Review: Layers of Fear 2

First, I need to say that horror games are amazing and I get “a little” lost, but that's okay. Let's go to the review! In a totally different way from the first Layers of Fear, where we controlled a painter considered to be schizophrenic, tormented by the ghost of his wife. The second Layers of Fear starts aboard a full steamer ship, serving as a space for the filming of a grandiose film, both enigmatic and weird, where our character is the main actor. Why not? 😛

The history of layers of fear 2 starts increasing the horror elements subtly little by little - I say with the scares in video, but from the beginning we noticed that something is out of place, where during the course of the game we find clues of the real story and how we are part of it, in a totally mysterious and frightening – again the scares. In my case, to increase the emotion even more, I decided to broadcast live with my facecam activated, to scare my friends on duty. So, imagine (or watch)… 😉

In a very practical and objective way, terror is presented through the protagonist's traumas, focusing on his deepest scars, presenting memories that are somewhat distorted and that often give the impression that the protagonist is always waging a clash between the what is real, and what is not, driving him to the brink of insanity. Also, before you ask… Yes, we have jumpscares (random scares).

Regarding the graphics, I can say that in Layers of Fear 2 we have the quality close to high-end titles nowadays, the incredible details in the scenarios draw a lot of attention, where each area explored brings us lighting effects, infiltration and very well developed, just to increase the fear (isn't it!?!). Interactions with objects in the scenario are also very reliable, unfortunately most of the time they are wasted, with interactions that serve no purpose.

Another interesting aspect to be addressed is precisely one of the high points, inherited from the first Layers of Fear: changing environments by modifying everything or creating certain "loopings" that change in simple movements in the scenario, often the player is induced to look at a certain point, when you return vision to where you were, you find yourself in a totally different place – I don't need to say that I had several scares because of that, right? 😀 For this reason, this mechanic creates great surprise since it is not at all predictable when it happens, making the player think “What happened?”, yes, myself.

Also, I recommend using a headset, a very interesting tip, as the soundtrack is really cool, performed by the renowned composer Arkadiusz Reikowski, with the direction of George Strezov and having their chords very well played by Sofia Session Orchestra – this information I found directly on the game website. However, having the soundtrack is not enough to make the player tense with horror situations.

For this reason, there are several elements that create greater auditory immersion with nearby noises, usually in areas that are not in the current field of vision, or even whispers that, added to the headset, create a feeling that someone is by your side. Needless to say, I had “some intense moments”… Right?

And you, what is your opinion about Layers of Fear 2? 🙂