Sights & Sounds
- The game still looks great 7 years later. Visual effects and models are all excellent
- The sound design is very effective. The audio can really make or break a horror game, and Layers of Fear sports a boatload of great sound effects and a soundtrack that pulls you in to the game's dense, oppressive atmosphere
- The voice acting was great all around
Story & Vibes
- I've only been through one playthrough, and from what I can tell, there appear to be multiple narrative paths and endings. I can't really assess the full plot, but I liked the portions I experienced
- It's a horror game. The vibes are predictably pretty grim
Playability & Replayability
- Although the game very much looks like a survival horror affair, don't let those trappings fool you. It's more of a walking simulator with heavy exploration and mystery elements. There's the occasional puzzle, too
- Moment-to-moment gameplay primarily consists of wandering throughout the haunted house, poking around for secrets, and figuring out how to progress from room to room
- The level design is where this game really shines. I love all the haunted corridor P.T.-like tricks this game pulls off. Some of them are really cool in the moment. I bet this would make a great VR game
- The main thing dissuading me from a replay is the recent remaster of this game. I'd probably just opt to give that a playthrough once the price drops enough
Overall Impressions & Performance
- I actually really enjoyed the fact that the gameplay takes a backseat to the atmosphere and story. Horror games too often become a frustrating amalgam of fetch quests, resource management, and underbaked stealth mechanics. Binning all of that in favor of highly polished presentation was a breath of fresh air
- The game ran incredibly well despite the large number of visual effects happening at any given moment. As far as bugs go, I may have experienced a few, but it's hard to tell in a game like this. I may have accidentally written them off as intentional creepiness
Final Verdict
- 7.5/10. A nice change of pace if you're feeling a little bored of standard horror fare. A spooky good time that doesn't overstay its welcome
- The game still looks great 7 years later. Visual effects and models are all excellent
- The sound design is very effective. The audio can really make or break a horror game, and Layers of Fear sports a boatload of great sound effects and a soundtrack that pulls you in to the game's dense, oppressive atmosphere
- The voice acting was great all around
Story & Vibes
- I've only been through one playthrough, and from what I can tell, there appear to be multiple narrative paths and endings. I can't really assess the full plot, but I liked the portions I experienced
- It's a horror game. The vibes are predictably pretty grim
Playability & Replayability
- Although the game very much looks like a survival horror affair, don't let those trappings fool you. It's more of a walking simulator with heavy exploration and mystery elements. There's the occasional puzzle, too
- Moment-to-moment gameplay primarily consists of wandering throughout the haunted house, poking around for secrets, and figuring out how to progress from room to room
- The level design is where this game really shines. I love all the haunted corridor P.T.-like tricks this game pulls off. Some of them are really cool in the moment. I bet this would make a great VR game
- The main thing dissuading me from a replay is the recent remaster of this game. I'd probably just opt to give that a playthrough once the price drops enough
Overall Impressions & Performance
- I actually really enjoyed the fact that the gameplay takes a backseat to the atmosphere and story. Horror games too often become a frustrating amalgam of fetch quests, resource management, and underbaked stealth mechanics. Binning all of that in favor of highly polished presentation was a breath of fresh air
- The game ran incredibly well despite the large number of visual effects happening at any given moment. As far as bugs go, I may have experienced a few, but it's hard to tell in a game like this. I may have accidentally written them off as intentional creepiness
Final Verdict
- 7.5/10. A nice change of pace if you're feeling a little bored of standard horror fare. A spooky good time that doesn't overstay its welcome