Updated: The devs sent over the footage of the build that was shown off at PAX East 2019. So if you didn’t get a chance to check it out, now you can.
Each year at PAX East, there’s typically one game that attendees walk away from the convention raving about. With few triple-A titles that were shown at this year’s show to snag that honor, it was anybody’s chance. Arguably, the award for most talked about game this past weekend went to indie studio Bloober Team for Layers of Fear 2. With both a booth and a panel featuring a demo and info on the game, there were ample opportunities to learn more about the upcoming horror sequel to 2016’s Layers of Fear.
In the original game, players took on the role of a tortured painter trying to complete his magnum opus. Over the course of the story, more of his sinister secrets were revealed along with scares and sudden changes in the environment. It was followed by DLC entitled Layers of Fear: Inheritance, which focused on the painter’s daughter.
This time around, you play as an actor on board a cruise ship. While this sounds like a splendid time, the demo assured me that it is not, unless you are the person playing the game and are hoping for some scares. For the actor, he has suffered trauma and loss and is preparing to take on a new role to help him cope. Supposedly this role is one that he can relate to, and the director seems to be a fan of method actors.
Before the demo, I was told by a member of Bloober Team to “look, listen, and feel,” which is easier said than done while playing a horror game. The demo started with my character waking up in the middle of the night on board said cruise ship. For whatever reason, I could hear the director’s disembodied voice. As I walked through the ship, the rooms would occasionally flip upside down when I’d turn around. About halfway through I made it to a room with a coffin, which promptly burst open. Not wanting to stick around to see who decided to pop out, I made a run for it, hearing the coffin’s former occupant pursuing me. Eventually I outran him, but before I could catch my breath I came into contact with some twitching mannequins. Creepy. I then made it to a woman’s room, and I heard her disembodied voice sobbing and alluding to something bad that happened in the past. Finally I ended up in a hallway with more creepy mannequins, this time reaching for me. Unable to turn around, I had to stare at them while walking backwards in order to escape. So I did in fact “look,” whether I wanted to or not.
As for the other two senses, listening and feeling proved rewarding. The voice of the director sounded familiar, and I was informed that he was voiced by veteran horror actor Tony Todd. Appearing in many horror and non-horror films over the years, he’s likely best known as the titular character in the Candyman series, which will sooner receive a remake thanks to Jordan Peele. Aside from the top notch voice talent, the sounds of the game also music recorded from a live orchestra. In the panel that followed, Bloober Team explained how live music will have slight imperfections, integral for horror and sounding natural (or supernatural) to the human ear. In terms of what I felt throughout the demo, it was too short to really get a read on things, yet it seems like this game may focus on a character getting over trauma as opposed to getting consumed by it.
No word yet on whether Layers of Fear 2 will feature multiple endings like the first entry. However, during the Q and A at the panel, someone asked if it shares any relation to the original’s story. While the sequel will feature a different protagonist and setting, it will take place in the same universe as the first.
While I did see a lot in my playthrough, I was told that the game will feature tons more references to Hollywood and movies for eagle-eyed players. I did notice a statue of a woman painted gold behind a sofa, likely a reference to the James Bond flick Goldfinger. And while I didn’t see the coffin-dwelling entity on my playthrough, I did witness another player getting killed by him. He looked like a humanoid mass of light and shadow, and the developers in fact referred to him as the “formless man” and the main threat of the game. When this player died, they were treated to the Dr. Seuss quote, “don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”
Developed by Bloober Team and published by Gun Media, Layers of Fear 2 will release later this year. The horror title will arrive on Xbox One, PS4, and PC for $29.99 and will take approximately six to nine hours to play through.
