Layers of Fear

 Xbox One
User Score
6.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 126 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 65 out of 126
  2. Mixed: 38 out of 126
  3. Negative: 23 out of 126

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  1. Rodrigo_31
    Feb 25, 2016
    9
    Imagine a game totally based on Silent Hills P.T. Demo, then you add a little of Outlast feeling with more polished visuals and with a better and unique story, at the same level of Amnesia: the dark descent. That is the game you will get!
    Layers of Fear shows why the survival horrors (with no guns) are so important to the industry, when it attempts to show that games can be immersive and    Imagine a game totally based on Silent Hills P.T. Demo, then you add a little of Outlast feeling with more polished visuals and with a better and unique story, at the same level of Amnesia: the dark descent. That is the game you will get!
    Layers of Fear shows why the survival horrors (with no guns) are so important to the industry, when it attempts to show that games can be immersive and truly inspiring as an art form, and this one succeeds on that. What holds the game to score a 10 from me is the fact that it has a fast pacing, it could be a little slower with more puzzles and gameplay elements to slow it down a little, because it contains almost 5 or 6 hours of length, and it could certainly feel more terrifying and bigger if some scare jumps could be swapped by more challenges and medium-hard puzzle solving into it. I could say that this game tried to so hard to reach a masterpiece standard that the developers excitement were a little above their own expectations...
    Another stunning feature is the incredible soundtrack and its audio, which is powerful and emotional as well is it is immersive, so that is my verdict:

    Audio/soundtrack: 9.5
    Graphics/level design: 9.5
    Story/plot: 9
    Gameplay: 7.5
    Fun/immersion/atmosphere: 10

    Overall score: 9.0    … Expand
  2. Xerogamer
    Feb 22, 2016
    9
    Fantastic. One of the best horror games I have had the pleasure of playing. Stunning visuals, captivating story and above all the level design in truly breathtaking! The game may be short and there are some lengthy load times, but length should not be the final judge of what makes a game great, story and game play make a game great. And Bloober Team's Layers of Fear does not fail toFantastic. One of the best horror games I have had the pleasure of playing. Stunning visuals, captivating story and above all the level design in truly breathtaking! The game may be short and there are some lengthy load times, but length should not be the final judge of what makes a game great, story and game play make a game great. And Bloober Team's Layers of Fear does not fail to disappoint. I am looking forward to what this game studio has in story for us next!… Expand
  3. BetterCallSalt
    Feb 17, 2016
    9
    A horror masterpiece with stunning sound design and a chilling atmosphere which manages to really grabs your attention from the start. Layers of fear contains some really interesting "mechanics" and concepts but can sometimes struggle on the performance side. Frame drops are frequent but not too bad that it gets in the way of enjoying the game.Definitely worth a buy for anyone, not justA horror masterpiece with stunning sound design and a chilling atmosphere which manages to really grabs your attention from the start. Layers of fear contains some really interesting "mechanics" and concepts but can sometimes struggle on the performance side. Frame drops are frequent but not too bad that it gets in the way of enjoying the game.Definitely worth a buy for anyone, not just horror fans.… Expand
  4. SuperkenGaming
    Feb 16, 2016
    9
    Layers of Fear
    A story of obsession and loss
    There’s a lot to wrap your head around in layers of fear I’m still not even sure exactly what happened This is an adventure horror game where you play as an obsessed artist working on finishing his latest painting The game start out with you in your home, after walking around a bit you notice notes that set you on a journey of uncovering    Layers of Fear
    A story of obsession and loss
    There’s a lot to wrap your head around in layers of fear
    I’m still not even sure exactly what happened
    This is an adventure horror game where you play as an obsessed artist working on finishing his latest painting
    The game start out with you in your home, after walking around a bit you notice notes that set you on a journey of uncovering just exactly what’s going on or what went on
    This game is about 4 hours long if you take your time to uncover all of the mysteries, I even missed some.
    You’ll get a vague idea of the story if you did choose to rush through, but you’ll have a much better overall experience if you open all the drawers and read all of the letters and newspaper clippings... at least story wise...gameplay wise I’m not all too sure
    this game is creepy, exploring this house is unsettling, but I wouldn’t necessarily call this game scary
    There are plenty of jump scares, and it is possible to die, but it all feels inconsequential, I was never afraid to progress, maybe this is a personal courage thing, but I felt no anxiety while pushing through, it could be that I felt unthreatened while playing or it could actually come down to how the developers chose to deliver the story … Like I said earlier, if you want the full story you have to look through all the drawers and all of the cabinets, this kind of takes your attention away from the creepy experience going on around you.. instead of being immersed in the fancy tricks, and constantly changing rooms… you find yourself immersed in a drawer and looking for non-story doors to interact with
    I feel like this could’ve been fixed by telling the story with brief flashback style cutcenes attached to mandatory collectibles instead of optional collectibles…
    Or keeping them more as a well-hidden interactive secret, which they actually did for a handful of them...
    But ultimately I feel like the story and experience is delivered from eye level, so it’s such a massive design flaw to have interactive items below or above your line sight... you can’t really interact with objects in layers of fear, so having china cabinets to go through around every corner was unnecessary, and hurt the experience more than it helped,
    Especially for the ocd type that have to check everything
    Another complaint with collectibles is that the chapter select doesn’t tell you if you missed any, so if you want to uncover more of the story, you have to replay sections you might have scrubbed clean
    The overall story delivery is just a small hiccup though, because it’s still good
    but everything else layers of fear has going on for it in comparison is great
    I was really impressed with how frequently things would change around me out of nowhere, I would turn around and there would be a door that wasn’t there before, or a hallway I just walked down is now a wall, maybe a creepy painting or a doll, every time you walked through a door you would be somewhere new, there is no back tracking in this game, its constantly taking you forward which is very appreciated and is ultimately what will get its hooks in you
    the constant switching is hands down the highlight of the entire game for me, I’ve never seen anything like it, at least not at the level that its at here
    While I could’ve done without feeling like I’m Sherlock Holmes the whole time,
    I still feel like layers of fear delivers a creepily impressive and immersive experience well worth your time
    and maybe some of your hair, and blood, perhaps an eye
    I give Layers of Fear an 8.5/10    … Expand
  5. osprey
    Feb 16, 2016
    10
    Awesome game. Beautiful music, stunning atmosphere, haunting and captivating. This is a rare and special gem of a game. A true bargain, I bought it before I even knew they would finish it because it was that special. Buy it and play it today. Well done team! What a treat for gamers!
  6. Grain_Of_Salt
    Mar 2, 2016
    10
    Unbelievable game! Amazing atmosphere and sound which is the hallmark of a great horror game. It perfectly walks the difficult line of not showing too much and letting the player use their own imagination as the fear platform. Just heard a baby crying? Yea, you have to walk toward that sound. Scared of that dark shadow around the corner? Yea, you have walk that way too. And whatever youUnbelievable game! Amazing atmosphere and sound which is the hallmark of a great horror game. It perfectly walks the difficult line of not showing too much and letting the player use their own imagination as the fear platform. Just heard a baby crying? Yea, you have to walk toward that sound. Scared of that dark shadow around the corner? Yea, you have walk that way too. And whatever you think you just saw will get twisted in some weird, strange way.
    The game is described as "psychedelic horror. Couldn't describe it better myself.    … Expand
  7. fishy123yu
    Mar 21, 2016
    9
    Well I am gonna be the first person to say this: while Layers of Fear is a great game under normal circumstances, it is on a whole new level when you play it while getting high. Playing this game while high is like discovering atlantis for me. It is just a sensational experience. I believe the makers knew this when they made the game. It is just so trippy. The only issue I have is with theWell I am gonna be the first person to say this: while Layers of Fear is a great game under normal circumstances, it is on a whole new level when you play it while getting high. Playing this game while high is like discovering atlantis for me. It is just a sensational experience. I believe the makers knew this when they made the game. It is just so trippy. The only issue I have is with the frame rate. But this is probably an xbox issue.… Expand
  8. xxSolidifyedxx
    May 6, 2016
    9
    Fantastic game that is worth every penny! Turn out the lights, put on your headphones, and buckle up! This game is like a nightmare that you can't wake up from!
  9. TheQuietGamer
    Jan 31, 2018
    9
    A work of both visual and psychological horror. The thing that makes your journey into madness so tense is that you know there's always something waiting to happen around the next corner. An interesting approach for a horror game. Rather than using any sort of build up to keep the momentum going, Layers of Fear just sort of throws jump scares at the player one after the other. This isA work of both visual and psychological horror. The thing that makes your journey into madness so tense is that you know there's always something waiting to happen around the next corner. An interesting approach for a horror game. Rather than using any sort of build up to keep the momentum going, Layers of Fear just sort of throws jump scares at the player one after the other. This is something most survival-horror enthusiasts might balk at. In any other game they would probably be justified in doing so. However, the moments developer Bloober Team crafted here are often deeply unsettling and backed by mind-bending shifts in the world around the player. You'll always know something is coming, but never what it will be.

    Every room and every hallway you explore in Layers of Fear can change in an instant. I never stopped being amazed at the immediacy of things like new paths appearing in the split second it would take me to turn my character's head. The incredibly trippy sights and creepy paintings you'll encounter as you progress give off some very Lovecraftian vibes. There are plenty of hauntingly memorable moments in store. There are some lamer scare attempts to be found throughout like falling objects and such, but for the most part the game is very inventive in finding ways to get under your skin. If only the narrative held up.

    You play as a struggling artist that's trying to complete his magnum opus. Each level consists of making your way through his mansion and distorted psyche to collect the items needed to finish the painting. As soon as you grab one you'll begin to see that some very dark things happened to get the protagonist to this point. There are various notes and memory objects scattered throughout the game that help fill in some gaps. Personally, I guessed what was happening early on. Something kind of hindered replay value for me. Going through the game a second and third time opens up some new stuff to find which further fleshes out the story, and despite being interested in seeing the other endings, I just wasn't compelled enough to give it a second go. A few minor differences wouldn't make up for going through the same scares again. At least not right away.

    For many this is going to be a one-and-done experience. Especially given that the gameplay largely consists of just walking forward. There are a few clever puzzles though, and it's style is perfectly suited for it's length. So don't let what I've said about the story and gameplay scare you away from Layers of Fear. It's a pretty incredible game in spite of it's weaknesses. It's unique approach to horror that has you questioning your perceptions of reality makes for one of the most memorable, creative, and downright freaky games out there.    … Expand
  10. zNeverSleeping
    Nov 1, 2020
    8
    ---{Graphics}---
    ☐ Beautiful
    X Good ☐ Decent ☐ Bad ☐ Don‘t look too long at it ---{Gameplay}--- ☐ Addictive X Good ☐ Mediocre ☐ Mehh ☐ Irresponsible ---{Audio}--- ☐ Very good X Good ☐ Bad ☐ I'm now deaf ---{Audience}--- ☐ Kids X Teens X Adults ☐ All ---{Difficulity}--- ☐ Easy X Significant brain usage ☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master ☐ Difficult    ---{Graphics}---
    ☐ Beautiful
    X Good
    ☐ Decent
    ☐ Bad
    ☐ Don‘t look too long at it

    ---{Gameplay}---
    ☐ Addictive
    X Good
    ☐ Mediocre
    ☐ Mehh
    ☐ Irresponsible

    ---{Audio}---
    ☐ Very good
    X Good
    ☐ Bad
    ☐ I'm now deaf

    ---{Audience}---
    ☐ Kids
    X Teens
    X Adults
    ☐ All

    ---{Difficulity}---
    ☐ Easy
    X Significant brain usage
    ☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master
    ☐ Difficult

    --{Story}---
    ☐ No Story
    X Some lore
    ☐ Average
    ☐ Good
    ☐ Lovely
    ☐ It‘ll replace your life

    ---{Game Time}---
    ☐ Short
    X Average
    ☐ Long
    ☐ To infinity and beyond

    ---{Price}---
    ☐ It’s free [or i get free]
    X Worth the price
    ☐ Worth it in a promo
    ☐ If u have some spare money left ☐ Not recommended ---{Bugs}--- X Never heard of ☐ Minor bugs ☐ Can get annoying ☐ ARK: Survival Evolved    … Expand
  11. WalrusBruh
    Oct 18, 2019
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Love the different endings and the way the environment tells the story. Not too scary compared to most other horror titles,but the story is outstanding.… Expand
  12. Filmanwalt
    May 7, 2021
    8
    Good horror story game from Bloober Team, which I played through in 5 hours.

    For me, a very atmospheric, creative horror experience, in which almost every Jumpscare caught me. I'm not really vulnerable at all, but I didn't stand a chance in this game. In addition, there is constant discomfort, always goose bumps, really well done. In terms of gameplay, it's just quite lame, but you    Good horror story game from Bloober Team, which I played through in 5 hours.

    For me, a very atmospheric, creative horror experience, in which almost every Jumpscare caught me. I'm not really vulnerable at all, but I didn't stand a chance in this game. In addition, there is constant discomfort, always goose bumps, really well done.

    In terms of gameplay, it's just quite lame, but you know that from these games, so I had no problem with it. I just enjoyed the completely crazy staging and let the atmosphere patter down on me.

    The story about the artist's story and what was happening in the house was interesting enough and added to the overall picture.

    What I did not understand at all, whether the woman kills you if you get too close or not. At least it always put you at a different point, so that I always avoided the howling. Sometimes it felt like a "chase" but never really put it into perspective. That irritated me rather a bit than it would have driven the atmosphere forward in a profitable way.

    The music and the sound in general were also perfectly integrated.

    Conclusion

    The look is very unique, creative and atmospheric, mixed with a good sound and a solid story. The game doesn't completely knock me off my feet (I thought The Medium was better overall, but you have to keep in mind that Layers was also released a lot earlier), but it clearly surprised me in a very positive way. Entertaining but making full use of the time, for me there are 8/10 paintings.    … Expand
  13. zezeljmare
    Jul 3, 2021
    8
    EN:
    An interesting story and quite a tense and scary atmosphere. Minus for a short story. Definitely one of the best horror games of recent times.

    SRP:
    Zanimljiva priča i dosta napeta i strašna atmosfera. Zamerka za kratku priču. Defintivno jedna od najboljih horor igara iz novijeg perioda.

Awards & Rankings

57
#57 Best Xbox One Game of 2016
41
#41 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2016
45
#45 Most Shared Xbox One Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. Windows Central
    May 28, 2016
    80
    3-5 hours may not seem long for a game, but the quality of those few short hours is really worth it. With a reasonably low price tag of around $20, I think you'd be missing out on a very intriguing and very exciting game. While deep down yes, it is your bog standard psychological horror scare tactic jamboree, its executed in such a way that it blows others like Slender or SCP-187-b clean out of the water.
    Read full review
  2. games(TM)
    Apr 13, 2016
    60
    What you’re left with is a short slice of horror that’s got a few genuinely brilliant ideas up its bloody sleeve, but one that dulls the edges of its own experience with a lack of subtlety.
    Read full review
  3. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    Mar 27, 2016
    90
    Smart, spooky and psychedelic, this thrusts you into its story, whirls you about and leaves you dizzy. You'll hate and enjoy your stay in equal measures - in the best possible way. [Apr 2016, p.76]
See all critic reviews »