Bloober Team's 2023 remake of Layers of Fear is a gorgeous and spine-chilling next-gen remake designed to keep players guessing at every turn. Between the games ever-changing hallways and puzzles in nearly every room, players will have to keep their wits about them as they uncover the secrets and stories of the game. While most of the puzzles in the game are quite simple once players discover the solution, the complete lack of direction from the game can make the most simple task a chore, and can make some of the more difficult puzzles downright confusing.
One of the more difficult puzzles to solve in the Painter's Story of Layers of Fear (2023) is found in a lounge with all the furniture and doors flipped on their head. In order to progress forward, players will have to figure out how to crack a safe and gain access to a door that is out of reach. This guide will help players not flip out too much while trying to get out of this upside-down room.
Escaping the Upside Down Room
In the second chapter of the Painter's Story, after players acquire the lantern and get past the first interaction with the main ghost of the story, players will enter a short hallway with a nightstand to the left with a narrative letter on top. Reading the letter, players will discover a message from a doctor, Dr. William H. Green, in regards to the Painter's wife and her recently sustained injuries, as well as hinting at the Painter's decline in mental health, encouraging him to seek psychological help. At this point, the door behind the player will be locked, leaving the door at the end of the hall the only path forward. Moving through this door to the next corridor will reveal an intersection of hallways, forcing the player to choose a path.
If players choose to turn around and return to the previous hallway, the other door that was previously locked can now be opened, revealing an L-shaped hallway with a grandfather clock directly to the front. Take the hallway past the turn to the next corridor, where players will once again have to choose a path as a door becomes available directly to the right, with an additional door further down the hall. Take the door immediately to the right, revealing a small room with a set of footprints on the floor, leading the player through the next door into a windowed room that at first glance appears nearly empty. Upon further inspection (or the moment players look up), it will become quite clear that the room is not empty, but is somehow upside down.
Across the room from players there is a curio cabinet with a locked safe underneath and a door on the left wall that is just slightly out of reach. Turn around to look towards the door just entered (don't miss the message sprawled on the wall in red!) and interact with the light switch to the left of the door. After a brief moment the room will illuminate, and upon turning around players will find the room has reoriented itself properly. On the right side of the table in the middle of the room there is a story item that can be collected, as well as a narrative letter hidden in the curio cabinet that is now in reach. Open the right door of the cabinet to find the letter on the middle shelf - an excerpt from a local paper reviewing a recent project of the Painter, 'Babyface', which can be found throughout the house.
After collecting the story item, a silhouette of a piece of paper will appear in the bottom right of the player HUD. Return to the light switch and return the room to darkness, consequently reverting the room to its previous, upside-down, orientation. Now back in reach, players will want to interact with the safe again, revealing the piece of paper has the code to open the safe - 10-70-90. Turn the dial to the corresponding numbers (players will hear a rewarding click at each of the three numbers in the code, signifying they are on the right path) and open the safe and grab the key inside. Return to the light switch and flip the switch (and the room) to gain access to the previously upside-down door. Use the key to unlock the door, and continue through to the next corridor.
Layers of Fear (2023) is available now on PC, Playstation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series S|X.