Bloober Team's 2023 remake of Layers of Fear uses the power of Unreal Engine 5 to create a true masterpiece edition of its previous releases in the series. Using a new protagonist and building a frame story to narrate the events that unfold in previous games, Bloober has somehow mashed together a beautiful yet terrifying game that accomplishes being both a remake and a sequel simultaneously.
Bloober has packed Layers of Fear (2023) with more than just some new content and has taken the steps when building this remake to provide a fresh look at the series' first installment, ensuring players of any experience level will be challenged to unravel the full story.
Layers of Fear Remake vs. the Original
Being rebuilt on Unreal Engine 5 allows Bloober Team to take advantage of some significant upgrades to the game's graphics, including 4k graphics and ray-tracing capabilities while compiling the previous games with two new playable stories.
In addition to the new stories that unfold, Bloober massively expanded the Painter's Story subsection, a remake of the main story from the series' first release back in 2016. With new rooms to explore, puzzles to solve, and expanded mechanical functions, the 2023 remake of the Painter's Story has almost doubled in size and length.
Players will also be able to access a lantern that functions similarly to the flashlight in Layers of Fear 2, being used to interact with certain objects in the environment, keep certain enemies at bay, and of course, help light the way through the dark and desolate hallways.
Bloober also brings in two new playable characters, The Writer and The Musician. The Writer is the 2023 installment's primary protagonist despite having one of the shortest playable times, and players will have the opportunity to uncover her backstory and relation to the other characters in stories the chapters of the Writer's Story.
The Musician's Story will allow players to explore the story of the Painter from a brand-new perspective playing as the Painter's wife. While both stories are not particularly lengthy, they do supplement the stories and events occurring throughout the rest of the game, bringing in new layers of fear to the complete story.
Is the Layers of Fear Remake Worth Playing?
Despite the new stories and expanded searchable areas of the Painter's Story, Layers of Fear (2023) still runs relatively short, completable on a first playthrough in roughly 13 hours. In a game where players are mostly walking and reading, the 13-hour playtime feels significantly longer, as the game does a good job of keeping players unnerved and on edge for extended durations of the game.
The game still does stay true to its P.T. style roots; however, players who are unfamiliar with or just dislike 'walking simulator' style exploration games may feel bogged down by the runtime, especially when considering the 11 separate endings across the multiple stories, which can total up to 40 hours total to discover all secrets.
On the other hand, players who are fans of slower-paced storytelling and more ambiance-focused games will greatly enjoy unraveling the many stories and exploring the constantly shifting photorealistic environments. While appealing to a niche gaming audience,Layers of Fear (2023) is a gorgeous and horrifying installment of Bloober Team's infamous series.
Layers of Fear (2023) is available now on PC, PS4/5, Xbox One, and Series S|X.