Genre: Horror
Developers: Bloober Team
Publisher: Bloober Team SA
Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox
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<a href="https://me.ign.com/en/layers-of-fears/209352/review/layers-of-fear-review" target="_blank" rel="noopener" >IGN</a>
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PCGamer
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Shacknews
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PushSquare
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GamingBolt
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VG247
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CGMagazine
Layers of Fear, not to be confused with 2016’s Layers of Fear, is Bloober Team’s version of a remake (of sorts) which combines the original game, its sequel, the game’s DLCs, and a brand new chapter that acts as a bridge between the two games, and complies them with Unreal Engine 5.
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The new Layers of Fear brings improved mechanics, better lighting and texture work but remains largely unchanged otherwise. According to critics, this is a good and a bad thing because while the new coat of paint with Unreal Engine 5 enhances the visual experience, some of the shortcomings with the old versions of the games still remain.
Layers of Fear Review Roundup
Here are some reviews and first-look articles for Layers of Fear from around the web. At the time of publishing this article, the score for this game was 73 at Opencritic and 73 at Metacritic
IGN
Layers of Fear serves up a series of atmospheric and often surreal trips through the shattered psyches of some seriously tortured artists. However, its sleight of hand scare tactics are still all too clearly telegraphed and this predictable formula grew stale long before I reached the end of each of its main story threads.
IGN rating: 6/10
PCGamer
Layers of Fear 2023 doesn’t feel like a remake for the sake of a simple cash grab, or a fallback for a studio out of ideas; it feels more like a declaration of intent. This is easily the best game Bloober Team have put out yet, and its existence serves to show everyone why they believe they’re the right people to helm the Silent Hill 2 remake—and I have to admit, they’ve convinced me.
PCGamer rating: 90/100
Shacknews
Though it is not without its fair share of flaws, the revamped Layers of Fear contains everything that fans enjoyed about the original series and elevates them with improved visuals and new gameplay mechanics that help alleviate some of the monotony.
Shacknews rating: 7/10
PushSquare
The updated version of Layers of Fear is incredibly impressive. In addition to offering high-quality remakes of the entire series, this version goes a step forward and creates new material with the explicit purpose of bringing all pre-existing content of the series under one umbrella.
PushSquare rating: 8/10
GamingBolt
Layers of Fear is not a total misfire, and does have merits, from the incredible audiovisual achievements to some genuinely inspired mind-bending moments every now and then. Sadly though, those only serve to make its shortcomings everywhere else that much more frustrating.
GamingBolt rating: 6/10
VG247
Layers of Fear (2023) starts out strong with the story of The Artist, and loses itself amidst its own ambition during the story of The Actor. Bloober Team’s once meaningful exploration of a character’s descent into madness quickly becomes redundant amidst a sea of film references and blurred storytelling. Layers of Fear is certainly a cohesive remake that brings the original games together, and there’s no denying that it looks great, but its second act feels incredibly lost when contrasted against such a strong start.
VG247r rating: 4/5
CGMagazine
If you’ve already played the original Layers of Fear or its sequel, then I can only recommend Layers of Fear (2023) if you’re a devout fan of the series or are at least a few years removed from either title, as even with the added flourishes, the game is essentially the same experience, albeit in a much nicer package.
CGMagazine rating: 8.5/10
