Like Observer, Layers of Fear 2 completely commits to a theme-the visuals, the narrative, the audio-and a much grander story is created in the spaces where these elements meet. Layers of Fear 2 is steeped in enough symbolism that these overreaches seem normal though-even encouraged.
Then I worry I’m reading too much into it. There’s an extended sequence in the ship’s engine room for instance, and I’m pretty sure some of the machinery was designed to resemble an oversized 35mm camera. Some, I’m not sure I’ll ever know for certain. Hell, even in the process of writing this review, I’ve had multiple realizations, along the likes of “Oh that’s why such-and-such happened.” Layers of Fear 2 lends itself to multiple replays, catching references or visual tricks you missed the first time when you were distracted more by the mechanics of playing it. Caligari or Nosferatu, then there’s a disconnect.Įven for those who catch every reference, it’s still something of a challenge to sift through them-especially in the moment, connecting various motifs to the two or three story arcs playing out simultaneously in past and present, and (for the most part) tied to collectible items. The exaggerated shadows of German Expressionism look splendid, but if you don’t understand the parallels between the character’s situation and say, Dr. None of the references are too obscure, to be fair, but they’re certainly not all common touchstones. If you don’t have a certain frame of reference it’s all lost-seemingly random changes in tone, in color versus black-and-white, in setting. But more than that, they convey elements of the character’s personality and history by drawing on the audience’s knowledge. Layers of Fear 2’s film homages certainly make for unique visuals, and a surreal journey. The Trip to the Moon segment adapts the iconic rocket-hitting-the-moon sequence so it also reflects the father’s wartime injury, which left him with only one working eye. As you walk from a sepia-hued kitchen into a facsimile of the Emerald City, the implication is that the actor took refuge in both film and in their own imagination, an escape from their abusive home life. The Wizard of Oz sequence, for instance, dovetails with details about the actor’s bleak childhood. Others follow, from Melies’ Trip to the Moon to The Wizard of Oz, Psycho, Nosferatu, Casablanca, and so on. Both the iconic factory scene and clock make an appearance, the first time I realized Layers of Fear 2 was borrowing scenes from film history directly. I started to understand around the time I saw Metropolis, or “Mechanopolis” as it’s called on the in-game poster. Or don’t, as may be.Īnd there are so many references to catch. The escalation-the increasing detachment from reality-mirrors the actor’s process, as they lose their identity in favor of digging deeper into the character. A normal suburban kitchen opens onto woods, with a glimmer of opulence in the distance. An elevator opens up onto a city block, skyscrapers stretching into the mists above. A door projected from film onto the wall turns into a real doorway. These parlor tricks continue through the entire game, but they gradually grow more ambitious. You start Layers of Fear 2 on an ocean liner, but as with the first game the ship is an impossible Escher space where you exit a room and find yourself back inside, or double back to find a new hallway’s replaced the old. It builds, and at first the constant changes in tone and location seem random. All the glimmers of recognition, the moments where you thought you noticed a pattern? You did. Layers of Fear 2 is building towards this moment where you realize it’s all intentional. Layers of Fear 2 is a brilliant work of art. And so if you want to go in blind (and you should) I recommend rereading the first sentence of this review and then walking away. I want to talk about Layers of Fear 2 though-at your expense, perhaps. “The story is great, but I can’t tell you why for fear of spoiling it.” I’ve written some version of that sentence countless times, as recently as last week with Observation. The usual inclination is to summarize as much as you can, then duck out with a vague value judgment and a promise to the reader. Note, it’s very hard to explain any of this without referencing specific examples or ruining the process of putting together this story yourself. Which brings us to Layers of Fear 2, a meticulously crafted homage to classic film that uses the visual language of horror to explore artistic creation-and specifically, acting-without uh…being scary. Games can do the same, as evidenced by first Soma, then Layers of Fear and Observer.
But there’s a rich horror tradition, one where the threats are mostly unseen or unknowable- The Thing, The Shining, The Omen, even In the Mouth of Madness and Jacob’s Ladder.
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