Layers of Fear 2
The cameras are all focused on you; the center of the scene. Not just in character, you are the character. The part to play is singularly yours. Written just for you. You are met with silence. No barking orders from the director. No call to action that you need to become this version of yourself. The demand to act fills your mind, but the script pages hold no words. Your past has helped to mold you into what you are, forced upon you the skills required to hone your craft. That same past has scraped deep furrowing scars into you, not on the outside where the world can see, but in a place buried so deep within that it has become shapeless. You push those memories down but let the experiences drive you into who, or what, you must play. Darkness surrounds as you stand silently in the spotlight, the only sounds to be heard over your heartbeat are the distant breaking of waves against the hull and the sound of cameras pointed in your direction preserving this moment for eternity.
Game Discussion
Steam User 3
This game builds on the psychological horror elements of its predecessor but shifts the setting from a haunted mansion to a creepy, abandoned ship. This time, you play as an actor, taking on roles in a disturbing movie directed by a mysterious figure. While it follows a similar formula of exploration and environmental storytelling, it introduces fresh themes of identity, control, and fear of the unknown.
Gameplay:
Much like the original, the core is about exploration and unraveling the twisted narrative. You navigate through the eerie corridors of the ship, which, much like the mansion in the first game, shifts and distorts around you. There’s no combat, but the game ramps up the tension with unsettling environments, puzzles, and a series of chase sequences that keep you on edge. The puzzles are still fairly light, but they tie into the narrative more effectively, often making you question your own sense of reality as scenes blend between the ship and the movie you’re acting in.
Pros:
+ Strong Atmosphere: The abandoned ship setting is just as unsettling as the mansion from the first game, with dark hallways, eerie sounds, and a constant feeling of isolation. The ship’s design, combined with cinematic lighting and brilliant sound design, creates a tense atmosphere.
+ Cinematic Themes: The game leans heavily into film and theater imagery, blending movie scenes into the world around you. It plays with ideas of performance, identity, and control in a way that feels fresh and engaging.
+ Mind-Bending Storytelling: It doesn’t just tell a straightforward story. Instead, it blends reality and fiction, keeping you questioning what’s real and what’s part of the director’s twisted vision.
+ Visual and Audio Design: The game’s visuals are haunting, with distorted reality bending before your eyes, while the sound design plays a key role in building tension—from whispers to creaking metal and echoing footsteps.
Cons:
- Repetitive Mechanics: The chase sequences, while initially intense, can start to feel repetitive after a while, as they don’t offer much variety and become predictable.
- Pacing Issues: The game can feel slow at times, especially for players used to faster-paced horror. Some moments of exploration drag on without much payoff, and there’s a sense of tedium in backtracking through certain areas.
- Lack of Innovation: While the cinematic theme is a nice twist, some players may feel that the game doesn’t do enough to innovate from the first. The core formula remains largely the same, so it might not feel as fresh if you’ve played the original.
Conclusion:
"Layers of Fear 2" is a worthy sequel for fans of the first game, offering another deep dive into psychological horror with a fresh setting and new themes. The emphasis on cinematic storytelling and the eerie atmosphere of the ship are definite highlights, though the gameplay can feel repetitive at times. If you enjoyed the slow-burn horror of the original or are a fan of narrative-driven experiences, this is worth checking out. However, if you’re looking for something that pushes the series forward in terms of gameplay innovation, it might feel a bit familiar. Nonetheless, it delivers a chilling, immersive experience for those who love psychological horror.
Steam User 2
This has to be the greatest horror game I have ever played. Layers of Fear 2 took the concepts and ideas from its predecessor and improved upon them in every possible way. Cinematic scenes, a cryptic and also very symbolic story line, much room for interpretation and speculation, deep themes, scary jumpscares, interesting riddles, very immersive gameplay, great voice acting, amazing lighting, you have all of those aspects at their best and that's not even everything Layers of Fear 2 excells at.
I can fully recommend this game to anyone, who's looking for a horrifying, but artistic and meaningful game experience, that will stick with you even after you finished playing.
10/10 - a masterpiece
Steam User 1
visually pleasing game, banger aesthetic, great concept, i love how the the movie posters you are getting are deteriorating and becoming an amalgamation of the unknown which is fitting to the state of mind of the character you are playing at. i find myself staring at some environment and just look at it, while being amazed or in awe on how they look, the change of colour based on the mood of the story is making the entire exploration very immersive.
however, while the story is tragic and interesting the way it was presented kinda confuse me a bit, and made me say "what is happening" and took me some time to think to finally understand it. kinda mediocre but has some interesting side on it specially to the actual character you are playing at. i also like the take of a ship tragedy as a form of the plot but the build up to it was a bit slow it took me several acts to get the point of the plot, maybe its my skill issue too. i wont go to the other problem bloober has in their storytelling as i think people are already aware of it and i'm just making myself redundant than the rest (i'm talking about how they wrote people with mental issues)
recommended? yea if you love visual pleasing games that has a touch of liminality to it and elegant, or just love the aesthetic of cruise ship then i wont stop you, but keep in your mind that the plot wasn't really that great, it lies in middle of not good but also not bad. but the game is worth of a screenshot if you love liminal spaces images
Steam User 0
The second game in Layers of Fear has better mechanics, larger cross hair and yu can crouch.
The story is interesting and it made me want to find out more.
Like in the first Layers of Fear, there are great graphics, surprises and jump scares.
Unlike the first game, here is a Monster that needs to be avoided, run away from.
There is also a choice to make, such as Safe Mode, if players want to have less chases, deaths, etc
However in Safe Mode the player can still die, suffer pain, bleed. Though the recovery is quick.
Apart from the Monster there are many other ways of injuries, and so at times player needs to be quick or very careful.
The game is long, and has 2 realities created in colour or black and white.
The creativity of the Devs is great with many very interesting plots and puzzles.
There are 3 Endings, like in the original Layers of Fear.
At the beginning of this game, I thought it was rather boring, but I persevered and it paid off!
This is a slow burn game that gets really interesting from Act 2, and it does not disappoint right through to the end.
Steam User 0
Surprisingly a lot of fun for the short experience you get. Built on Layers of Fear (2016) by improving the gameplay experience. The cruise ship setting was cool and made for varied environments, and as a fan of movies I liked the references to films via the player character being an actor. I enjoyed trying to predict the story or outcome as the game progressed and finding the collectibles while going through the levels. The only thing I didn't like was how inconsistent the chase sequences were, sometimes it was obvious that a monster was about to chase you and other times it was sudden. I would've preferred some consistency in telegraphing the chase.
Steam User 0
One of the more recent horror games i've played which is saying alot since i played it 4 years ago. Considering horror is my fave genre might be time to play another soon. Its a true first world problem to have to find the time to play all these great games. lol
Anyways about the game ... The game was great. Played smoothly . It is a different plot but tries to stay on the artsy theme. I liked it almost as much as the first one . The game is short but has multiple endings
Overall Rating : 10/10
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Steam User 0
Very great horror game took less than 6 hours to beat. I also beat the first one and this one followed up very well. Great graphics and trippy gameplay and cutscenes. Great job dev team