Psychological horror Horror Surreal horror Horror walking simulators

Layers of Fear 2

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An ocean liner, a film shoot and a director who wants more than a performance.

Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
Stores: Steam, Epic, GOG
Price: Paid
Rated: Mostly Positive on Steam (70% of 823 English reviews); Metacritic 70 on PC from 46 critics; 4.13 of 5 stars from 1,162 ratings on the PlayStation Store
Length: about 5 hours
Players: 1
Controls: Keyboard and mouse or a controller
Made by: Bloober Team
Released: 2019

On GOG: one of the GOG horror games.

Get it on Steam GOG Epic Games Store PlayStation Store (PS4, Layers of Fear 2 (2019))Xbox (Xbox One and Series X|S)Nintendo eShop (Switch)

What frightens As an actor summoned by an unseen director to a film shot aboard an ocean liner, you walk corridors and sets that change the moment you look away, while past performances twist into distorted memories, mannequins and props become threats, and the line between the role and yourself collapses.
Content: blood, intense violence, strong language, sexual themes, references to child abuse, disturbing imagery.

Layers of Fear 2 is a first-person psychological horror game by Bloober Team, released in 2019. You play an actor called aboard an ocean liner by a strange director to shoot a film, and as you explore, the ship's corridors and sets shift around you and your own memories turn against you.

About Layers of Fear 2

Layers of Fear 2 was made by Bloober Team, the Polish studio behind Layers of Fear, Observer and The Medium, and came out in May 2019 on Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, with a Switch version in 2021. Steam now lists it as Layers of Fear 2 (2019), since the 2023 Layers of Fear remake retells both games together; this is the original release. Arkadiusz Reikowski wrote its score, played by the Sofia Session Orchestra, and the director is voiced by Tony Todd.

You step into the shoes of an actor called to an ocean liner by a director with unsettling intentions. His voice comes over the ship's speakers and guides you through cabins, decks and film sets, giving you scenes to play. Along the way you find film reels and camera equipment, and the reels piece together a story from your past. In four rooms over the first four acts he puts a plain choice to you, to obey him or not, and those choices change the dialogue and decide which of three endings you reach.

The game is mostly walking and looking, in first person, and its fear comes from never being sure what is real. Corridors loop and rebuild themselves when you turn around, much of it is shot in black and white like an old film, mannequins stand where they should not, and props from past performances come back as threats. The store calls it a story of what you are willing to sacrifice for the perfect role.

It runs five acts of about an hour each, around five hours in all, and it frightens more by mood than by shocks: one guide calls it not too scary. It suits players who liked the first Layers of Fear and want slow, shifting psychological horror built from film history, rather than fights or survival.

How to play Layers of Fear 2

Explore the ocean liner in first person, opening doors and examining what you find.
Follow the director's voice through each act and the scenes it asks you to play.
Collect film reels and the other items that tell the story of your past.
Solve the puzzle in each set to move on, and at the four lit-up choices decide whether to obey the director.

Screenshots

Layers of Fear 2 screenshot: an empty ocean liner deck with a life ring and signal lamp, facing a pale sun in an orange sky over a dark, choppy sea

Layers of Fear 2 screenshot: a dark black-and-white rain-wet courtyard with wooden fences, lamps, fallen mannequins, a ship's wheel and a figure hanging above a doorway

Layers of Fear 2 screenshot: a hunched dark mannequin figure on a ship deck before a huge blazing red and yellow sun

Layers of Fear 2 screenshot: a dark black-and-white engine room with stairs, steam, a big lamp, a huge clock face and mannequins on the walkways

Layers of Fear 2 screenshot: a narrow dark hallway with peeling panelled walls, rotting red upper walls, newspapers on a wet floor and a bright light at the end

Layers of Fear 2 screenshot: a black-and-white corridor with shadowy hands reaching from both walls toward a glowing doorway

Tips

Turn around often; rooms change behind you, and some paths only appear that way.
Read and listen to everything you pick up; the story is told in pieces.
Your choices at the director's key scenes shape the ending, so play a second time to see another.

Questions

Do I need to play Layers of Fear first?

No. It has a new setting and new characters, aboard an ocean liner instead of a painter's house, and stands on its own.

What is the difference between Layers of Fear 2 (2019) and Layers of Fear (2023)?

Layers of Fear 2 (2019) is the original sequel. Layers of Fear (2023) is a remake in a new engine that retells both games and their DLC with new chapters.

Does Layers of Fear 2 have multiple endings?

Yes. Reviews and guides describe three endings, decided by whether you obey or defy the director at key scenes.

How long is Layers of Fear 2?

About five hours for the main story, as HowLongToBeat's figure on GOG gives it, and around ten to see everything. It has five acts of roughly an hour each.

Which platforms is Layers of Fear 2 on?

Windows through Steam, GOG and the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch, where it came out in 2021.