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 4
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
Simple, if you liked the first game, go for it.
Watch out if doing the achievements though, I lost half of my mental health doing them and had to be momentarily hospitalised.
Still worth it though
Steam User 0
---{ Graphics }---
☐ You forget what reality is
☑ Beautiful
☐ Good
☐ Decent
☐ Bad
☐ Don‘t look too long at it
☐ MS-DOS
---{ Gameplay }---
☐ Very good
☐ Good
☑ It's just gameplay
☐ Mehh
☐ Watch paint dry instead
☐ Just don't
---{ Audio }---
☐ Eargasm
☑ Very good
☐ Good
☐ Not too bad
☐ Bad
☐ I'm now deaf
---{ Audience }---
☐ Kids
☑ Teens
☑ Adults
☐ Grandma
---{ PC Requirements }---
☐ Check if you can run paint
☐ Potato
☐ Decent
☑ Fast
☐ Rich boi
☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer
---{ Game Size }---
☐ Floppy Disk
☐ Old Fashioned
☑ Workable
☐ Big
☐ Will eat 15% of your 1TB hard drive
☐ You will want an entire hard drive to hold it
☐ You will need to invest in a black hole to hold all the data
---{ Difficulty }---
☐ Just press 'W'
☑ Easy
☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master
☐ Significant brain usage
☐ Difficult
☐ Dark Souls
---{ Grind }---
☑ Nothing to grind
☐ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks
☐ Isn't necessary to progress
☐ Average grind level
☐ Too much grind
☐ You'll need a second life for grinding
---{ Story }---
☐ No Story
☐ Some lore
☐ Average
☑ Good
☐ Lovely
☐ It'll replace your life
---{ Game Time }---
☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee
☑ Short
☐ Average
☐ Long
☐ To infinity and beyond
---{ Price }---
☐ It's free!
☐ Worth the price
☑ If it's on sale
☐ If u have some spare money left
☐ Not recommended
☐ You could also just burn your money
---{ Bugs }---
☑ Never heard of
☐ Minor bugs
☐ Can get annoying
☐ ARK: Survival Evolved
☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs
---{ ? / 10 }---
☐ 1
☐ 2
☐ 3
☐ 4
☐ 5
☑ 6
☐ 7
☐ 8
☐ 9
☐ 10
Steam User 1
If you've played the original LoF game you know what to expect. This game does have one big change though: there is a frequent threat/pursuer that appears throughout the game, which is something that the original game only did once.
This game has replayability as there are other endings and paths you can take, offering different routes through the surreal experience the game provides.
Steam User 0
Longer than the first one with a lot more crazy scenes and transitions. Sometimes it can seem a bit too strange and the change of the environment makes little sense at some very few areas. I would have wished for a little less of the crazy scenes and more focus on the story which has a lot more potential.
That's about all I can say to criticize this game. To me this was as entertaining as the first one and I would love there to be a third. There are just so many scenes, so many areas so well done. Very good game in my opinion and a joy to play through.
Steam User 2
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 1
a lil confusing but its good - would probably recommend playing it via the remaster these days though