The jump-scares feel moderately earned as a result. When it works, it’s often because the jump-scares have reinforced that this is a haunted house constructed as a puzzle box, shifting and warping as you walk. Layers of Fear mostly gets it right, although the emphasis is still on mostly: it can still be cheap. The jump-scare is a much-maligned art, and most of the time it’s done badly – an artificial and sudden spike when there isn’t any tension, or a cheap payoff when there’s a bucketload of tension. The other two paints in Layers of Fear’s paintbox are the ‘jump-scare’, and the mystery that plays at its heart. Scanning for collectibles was definitely not the way to enjoy Layers of Fear. And scouting every last room becomes difficult when they keep bloody moving. You can only notice differences in a room if you actually pay attention to the room in the first place. These were the most effective parts of the game, but I bypassed too many of them. A room that caused panic by putting bricks behind every door, then revealing that the solution was ‘up’, will stay in the memory. and made it into an entire game, as well as paved the way for games like Visage and, obviously, Layers of Fear 2. It had its foibles (too often the way out was the way I came in, and it just felt like I was a marble rolling between two ramps), but this effect leaned on the sensational P.T. Turn back to the painting, and it will have shifted up too, becoming a rat-faced woman or something else downright unappealing.
#Jumping all around layers of fear download full
I half-hoped to turn around and spot the stagehands in the act, moving a doll to another part of the room in a full black leotard. But turn away from the painting and look back at the room and – ta da! – everything has shifted into a new orientation or even a completely new room. Layers of Fear would put an attention-grabbing portrait up on the wall, just demanding that you look at it. On a micro scale, though, it worked stupendously. A chapter around dolls, crayons and nurseries was particularly memorable. In the case of Layers of Fear, it’s worth protecting the experience, because the experience is undoubtedly effective, with some stellar moments. Collecting is still present – it’s a Bloober Team thing now – but you’re more likely to see something as you sprint through, rather than find it nestled in a filing cabinet somewhere. There’s a lesson there that Bloober Team have learned for Observer and The Medium. Sometimes you have to go along for the ride, and if the ride’s good enough, then you can always New Game+ it, with a view to collecting. It’s incredibly hard to build that creeping dread if you’re elbow-deep into chests and other collectibles.
Horror games are about the experience: feeling that creeping dread before the payoff, when you either realise the silhouette was a jacket on a hatstand, or a giant 9ft vampire woman lurching after you. But I think Layers of Fear was a bit of a turning point for me, in understanding when that kind of approach should be repressed. It’s in their DNA to return to old areas to exhaust them with your newfound abilities. Metroidvanias, too, are built from the ground up for a completionist. Platformers are a joy, as I won’t skip to the next level until all the collectibles are neatly squirreled into the napsack. One is on my part: I am a completionist gamer, and there are games where the approach fits perfectly. There are a few lessons to be learned, I think.
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