Layers of Fear (2023) brings back the franchise's infamous minimal play style, presenting its gritty and grotesque ambiance on the gorgeous Unreal Engine 5. Due to the lack of direction from the game, players may find themselves stuck at certain points in the story where the obvious path isn't a door at the end of a hallway.
In the newest story of Layers of Fear (2023), players will experience the tale of the Writer's Story, as well as the secrets that tie it to the stories from the series' two earlier entries, repainted inside Unreal 5. As the game opens up, players see The Writer make her way to an abandoned lighthouse that players will soon get to explore. After the opening cutscene, players will be free to investigate the dilapidated environment, becoming familiar with the controls and mechanics that will be used across the sub-stories that unfold. Looking around The Writer's bedroom, players will find a lighter with several small birds engraved in the case, and a facedown picture frame.
Exiting the room, players can head left to a hallway that leads to the creepy, poorly lit basement, or head right to explore the remaining rooms on the main floor. There are several narrative letters that can be found that clue the player in on how the Writer came to be at the lighthouse, seeming to have won a contest hosted by a publishing company, along with several newspaper excerpts and letters from the Writer's son.
Ring, Ring...
After exploring more of the main floor, the phone in the main hallway will begin to ring. Answer the phone to hear a conversation between the Writer and her management company, who is calling to urge The Writer to begin her work as soon as possible. Return to the bedroom and interact with the typewriter. The Writer will sit down and begin to type, but just as she begins to work, an ominous echo will ring through the lighthouse. Return to the main hallway to find the door across the hall from the phone is no longer locked and is slightly ajar, leading to a store room with a painting on the wall covered with an old sheet.
Interact with the sheet to reveal the painting of the muse, briefly flickering between a skeletal-looking face and the portrait of a woman. After the painting has settled players will return to the hallway, where the Writer will comment how she should use the phone. Interact with the phone and the Writer will call her son, informing him of the call from management and how horrifically inspiring the lighthouse is. When the phone call finally ends, players will want to return to the bedroom and again interact with the typewriter. This time, there will be no interruptions or distractions, and the screen will fade to black as the next chapter beings, The Painter's Story, Chapter 1.
Layers of Fear (2023) is available now on PC, Playstation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series S|X.