As players progress through the Painter's story in Layers of Fear (2023), the minimalist design of the game will give them very little in terms of interaction, with most time being spent reading, exploring, and often times running. In the first chapter, players will be able to acquire the lantern, a tool that can be used to shed light on the dark hallways of the house as well as defend against the echoes chasing the Painter.
Getting the Lantern in Layers of Fear
Towards the end of the first chapter playing as the Painter in Layers of Fear (2023), players will begin to discover narrative letters and environmental objects hinting at the wife's injury and subsequent recovery, including a journal entry from the wife mentioning she hasn't held a pen in six months. Shortly after, players will enter a dark hallway with an intersection leading to three new doors. Players will recognize this hallway by the wheelchair at the hallway intersection, and a painting will ominously fly off the wall as players walk down the hall. If players go left down the hall with the wheelchair, through the next two doors players will find stumble into a dark room that appears on the verge of lighting on fire, as flames can be seen from under the door across the room. Grab the family memento on the table to the left, and interact with the flaming door. The door will be locked, but the moment players interact with the handle a burst of flames will erupt from behind, revealing a staircase to the attic.
In the attic, players will need to scour the room to find two candles that once placed on the holders beside the painting on the wall away from the fire, will allow players to progress forward. Once in the attic, players can grab a whisper item on the crates to the right of the top of the stairs (this item should be left behind if players are going for the Family ending).
The first candle can be found on the attic floor directly beside the painting against the back wall. For the second candle, players will have to brave the flames and search the boxes in the far corner of the attic that are forward and to the left when coming up the stairs. Grab both candles and place them on the holders to burn the painting away and reveal a path forward. In the following hallwa, players will find the lantern on a table to their right.
Using the Lantern
Once players have the lantern they can use it as a general light tool in the darker parts of the game, although the lantern will only operate for a short time before needing to cool down. The lantern can also be used to interact with echoes in the environment, items that appear to be shifting in and out of reality.
Immediately after acquiring the lantern, players will get to practice the mechanic, focusing the lantern light to banish the echo of a toy doll sitting on top of a chest. Some echoes throughout the story can reveal hidden collectibles or pathways, so players will want to be sure to keep a keen eye out.
On top of banishing the echoes scattered through the environment, players can also use the lantern to banish the haunting echoes that chase the Painter at certain points of the story. Focusing the light on these echoes will slow their movement, and after holding the intense light for a few moments the echo will burst and dissipate for a few moments, giving players the opportunity to investigate the local area or try to escape.
The chasing echo will only be stopped for a few moments, so players will want to move quickly to get the most out of the short break. When players hear a sharp, high-pitched sound ring out, the echo has reconstructed itself and is back on the prowl. Be sure to keep an eye on the lantern meter at the bottom of the HUD when banishing the chasing echoes, overheating the lantern can give the echo time to catch up and cause players to fail.
Layers of Fear (2023) is available now on PC, Playstation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series S|X.