Layers of Fear

Layers of Fear is an incredible, mind-bending horror game. The gorgeous environments are both detailed and terrifying, and the story will captivate you as you work to unravel all the threads. What it lacks in polish it makes up for in how obsessed you’ll become with finishing the masterpiece.

Nintendo Switch finally has its first great horror game in Layers Of Fear: Legacy. The creativity in its scares helps to keep you guessing about what’s around every corner, and even then, its unique set-pieces will most certainly surprise you anyway. Slightly lacklustre gameplay aside, the plot’s descent into madness, the title’s dedication to messing with your expectations to set up a scare, and the simple fact that this is a solid Switch port, means that this is horrific experience is one you won’t want to miss out on.

Layers of Fear sits somewhere between the pejoratively classified ‘walking simulators’ and a full game experience, as for the most part you are simply wandering around and solving the odd puzzle. Despite the clichés and obvious jump scares, I rather enjoyed my time exploring the mansion and I’m looking forward to having another play through to see what I missed the first time round. If you enjoyed the Silent Hills teaser P.T. and want more of the same, then Layers of Fear is well worth a look.

Layers of Fear sees you exploring an old Victorian house and it soon becomes clear that things aren't quite what they seem. Play as a tormented painter desperate to uncover what has happened and the events that unfold.

Layers of Fear from Bloober Team and Anshar Studios packages LoF1 and LoF2, Inheritance DLC, and new content in one package.

Despite being a massive horror fan, I have never actually played any Layers of Fear game in the past. It’s a series that has got a bit of a reputation for being loved or hated by those in the horror communities. Our own Leo Faria wasn’t a big fan of the three games he had reviewed in the past, being the Switch and PSVR ports of the original, as well as the Switch port of the sequel. This new entry, just named Layers of Fear, was the perfect chance for me to dive into the franchise, in an ...

Layers of Fear lacks the surprises and subtlety needed to keep things interesting all the way through. It makes a strong first impression, but quickly exhausts its best ideas, making it hard for them to really shine as scary or meaningful moments. It’s hard to be terrified when you can see what’s coming at the end of every long dark hallway.

The 2023 Layers of Fear is definitely the best way to experience the Layers of Fear games, but they were never particularly good to begin with. While Layers of Fear is what put Bloober Team on the map, the studio has put out significantly better games since then, like sci-fi horror game Observer, the Blair Witch game, and the Silent Hill-inspired The Medium. Horror fans should consider checking those out before taking a chance with Layers of Fear.

When you’re playing a horror game, you already know something scary is going to happen. The best ones are able to frighten you despite the fact that you are expecting the attempt – something that requires a subtle balance between tension and surprise. Unfortunately, Layers of Fear is not so deft. Instead of carefully and deliberately hitting the right atmospheric notes, this experience just bangs on the keys loudly and frequently.

A beautiful and potentially fantastic horror story squandered by cheap scares presented at a breakneck pace.

Layers of Fear is an effective scare 'em up but the sense of dislocation and the lack of character development left me feeling as if I'd enjoyed a thematically messy series of shocks rather than a cohesive horror story. It's a collection of scary things that are tangentially related to the idea of creative blocks and familial cruelty rather than an exploration of the artist or his personality flaws. By the time the credits rolled, I knew very little about this particular painter that I couldn't have learned by reading a brief synopsis.

There’s a lot to admire about Layers of Fear, Polish studio Bloober Team’s new reimagining of its (relatively) excellent surreal, psychological adventure horror series.