Layers of Fear (2023) – Review

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FEAR… Everyone has it, some people won’t admit it and others share their fears with the world but today we’re looking at the psychological fear nestled inside the amazing Layers of Fear by Bloober team.

The original Layers of Fear was released back in 2016 and while I didn’t play it at launch, when I finally got my hands on it a few months later I was in for a treat, exploring an old mansion, unveiling various paintings and slowly losing my mind, it was a great experience which was over a little too quickly, but I equally enjoyed the sequel Layers of Fear 2 released 3 years later (2019).

Fast forward to 2023 and as is accustomed to major franchises, Layers of Fear gets the inevitable remake, with the appropriately named Layers of Fear 2023.

Unlike many remakes, it’s not just rebuilding the original game with new mechanics, instead Bloober team have gone for a compilation, combining both Layers of Fear 1 and 2, as well as some DLC. Starting with Unreal Engine 5, the team have combined the stories into one large overarching narrative, and while you’ll start off exploring an abandoned lighthouse, you’ll soon be back in that spooky mansion and on the deck of the film-decked ship for more familiar scares. For me the standout performer of the series was Layers of Fear 1, but the sequel equally had some fantastic parts, so having them all in one package is a real bonus, especially when they’ve been gelled together so well.

Gameplay follows the same method of exploring for clues, and slowly losing your mind as your surroundings often change with a simple change of direction, it’s a linear experience, which occasionally does feel a little too closed off, but as is overused in the genre, you’ll often travel from A to B to find a