During Gamescom 2022’s Future Games Show today, several game trailers were on display for us to look forward to. While some of these trailers expanded on shorter videos from yesterday’s Gamescom Opening Night Live event, many were stand-alone announcements, including the newest look at a truly scary upcoming game. Layers of Fears is the third installment in a franchise of psychological horror games delving into the dark side of the arts.
Layers of Fears may have the subtitle, “Horror Reimagined,” but it is not a remake or remaster of the original Layers of Fear. Instead, it is a new perspective of the story that brings together the plots of all three games in the franchise, which include Layers of Fear, Layers of Fear 2, and soon Layers of Fears. This new story will bring with it familiar elements from the first two games while resisting the urge to be redundant. Pieces of the other stories will be reimagined for the sake of connecting the games to an overarching narrative. Because it is made in Unreal Engine 5, fans of the franchise can expect a more immersive game to heighten the horror. Check out the new trailer below.
Layers of Fear centered on the perspective of a wonderful painter who became obsessed with creating his life’s most perfect work. His tragedy is gradually revealed as players explore the artist’s Victorian mansion while wading through his unraveling sanity. In Layers of Fear 2, an actor faces a similar descent into madness as players explore the ocean liner setting of the movie. All of these games utilize the first-person perspective to make not just the characters, but the players themselves, doubt their own memories. As things change and warp around you, you will have to find a grip on reality to navigate your way to the end. It won’t be easy though. The mind can be a terrifying place.
Layers of Fears will be from the perspective of the painter’s wife, a musician who meets a terrible fate. As she tries to escape her psychological prison, players are forced to navigate the Victorian mansion from a new perspective but with a familiar sense of unreliability and tension. The setting will change around you and make you doubt yourself, but can you uncover the story of how the three are connected: the painter, the actor, and the musician? The trailer ends with a lighthouse as a nod to the second game, and the developers of Bloober Team have specifically mentioned that all three games have an intricately connected storyline.
If you’re looking for your newest horror game fix, stay tuned for Layers of Fears. When it is released in early 2023, it will be available to play on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam. In the meantime, here are some more scary games to keep you up at night.
