With all of the AAA titles that are being released, it's hard to look past the loud rock-n-roll anthems and explosions to find little gems like Bloober Team's "Layers of Fear." Though the game is currently unfinished, I decided to download the demo on my Xbox One and see what it has to offer. After an extremely short tour of a spooky house, I was intrigued enough that I wanted to download the game in (as the Xbox Market says) its "current state."
Admittedly, these two words made me extremely nervous. What does it mean to download a game that is still a work in progress? I had the money, so I jumped in. What I got was an early glimpse at a game with some terrifying potential.
"Layers of Fear" put me in control of a formerly successful painter trying to create his comeback masterpiece. Unconvinced that another oil on canvas painting will win any kind of significant recognition from haughty critics, the alcoholic artist has set out to collect unique materials for his next project.
When I took over the mind of the artist, he had already collected the items but has them locked in six cabinets in his studio. And the canvas was still blank. Unable to add to the painting, I left the studio. But through the door that should have led to the dining room, there was now a hallway leading to another door. The house was changing.
Spoilers aren't my thing. And after playing what's currently available—75 percent according to Bloober Team—I can say that I'm not sure if the house is haunted or if the antihero has gone completely crazy. I will say that after finding each item that is used to create the twisted painting, I was led back to the studio, only to find that it was changing. After using the materials I had just gone through hell to find, I would head back out of the studio. Every time I left, I was beginning a new maze.
"Layers of Fear" reminded me of the concept of "Silent Hills PT." The main difference is that the teaser took place in one corridor that changed subtly throughout the game. In "Layers of Fear," the house changes continuously and drastically. After walking into one room, I realized that there was nowhere to go. When I turned around to leave, the door I came in had disappeared. I looked back again; still nowhere to go. I looked back one more time, and an entirely new hallway had appeared. Creepy.
The most disappointing aspect of the game is the absence of any fear of death. In a horror game, that should be at the top of the list of "things to worry about." With a foreboding fear of imminent death, players would be terrified to walk around every corner. But without it, the atmosphere is too light. In one instance, I turned around in a fit of defiance, and I thought I had gotten myself killed. No screen told me that was the case, and I didn't have to start over. I woke up in a circle of candles that had been burned extremely low on the floor of a room. I got up, walked out the door, and continued my search.
Realizing that there was nothing to be afraid of outside of the occasional jump scare, I moved through the game much quicker.
Overall, "Layers of Fear" has the potential to be pretty scary when it is completed because objects are so detailed they're almost palpable. Cut scenes are creepy and jump scares are plentiful. Gamers that enjoyed "Outlast" and "Silent Hills PT" are sure to be impressed by "Layers of Fear."
