Layers of Fear 2

Layers of Fear 2 has its flaws but stands out as an improvement over the original, which was still one of the scariest games on PS4 and Xbox One.

Layers of Fear 2 is a perfect experience for horror and cinema fans. Although the story is not as well developed as Layers of Fear's and being way too long, Layers of Fear 2 is intense, personal and shows us new ways of madness. Bloober Team knows exactly what to offer and how to do it. So Layers of Fear 2 deserves to be played.

If you were fond of the experience of its first installment, then Layers of Fear 2 is the game for you as it tells another interesting and mysterious story.

Layers of Fear 2 offers another vision of psychological horror, shining in terms of atmosphere and story, but stumbling in gameplay mechanics.

Even it struggles to be more than a deluxe ghost train, or that is writing is so-so at best, Layers of Fear 2 is a good choice for any psycho-horror enthusiasts, thanks to its clever mise-en-scène.

If you're looking for a horror experience that perfectly weaves tension, presentation, and narrative together like the original Layers of Fear did, then Layers of Fear 2 will disappoint you. However, if you're simply looking for a freaky experience to play after dark, you'll enjoy Layers of Fear 2 quite a bit.

Layers of Fear 2 is fairly hit and miss for a sequel. Whilst it manages to hold its own, it doesn’t quite meet the quality nor the ambition found in its predecessor. The gameplay may be considered to be too easy for its own good, and certain elements do feel somewhat rushed. Though, that being said, one has to commend its level of polish and its psychological approach, ultimately putting forward an experience that’s both unique, and provocative.

Layers of Fear 2 has some great moments and, sometimes, it’s a visual masterpiece. However, the story is quite weak and predictable, and the creature that chases you isn’t very well implemented. It falls behind the first one, but can be a good option for those who enjoyed the original.

Layers of Fear 2 feels like a step backwards from the first game, mainly due to many boring and/or frustrating sections that feel like superfluous filler to extend the game's length. And that's a real pity, as the game's concept, varied environments and graphics could have lead to a very good game, in par or even better than the original one.

A darkly poetic homage to horror cinema, but one that lacks its own identity. [Issue#179, p.89]

Layers of Fear 2 has a great horror atmosphere, but the game falls flat when it comes to gameplay.

While Layers of Fear was a jaunt into the unknown, Layers of Fear 2 has a strong sense of déjà vu that you carry with you from beginning to end; you’ve the feeling you’ve seen this before, and likely, more expertly done. Despite that misstep, it remains a must-play for horror fans who’re looking for a polished, atmospheric little fright. Emphasis on “little fright”, though — don’t expect too many scares. If you’ve not played the original, I’d recommend it over its sequel.

Layers of Fear 2 starts off scary but runs out of ideas quickly. It tells an interesting story but is marred by out of place action sections.

A slightly insipid follow-up, Layers of Fear 2 attempts something more ambitious than the first game, but disappointingly fails to stick the landing.

Despite its name, Layers of Fear 2's main problem is that there isn't anything going on under the surface. It's a competent enough walking simulator with a few decent jump scares and a little bit of mystery, but with no interesting mechanics to speak of and no effort to help the player feel attached to the vague story it's hard to justify the play time to anyone. If you were a big fan of the first iteration and need more in your life, you won't find anything particularly wrong with Layers of Fear 2. For anyone else, there's simply too many better examples of both horror games and narrative walking simulators to recommend stepping aboard.

It's just a shame that Layers of Fear 2 frequently pays lip service to the films and games that clearly inspired it while struggling to find a voice of its own. The story is too hazy to latch onto until the latter stages, and then nothing about it is particularly engaging, with its central mystery building towards something we've seen numerous times before. It occasionally hints at interesting themes but fails to go anywhere with them, falling back on telegraphed jump scares rather than delving deeper into the psychological horror it can only tease at. For every piece of good work there's an analogous aspect that lacks focus and direction. Layers of Fear 2 feels lost at sea.

Short on puzzles and scares, Layers of Fear 2 ultimately feels like an overly dark walking simulator. You’ll have covered a fair bit of ground by the time you reach the credits, and avoided some pretty unusual hazards, but the unfair deaths you’ll have suffered along along the way will leave a bad taste in your mouth. And the game’s story doesn’t quite pay off, either. Layers of Fear 2 is a swing and a miss for Bloober Team in my eyes, unfortunately.