Layers Of Fear gets a new spooky trailer and June release window
Also, it's Layers Of Fear (singular) again
Last year, developer Bloober Team unveiled Layers Of Fears, the next entry in their first-person horror series. At the time it was hard to gauge if the game was a sequel, a pseudo-remake, or something in between. We now have a clearer view of what it really is ahead of its release this June, and it’s also (confusingly) changed its name back to Layers Of Fear, singular. Check out the new trailer below:
Layers Of Fear(s) is partly a glossy, Unreal Engine 5-powered repackaging of the series that supports ray tracing. The collection features the first two games - Layers Of Fear and Layers Of Fear 2 - alongside all of their DLC. Although, Bloober are giving the games more than just a new lick of paint. New “core mechanics” will be added to both games, making them more coherent when played back-to-back. Playing through remastered collections can be a little jarring when the games differ so drastically, so I like the idea of tying the two games together with new features.
The series will also have an “expanded plotline” by adding the “never-before-told story of The Writer, which will tie everything together.” The first two games explore the workaholic lives of The Painter and The Actor, so I guess The Writer rounds out their tortured artist trilogy. Apart from that, the games will have the same puzzle-focused exploration and hallucinatory jump scares they're known for.
Bloober Team have been a bit hit-or-miss when it comes to their horror outings, but their latest trip with The Medium worked well enough for AliceB, even though she didn’t wet herself out of fear. In her review, Alice said “I did enjoy The Medium for what it was, which feels more like a set-piece puzzle game in a cool gothic setting,” even if it “isn't scary in the slightest.”
Perhaps Layers Of Fear can bring back the spooks when it launches on consoles and Steam this June.
On a side note, my biggest fear while writing this article has been accidentally calling it Layers Of Fears (plural) and I’m glad this nightmare can end.