This is a game that genuinely tried to scare me by throwing a bunch of garlic in my general direction.

Here's how the plot of this kind of games is structured.

1. You launch the title.
2. You know that everything that happens around you is a visual metaphor for one of the following (because it always is):

• you being dead
  
• you dying right now
  
• you being an, ahem, bad person
  
• your family/children/loved one being dead
  
• your family/children/loved one dying right now
  
• your family/children/loved one being, ahem, bad people
  
• you having killed someone
  
• you having killed yourself
  
• you planning to kill yourself
  
• you being in denial about a traumatizing memory trying to resurface

3. You then play the game, eliminating the wrong options and thus arriving at which inevitable MINDBLOWING AND UNEXPECTED twist this particular one features. (In case you're curious, in LoF's case it's a combination of 3, 4, 6, and 9.)

What I'm trying to say is, the plot of Layers of Fear is so horribly cliche and delivered in such a stilted, overwritten, and unnatural way that it actively hurts the game. The story of a Super Tortured Artist living with a Super Tragic-slash-Insane Wife (who is also a person of art, a musician) in a Super Posh Mansion is one that would fit on fanfiction.net, not in a game with a price tag.

The worst part is, the writer of the game that is supposedly about art seems to know very little about it, which is why all plot points, letters, and discussions of art remain incompetently vague, afraid to go into specifics. We keep reading how the main character's art became bad, but—how? Why? Did his linework become weak? The use of colors, blurry and muted? The composition, skewed? Did he become repetitive and second-hand? What was the context of his creations?

For a game supposedly about art, Layers of Fear has surprisingly little to say on the subject, if anything at all.

Fortunately, the rest of the game is good—great even. Keep in mind that this is a walking simulator with mild optional puzzles (either skippable or impossible to fail). However, among walking simulators, this is definitely the most visually impressive and robust I've played. It tried very hard to reinvent something as simple as walking—often successfully.

For the most part you will follow a linear path along a corridor of rooms. Each room is a carefully-crafted separate experience that does its best to be surprising while still using an extremely limited number of mechanics. Sometimes you need to find an item in a drawer. Or walk past a painting. Or, say, look up. Or turn around twice, with the room changing behind your back. Or maybe just move along unobstructed. And then something surreal happens. It also thows original challenges at you, like instructing the player not to look back and then playing an intriguing/scary sound behind them.

It's not too complex, but it's hard not to respect the thought that went into turning Layers of Fear into something more engaging and interactive than a common walking simulator.

The horrors are of the common screamer variety—you won't find subtlety or taste here. However, there was a particular type of screamer that I really liked, and that was huge paintings sometimes appearing behind your back. They do nothing, they don't even move—but unnatural size and proximity definitely make them uncanny in a not-so-overused way.

And yes, the paintings are beautiful, as are the rest of the designs.

All in all, I would recommend Layers of Fear to fellow lovers of the genre—especially those who are ready to look past the cliches and enjoy this beautiful and oftentimes inventive game for what it is.

I have never seen so many interesting "scare mechanics" in one game before.

The whole game plays like you are walking through a haunted house, and it is GREAT. Every time you walk into a new room, you never know what to expect.

Bear in mind however, this game is VERY dark, and I'm not talking about brightness settings. Some themes in this game can be very disturbing.

A very short but very good horror game with a dark and interesting storyline.

Highly Recommended.

This is a great horror game:
1. It's not build up on jump scares, there are some jump scares, but not to the point where it gets annoying.
2. The graphics is very very decent
3. The controls are okish, but could be awkward sometimes
4. The music and sound effect... OMG!
5. The way the atmosphere and sense of horror builds up gets scarier and scarier as you play. Man, this is some true horror
6. You can actually get killed
7. The story is good and very rewarding as you reveal it.

Being a huge fan of horror games, I absolutely had to pick up Layers of Fear.
As described it as a “psychedelic horror” game, as you play a painter who is feverishly attempting to complete a true masterpiece, while going mad in the process.

“Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter.” ~ Oscar Wilde

The game mechanics are incredibly refreshing, as there was no specific villain you were trying to escape from, for the most part, which meant that the 'environment' was what you needed to fear, including several jump scares along your way.
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=519450951

Atmospherically, Layers of Fear is astounding from the moment you enter the house you will be exploring. Rain is falling heavily outside, with occasional bursts of thunder crackling behind you. The entire game is influenced by art and décor from previous centuries, particularly the architecture and design of the 19th century, and the visuals are very well tied together with this theme.
What also worth mentioning is the incredibly alluring and chilling soundtrack during the gameplay, that gives you the emotions the situation pulls you in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sB_6mk-XTw

I’d recommend the game to anyone who enjoys horror games as a genre, particularly if you don’t mind games where you can’t defend yourself and it’s all about you, the antagonist, and the spooky atmosphere.
Despite the game 'still' being in Early Access, what IS available to play is deeply engaging, if in need of a little polish here and there.
The game relies heavily on its ability to set you on edge, so if you’re the type with nerves of steel you likely won’t get too much out of it. To horror fans, however? I wholeheartedly recommend Layers of Fear to you!



9/10

I picked up Layers of Fear after I noticed it had come out of early access. I refuse to buy games in early access anymore, so I just add them to my wish lish and wait for them to be "finished".

I am posting this review after I played and beat the game.

Layers of fear is kind of an interactive story, puzzle, survival horror kind of game. You play as an artist returning home to work on his opus magnum.

At what first appears to be a basic jaunt around his home, quickly turns into a psychological horror, the house appears to be (possibly) haunted as the layouts change, you are confronted by visions of your dead wife and other various paranormal-esc situations.

Along the way, you'll collect notes and other memorabilia within the house that offers quick glimpses into the painter's past life, his family and even the state of his mental health.

The game isn't as "scary" as other games of this nature may be and in fact, you are put in several situations in which you can avoid confrontation entirely if so desired. As far as I am aware, there isn't really a way to die in the traditional sense, which is nice, because the game is set up in a way that you won't have to restart entire chapters of a mistake you may have made.

The writing for the story is farily good, I'd say much better then games such as Penumbra. It's a fairly unqiue and engaging story that made me want to continue playing just to find out a little bit more.

The puzzles are (generally) not too hard and there was very few moments I was actually stuck. Unfortunately the game doesn't help you in any real sense, besides some hints scattered about the game and as a result some of the more obscure puzzles can leave players scratching their head.

While I did enjoy the time I spent with the game, there are issues with it that I feel inclined to inform people of.

For starters, when you first start playing the game, it's fun and fascinating to explore the artist's big, beautiful house. The problem is that very early in the game, the exploration aspect of the game is all but removed, Instead the game becomes somewhat of an "on-rails" adventure game, instead of walking freely through the house, instead you'll be traversing hallways and single rooms. 9 out of 10 times, as you enter one room, the door will close and lock behind you, denying any sort of back tracking in the game.

This can become an issue, because the game feels as if it were meant to be explored and it was just a concept that was throw to the side. On occasion you may be given the opportunity to travel off the beaten path, but it is almost always just for a moment and it usually results in a dead end or locked door. The missing exploration concept bothers me, because I have always loved horror books, games and movies that involved big, old, beautiful mansions.

Another problem that I had with the game is it never really changes scenery too much. A large majority of the game just looks the same. Expect to see a lot of dark, dingy rooms, broken walls and floors and broken furniture. Also expect to see the same art, furniture and random junk over and over and over again. This becomes an even bigger issue when the game starts to begin recycling rooms.

Finally, the last problem I had with the game was the story. Remember earlier when I said they had a good story? They do, the problem stems from the fact that there's a lot of information presented for players to process and it's never really tied together or explained in any real sort of meaningful way. While I enjoyed the game while I played it, after I beat it, I felt very dissatisfied because I really didn't learn all that much and the game doesn't really make a good attempt at helping you understand.

I have questions, no one appears to have answers and frankly, I am no really into the entire "fan theory community" in which the developers of a game simply don't inform or release information to players, instead they just wait to see if someone gets it "right". For me, it just seems like a really lazy form of writing and I tend to get high aggravated with it.

Don't get me wrong, I love reading long books, I like guessing at the story, or the plots or even coming up with theories as I enjoy whatever book/movie/game I am playing. But I expect the writers to eventually tie down and explain what is going on in a clear, concise and satisfying way.

If you like games of this nature, if you have enjoyed games like 'A Machine for Pigs' and 'Penumbra', you'll enjoy this game a lot. If you like psychological horror, you'll appreciate this game. I can without hesitation recommend this game to horror fans, even given the rough spots of the game.

As an amateur of painting and art history in general, I was obviously attracted to this game where you play the role of a painter. Although the description given on the store page speaks of 19th century masterpieces this is not correct at all. The collection includes paintings from the Renaissance (15th century) and Mannerism (16th century), mainly Early Netherlandish painting, and Baroque paintings (17th and early 18th centuries) as well. In fact most of the works are not from the 19th century. Anyway I think it's an excellent selection for what the game is. As expected Goya's paintings abound, obviously from his darkest period, Black Paintings series and Rembrandt's as well. The inclusion of Bosch is appreciated, unavoidable.
I would say the game is psychedelic rather than horror, which personally is not bad in my opinion.
Graphics, soundtrack and ambience in general are very good.
You are a painter who has gained some prestige. Egoist. Delirious. Drunk. Well, no doubt you have skills common to hundreds of painting-geniuses :P
Your mission is to complete your Magnum Opus and for it you will have to go across your mansion through 6 chapters.
The essence of this game at least in my opinion is the story, which you must discover through notes, mementos, sketches and flashbacks that occurs when interact with different objects.
The funny thing is that your mansion becomes a kind of maze of different rooms in each chapter.
Decisions you make,objects or mementos you interact with, and paths you choose will result in your Magnum Opus ending. Although the chapters are not long and even after re-playing it a couple of times it is very possible that you will have the sensation of being in limbo... you will always arrive at the same end, going around in circles.
Even though there is a certain logic to detach from loop end and thus reach the other two endings (easier one than the other), there are some "traps" that are difficult to avoid and can condemn you to enter on the loop. If necessary consult the guide, but do not miss all the finals and thus know all the layers of history.
Having said that and without wanting to spoil anything I recommend this game to anyone who enjoys exploration games and puzzles. I liked it, it has entertained me for some hours and its history has captivated me.
Perhaps the only negative point is that it consumes more system resources than it should.

*For those who are interested in the end of the review will find links to screenshots of some of paintings included in the game.

Como aficionado a la pintura, y a la historia del arte en general, obviamente me sentí atraído por este juego en donde encarnas a un pintor. Aunque en la descripción brindada en la página de la tienda se habla de obras maestras del siglo XIX esto no es para nada correcto. La colección comprende pinturas del Renacimiento (siglo XV) y del Manierismo (siglo XVI), principalmente pintura flamenca y del Barroco (siglos XVII y comienzos del XVIII) también. De hecho la mayoria de las obras no son del siglo XIX. De todas formas creo que se trata de una excelente selección para lo que es el juego. Como era de esperar abundan las pinturas de Goya, obviamente de su etapa más oscura, la serie Pinturas Negras y las de Rembrandt también. Se agradece la inclusión de el Bosco, infaltable.
Diría que el juego es psicodélico mas que de terror, lo cual personalmente no es malo según mi opinión.
Los gráficos, la banda de sonido y la ambientación en general son muy buenas.
Eres un pintor que ha ganado algo de prestígo. Egoísta. Delirante. Borracho. Bueno, sin dudas tienes aptitudes comunes a cientos de genios de la pintura :P
Tu misión es completar tu Magnum Opus y para ello deberás recorrer tu mansión a traves de 6 capítulos.
Lo esencial de este juego, al menos en mi opinión, es la historia, que deberás ir descubriendo a traves de notas, recuerdos, bocetos y flashbacks que ocurren al interactuar con diferentes objetos.
La gracia está en que tu mansión se convierte en una especie de laberinto de habitaciones diferente en cada capitulo. Las decisiones que tomes, los objetos o recuerdos con los que interactues y los caminos que elijas darán como resultado en que terminará tu Magnum Opus. Los capítulos no son largos pero incluso luego de rejugarlo un par de veces es muy posible que tengas la sensación de estar en un limbo... siempre llegarás al mismo final, dando vueltas en circulos.
Incluso si bien hay una cierta lógica para despegarse del final en circulos y así llegar a los otros dos finales (más fácil uno de ellos que el otro), hay algunas "trampas" que son dificiles de evitar y pueden condenarte a entrar en el bucle. Llegado el caso consulta la guía, pero no dejes de acceder a todos los finales y asi conocer todas las capas de la historia.
Dicho esto y sin animo adelantar nada recomiendo este juego a todo aquel que disfrute de juegos de exploración y rompecabezas. Me ha gustado, me ha entretenido unas cuantas horas y su historia me ha cautivado.Quizás el único punto negativo es que consume más recursos del sistema del que debería.

*Para quienes sea de su interés en el final de la reseña encontrarán links a capturas de algunas de las obras incluidas en el juego.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1905316973

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1905317281

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1905317979

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1905316850

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1905316791

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1905317081

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1905316709

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1905316920

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1905317204

Thanks, HumbleBundle.

The only regret I have after finishing Layers of Fear is that I won't be able to experience the game like the first time I played it, ever again. It was a memorable journey, which, even though admittedly short, was worth every cent.

You play as a painter who's gone insane over his obsession with perfection in his works of art. Through the story you'll recall memories that surrounded him and his family and how his profession completely changed his world, his attitude etc. While the narration is not particularly mind-blowing, it's the events which happen throughout player progression that mainly consolidate the story. The game is split in a prologue and six chapters, all of them happening around the spectrum of your magnum opus, a new masterpiece you're working on. As you are progressing through the narrative you will understand how the plot takes a darker turn with each new chapter.

In regards to the genre, I can firmly say that Layers of Fear does a fantastic job at bringing suspense and fright to the player. There is no combat, and dying will not have you reload an older checkpoint (though it will lead to a different ending). Instead, most of the horror is brought to you by the uncertain and the jump scares. Indeed, the game is filled with them, but in my opinion they make the game a lot better. Sure, many people may disagree with me here. I am not a fan of cheap, cliché-ish jump scares either, and that's exactly why I loved them in Layers of Fear: they're different. It's difficult to explain exactly how they work without spoiling the game. In short, they're much more than random meshes thrown at you. It feels like they're building the story in their own way.

The gameplay is the standard one usually encountered in games of this sort: you walk/run across the rooms, interacting with the environment in order to progress or to uncover memories of the protagonist's past. You can not defend yourself from the enemy, but there's only a few encounters with them, all of which can be avoided as well.

The graphics are absolutely top-notch and a notable feat both from the development team and the Unity engine. Many times I stopped from advancing in the game only to stare at the paintings on the walls, or at the attention to detail in various scenarios. It is definitely a visual gem, which immensely adds to the immersion factor and overall to an even greater atmosphere.

The sound design is purely a masterpiece. Being an audiophile, I paid attention all the time to the background noises and music.

• The sound effects are very well polished and in harmony with the pace of the game. The wind and the trees outside, the lights cutting out, whispers of the past etc. all make up for the horror ambiance.
  
• The voice acting, while not distinctly catchy, is not half bad. Most of it will be heard when the player finds a memento, so it's not intrusive in any way.
  
• The soundtrack is astounding and one of the main reasons I replayed the game multiple times. Immersive melodies accompanying the player, with changing themes depending on the scenario.

It is worth saying that Layers of Fear is an incredibly atmospheric game, mainly because of the aforementioned graphics and sound quality, but also thanks to the incredible level design set by the developers. It's a game playing with your brain, the rooms changing their appearance as you trigger certain events, returning to some places only to find them completely different etc. , delivering the player a taste of the painter's madness.


Pros:
+ Unique, memorable, true horror experience, amplified by a dark story line, breathtaking visuals and exceptional sound effects;
+ An atmosphere unseen before, with an interesting level design concept (interiors changing as the player looks back etc.), living up to its title of "psychological horror";
+ Marvelous soundtrack and totally immersive audio effects;
+ Gorgeous graphics;
+ The story is mostly built by the world elements the players can interact with, never enforcing cutscenes;
+ In my 20 hours of playtime I don't recall encountering a single glitch, let alone game breaking bugs;

Cons:
- No replayability; I, for one, have finished the game multiple times in order to better understand the story (and to get the remaining achievements);
- The fact that dying only affects the ending and has no real consequences during gameplay kills a certain amount of the tension;
- While not a big issue, I feel like the game could've been longer, as it took me roughly 5-6 hours to finish it on my first playthrough;

Personal rating: 91/100 - Amazing

*Review of the "Inheritance" DLC can be found here.

My strategy for overcoming the fear of opening doors in this game is to pretend you're busting a drug operation.

I do not normally play psychological horrors, but this game was free at one time and I chose to try it because of great reviews. I cannot say how good it is compared to other titles in this genre since I did not play other titles, but I found this game enjoyable. Roaming the house, looking at the pictures, and reading discovered notes was entertaining. The game is really good. I want to complete this experience with DLC