspective. I rarely play horror games so playing Layers of Fear 2 was a different experience for me.
The one thing to note about Layers of Fear 2 is that the game focuses more on its story as well as exploration. This is not your usual first person experience where you have a gun and you start shooting everything in sight.
The story in Layers of Fear 2 is quite good if you give it time to explain itself. You assume the role of a Hollywood actor who has arrived on a fancy cruise ship to film some type of movie. However when the main character gets there, the person is in store for a day they would like to sooner forget.
In terms of gameplay, Layers of Fear 2 is similar to other FPS style of horror games. A lot of the game just requires you to explore this cruise ship and interact with the points of interest. The game plays more like a modern point and click game from the ’90s era of video games.
When I first played this game, I didn’t really know what to do or where to even go. That changed however after a few minutes once I got used to this game’s eerie atmosphere.
One thing to note about the gameplay is that there are a lot of jump scares. At first the jump scares are really spooky but over time they get over used and they lose their effect when you’ve seen them too many times.
Another thing to mention about the gameplay in this game is that it’s slow and quite boring for most of the time. There are rarely few moments where you actually feel scared because most of the times you’re just exploring the area in total silence.
There are only a few times that there is a sense of urgency where a scary ghost starts chasing you around the cruise ship, but this doesn’t happen very often. I also found myself not being scared for the majority of the game because nothing looks terribly frightening or scary in my opinion.
However, what I do like about the gameplay in Layers of Fear 2 is that there is a lot of puzzle solving involved. Many of the puzzles you have to solve are unique and aren’t very easy or hard. They are challenging enough to make use of your brain and I admire that.
That being said, there are many times in the game that you will just be exploring for hours wondering where you need to go to next. I advise you to avoid using a guide because that spoils the fun, but you can use one if you somehow get really stuck in a certain area or puzzle.
I also find this game won’t be appealing to the majority of casual gamers out there because the majority of the game isn’t all that exciting. There are no action set pieces or many proper enemies for you to face in this game. Not to mention the lack of music and horror won’t be appealing to those that want to experience something scarier than what is presented here.
While the gameplay in Layers of Fear 2 is quite disappointing, what I do admire is the amazing looking graphics. The cruise ship really shines and the overall level design looks excellent. The only time I did not like the visuals is when you enter a phase in the game where everything turns black and white. Aside from that moment in the game, the rest of the graphics were very impressive. The game looked good when I tested it on my Xbox One X and 4KTV.
Another cool thing about this game is that there is some replay value on offer here. Even though your first playthrough can last up to eight hours long, there are three different endings for you to explore so you can play the game more than once.
Verdict:
Overall, I found Layers of Fear 2 to be a mixed bag for me. While I do enjoy the puzzle solving, the majority of the game is too slow and uneventful to really make a huge impression on me. Sure it was fun playing the game more than once to unlock all of the endings, but I don’t think this game is worth all of the effort.
[Editor’s Note: Layers of Fear 2 was reviewed on the Xbox One X. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]
