![]() Each recording and slide offers a glimpse into the life of the character and his odyssey into the self. There are audio recordings, projector slides, and movie posters to collect. There's even a New Game Plus mode, allowing players to replay Acts, gathering all the collectibles to reveal the full story. Getting to the end may be the ultimate goal for the scaredy-cat gamer (no shame), but in order to understand the full scope of the game and get the "good" ending, each route must be taken. The occasional "monster" feels out of place in a game that rewards the player for exploration, but these scares are still expertly done. Often a dimly-lit cabin becomes a canvas to some larger exploration tapping on a radio transforms it into a den for a shifting carcass. The attention to detail and lighting are impossible not to gush about. Its most horrific moments are also its most delicate and atmospheric: hands slowly reaching across a hallway towards you as the music builds, a boiler room filled with droning humanoids. Layers of Fear 2 doesn't go for the easy jump scare either. The solve became obvious upon replaying the section, the horror less formidable. While the "Game Over" screen wasn't a common occurrence in the 5-hour of so playthrough, when it did appear it felt earned. One such great puzzle involves shifting the light in a projector to create a door, another requires the player to fire a cannon and follow the light the projectiles create. ![]() But in their form and as a function to the largely story, they are works of near genius. Even the most cryptic of riddles generally has an obvious solution. The gameplay is simple and the puzzles a never challenging enough for Layers of Fear 2 to be considered a difficult game. Each step forward alters the path, creating a quest rooted in player choice that revels in the macabre. In this game, that takes the form of running through hallways filled with formless mannequins, returning to a childhood home, and playing pretend with the memory of a sister. From Hamletto The Tempest, there's a persistent idea that those who are broken must rebuild themselves through confronting what they have done. ![]() The story is broken up into 5 Acts, similar to the Shakespearean tragedies it proudly touts as references. In Layers of Fear 2, that is just what the player must do. While acting in real life has its fair share of complications, it cannot be said that actors must literally solve puzzles and navigate a hellscape of their own making. Though the game is cryptic, it can be surmised that this role is deeply rooted in the actor's past, and only by confronting their demons can they play the part. ![]() They are guided by The Director, voiced by horror legend Tony Todd as they work to uncover their character through a process that can only be described as horrifying. Here, the player works to finish a similar magnum opus their performance in a movie being filmed on a moving vessel. Layers of Fear 2 is a sequel only in the spiritual sense to Bloober Team's 2016 hit about an artist finishing his masterpiece. ![]()
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