#Layers of fear 2 review full

Throughout Layers of Fear 2, you’re constantly working through layers of symbolism, trying to find out what, if anything, is real.ĭuring each “Act” of the story, you’re called upon to make a pivotal choice, with each one representing, in a very abstract way, the sort of person young James turns out to be what his relationship to his sister really is, deep down.

#Layers of fear 2 review full

A hold full of rotting fish becomes chests of glistening gold treasure their bitter abusive father, wounded in war, becomes a mutated one-eyed cyclops. Rather masterfully, the fantasies of the two siblings – being pirates sailing crystal blue seas for treasure and adventure – are contrasted with reality. Guiding the player along is the malevolent voice of the “Director”, encouraging the player to embody a “character” in some wider performance, though what exactly he wants is unclear, his explanations filtered through cryptic (sometimes Shakespearian) quotes and commandments. Elise is the bold, confident elder sister whilst the younger James is very much her sidekick, not having much of an identity of his own. From the scattered clues left around, it became clear I was following in the footsteps of James and Lily, two child stowaways on the ship, trying to scavenge for food and survive. I appeared to be a passenger on some sort of ocean liner from sometime in the early to mid twentieth century. When entering the sea bourne world of Layers of Fear 2 for the first time, I was immediately struck by the feeling of not knowing who I was playing or what was going on – and what makes this game so distinct is how these feelings never entirely go away. Layers of Fear 2 is not only just as scary as the most chilling first person horror games, it’s also even more psychologically punishing, profoundly testing the player’s sense of morality, self worth and innate will to live in a world where living has become a nightmare. However, when embarking on Layers of Fear 2’s nautical adventure, it quickly became clear that I was playing something designed with a far more articulate vocabulary of human phobias and neuroses. Many of the horror titles I’ve reviewed more recently seemed to make frustratingly fundamental errors in creating good scares, from tiresomely meandering gameplay to overexposed monsters that become humdrum all too quickly. For many years I’ve wondered what horror games could match the mind-warping terror of the Amnesia titles.