Tag: fear

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Layers of Fear (2023) in the test: scaring in Unreal Engine 5


As soon as the game starts, it becomes clear that the developers attach great importance to creating an exciting atmosphere. You enter foggy corridors, rain pelts the windows and acrid smoke fills the air. Here you are really sucked in by the setting, whereby you notice from the first second: something is wrong in the abandoned walls. The lights begin to flicker and shivers run down our spines. The arc of suspense slowly builds as we as players wander through different environments.

The environment begins to change around the player bit by bit and the initially normal manor house ultimately mutates into a devilish gorge. Blood runs down the pictures, you get disturbing visions and the entire floor plan of the house resists any kind of reality. Amidst all this chaos, it is up to the player to reconstruct past events and make sense of these seemingly random events. Who are we even playing here, who are all these ghosts and what happens next?

Has everything been there before?

Players who were hoping for an all-new game may be disappointed with the latest installment in the series. Instead, you’ll get all the content from 2016’s Layers of Fear and 2019’s Layers of Fear 2, plus all bonus content previously released. In addition, you can enjoy a new section starring a female author and a new DLC called “The Final Notes”, which is officially counted as Part 1 and aims to tie all of its stories together.

Source: PC games In the first part, you slip into the skin of a crazy painter who is increasingly losing touch with reality for the perfect painting. This story is inspired by Oscar Wildes’ novel The Picture of Dorian Gray in which the young and successful Dorian Gray loses his sanity due to a cursed self-portrait. So very fitting.

In addition, the DLC Inheritance is included, in which you play the daughter of the mad painter. In this way one can experience a different perspective on the troubled relationship between the painter and his wife.

New expansion included

Finally, in the brand new DLC Final Notes, you also play the painter’s wife, who is a successful violin player. But after an accident, nothing is like it used to be, and she has to give up her music career. The goal in this DLC is to break the figurative and actual chains that bind the mother to the cursed house.

Source: PC Games

We really enjoyed playing the new DLC here. Especially in terms of presentation, you could convince here. However, if you expect answers to the questions about Layers of Fear 1, you will scratch your head a bit. The bonus content raises more questions than it ultimately answers.

Camera off, action!

As is well known, in the second part you play a Hollywood actor who is supposed to shoot a film for a dubious director on a large ship. Here he has to deal with shadows from his past and with monsters that are after him.

The new part of the game combines both storylines, with a writer in the leading role. This also has a creative crisis and therefore lingers in a secluded lighthouse. However, this environment is uninspiring and strange occurrences are increasing.

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Layers of Fear (2023) – Trial, Adventure


Silent Hill 2 is still a long way off, but developer Bloober Team is also giving its own horror universe, Layers of Fear, another appearance. The psychotic horror adventure in the surreal mansion of a failed painter provided the breakthrough for the Polish studio in 2016. The current new edition is actually a revised collection of games. It summarizes part 1, part 2 and all DLCs, including polished graphics, new sound, a fresh framework story and new mechanics. In the test of the narratively focused tragedy with its wildly changing horror scenes, we check whether the mixture works.

Bloober’s “masterpiece” in the form of a revamped collection

The new framework story as the author begins in an abandoned lighthouse.

2016’s Layers of Fear (check out) by Polish Bloober Team offered a vivid portrayal of what it can mean to drift slowly but surely into insanity. The name of the technically upgraded new edition doesn’t seem particularly logical either. It is also simply called Layers of Fear, although the overall package also includes part 2 (for testing), all DLC episodes, a new framework story and even new mechanics. They have all been linked into one complete work that can be played through seamlessly. If you want, you can also start from the main menu in individual episodes with a separate save (painter, daughter, musician, actor). This allows you to try other decisions and achieve alternative endings. The developers probably see the masterpiece of the series in the game collection, which, by the way, is mostly being created by the Polish studio Anshar this time. Bloober himself is probably too busy with Konami’s commissioned project Silent Hill 2.

Even in the new complete version of Layers of Fear, it becomes apparent early on that the numerous messages scattered on the pieces of paper in the Victorian estate that appears abandoned do not bode well. After a creative block and conflicts with my wife and servants, I wander through my house as a nameless painter. Surreal transformations of the corridors provide surprises every second. New sections of the horror estate keep building up before my eyes. Their sinister design aptly reflects my descent into inner conflicts.

The last chance

I would rather not reveal what it is about in detail. In any case, my alter ego is driven by the thought of completing his last great work. Could it all turn out for the better? It quickly becomes apparent that themes such as alienation, artistic standards, alcoholism and claustrophobic moments of shock between blazing flames play an important role. Similar to Konami’s legendary horror film PT, the environment constantly plays with my expectations. After turning around in front of a locked door, new doors open in the corridor that was just empty.

Will the broken painter succeed in writing one last opus magnum?

Beyond are a plethora of grisly paintings of pained figures. Or supernatural installations such as mountains of chairs piled up to the ceiling. As soon as I look in the other direction, they have transformed again and I can look for keys and clues to the dark story in newly discovered cupboards. Much like Gone Home, the story is at the heart of the experience, which could be disrespectfully called a walking simulator.

Still disappointing in gameplay

This drawing, at least, did not go down too well with a children’s book publisher.

Some decisions again lead to alternative story endings. Puzzles, on the other hand, only play a secondary role: sometimes I let my eyes wander through supernatural picture frames to spy secrets, elsewhere I quickly get to obviously hidden safe codes. The right turn in supernatural loops of always the same spaces is one of the puzzles that remain far too easy overall. It’s a shame, because more puzzles could have loosened up the monotonous exploration rhythm in the long run. By the way, some solutions have been slightly revised.

Escape sequences with the new lantern also appear largely artificially challenging as a game.

Fancy a barbecue party? With the effective new lantern, ghostly attacks usually have no chance.

From time to time I briefly stun a spooky pursuer with her at the push of a button to gain time and, for example, open the exit of a small labyrinth. But it rarely gets really close or exciting. The beam of light also reveals secret messages. The controls in the new edition are much better attuned to the PS5 controller, so I felt much more confident when walking through the corridors. Only rarely do I stumble, for example when I move some chairs awkwardly with the right analog stick, which is also responsible for the view.

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Another layer complements Layers of Fear – but is it thin?


Layers of Fear (2023) has a new look and brings together all the games and DLCs in the series, including new content. But what does that mean? It took me a long time to understand what was included in the package – and then I wasn’t sure if it was a great remake or an overblown sales pitch.

What does the Layers of Fear Bundle contain?

First of all, what is the game about anyway?

Layers of Fear is a psychological horror game series (since 2016) in which the player takes on the role of different artists who all have one thing in common – their art is everything to them. The demonically chilling effects of her obsession come to a head as the games progress and find a conclusion in the new version.

You won’t find any action or wild shootouts here. The gameplay is based on solving mysterious puzzles. And if you want to avoid confrontation altogether, you can even switch off the option to die in the settings.

If you don’t know exactly what’s included in the new Layers of Fear, we’ll break it down into a simple list for you:

  • Layers of Fear – The first game from 2016. It tells the story of a painter and father.
  • Layers of Fear: Inheritance – The DLC for the first part from 2016. It expands the story to include the perspective of the painter’s daughter and the musician.
  • Layers of fear 2 – The 2019 sequel. A completely new story told from the actor’s point of view.
  • Layers of Fear: The Final Note – A new DLC that expands the storyline of the first part with the perspective of the mother and musician.
  • Layers of Fear: The Author’s Story – An additional narrative thread that wraps around the games like a cloak, binding them together to create a whole. So parts 1 and 2 of the series are interwoven.

That’s a lot of older content complemented by new ones. The games have also been revised visually look a lot better than before with Unreal Engine 5. I don’t want to go any further into the content that has already been published. They have long been rated and there are enough tests and gameplays. But what about the new content?

The DLC is not a new game

The author’s story, which connects the games narratively, is not particularly extensive. The plot seems cobbled together quickly and is unfortunately not as gripping as you might be used to from Layers of Fear. However, if you consider the bundle as a remake with additional content, it shows a very creative approach to bringing older games to the new generation of hardware and consoles.

And then there’s also a new DLC on top of that, which adds a missing perspective to the storyline of the first and best Layers of Fear: The Final Note. While the mother plays a major role in the first part of the series, the story has not been told from her point of view so far.

The events of Layers of Fear 1 are explored from the mother’s perspective in The Final Note DLC. (Image source: Screenshot GIGA)

The mother was always portrayed as a minor character in the memories of the father and her daughter, whereas the daughter got her own appearance in Layers of Fear: Inheritance. Given the dramatic events that took place in the family home, in which the mother played a key role, The Final Note is not only logical but necessary. This DLC completes the story.

So much for the story. But how is it? the puzzles and scope of the DLC? Of course, the mother’s story does not offer just one exit. There are two endings that you can unlock. There are no puzzles. The developers are doing without something that defines Layers of Fear. A fact that really disappointed me. The playtime of the DLC is 2 to 3 hours if you want to unlock both endings.

For whom is the purchase worthwhile?

At the time of writing, the price of the bundle has not yet been released, making it difficult to judge whether it is worth buying. Based on the content alone, as a fan of the series, I really enjoyed playing the games again. That’s what I’ve planned to do anyway.

However, I was disappointed by the story, which is supposed to bring together the plot of all content. Those who have already played both main games might be disappointed as well. But who has never played just one Layers of Fear and loves plot-driven horror games, which simply shouldn’t pass the bundle. In this case, Layers of Fear (2023) gets a clear buy recommendation.

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LoL Patch 14.1: Mages at the top – Players fear repeating…


The new season of League of Legends has just started and in patch 14.1 of LoL, one type of champion seems to be stronger than the others and it is once again the mages.

LoL Patch 14.1 will receive a patch update at some point in the coming days. This was previously revealed by Matt “Riot Phroxzon” Leung-Harrison, lead gameplay designer for the League of Legends team, on Twitter.

This announcement prompted some players to let the balance team know what scared them the most in the current state of the game. One of the big question marks concerns burst and the strength of mages with the LoL 14.1 patch.

  • LoL Season 14: all items removed

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LoL Patch 14.1: Players concerned about damage from Mage Bursts

Mages are either completely lousy or way too strong, at least that’s the community’s feeling. A large portion of players hate how weak and stagnant the class was during the Mythic era, but it seems that now that Mythics have left the building, Mages can once again take advantage of their burst power from previous seasons.

Riot Phroxzon explained that the team is aware of the burst’s current power and will be monitoring it for about a week to find out where the power is actually coming from. Basically, the team wants to see if champions are strong, if AP items are overpowered, or if other item classes are just generally weak.

We are going to do a balance and stability micropatch (bugs) tomorrow or the day after tomorrow to fix the balance outliers.

The burst might be high, we’ll do an audit to see how big the early season chaos is and where it’s coming from (maybe AP just has a high win rate,…

– Matt Leung-Harrison (@RiotPhroxzon) January 11, 2024

Some players are worried that mages will return to other lanes and take over the meta like they did in previous seasons, something Riot will likely want to avoid at all costs, hence why it’s a good thing that Riot is so open about their schedule of adjustments.

However, for the most part, players think the game is more fun than in previous years, thanks to the item changes. Now, with just a little fine-tuning, adjustments to the damage information in the tooltips, we should then experience one of the best starts to a League of Legends season yet.

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