Begrudgingly spooked: Layers of Fear

The name Layers of Fear should indicate that there’s some sort of depth and immersion, but generally it’s just a bag of cheap jump scares or atmospheric anxiety. I was so excited to play it (I was fresh off playing Outlast and Amnesia), and itching for a new first-person horror. It fell short of expectations. It just fell so flat. I could sum up the whole story with “painter really needs to go to a therapist.”

The jumpscares still got me, though, so I suppose it was scary. The story-driven thriller starts you off with the task of completing your magnum opus of projects, a masterpiece painting. Though, as you unlock more clues from your past, you’re forced to face the mistakes you’ve made that tore your family apart. Maybe the real masterpiece was the screwed up things you did along the way. -Jeb Biggart, associate social media editor