Layers of Fear 2 (2019) Review Summary

Great graphics, an engaging story, and New Game+ add replay value, but it falls short of the first game with confusing storytelling and weaker horror.

Praised graphics quality: Reviewers consistently highlight the game's graphics as high quality, beautiful, and well done. The visuals are described as stunning and amazing across multiple clusters.

Engaging and improved story: The story is often described as interesting, mysterious, and more ambitious than the first game. It features symbolism and deeper characters.

New Game+ and replayability: New Game+ mode is well received, allowing players to carry over collectibles, make different choices, and explore more. It significantly boosts replayability.

Strong horror atmosphere: The game's atmosphere is widely praised for being creepy, gripping, and well executed. It effectively supports the horror experience from the beginning.

Excellent sound design: Sound design, including soundtrack and effects, is frequently commended as excellent and immersive. Binaural audio is specifically mentioned as a standout feature.

Inferior to the first game: Many reviewers compare the game unfavorably to its predecessor, stating it is weaker in story, atmosphere, horror, and overall quality. This sentiment appears across several clusters with high frequency.

Confusing and hard-to-follow story: Multiple clusters highlight that the story is confusing, obscure, and difficult to follow. Reviewers frequently mention it is worse than the first game in clarity and coherence.

Weaker horror than predecessor: The game is criticized for being less scary and having fewer horror elements compared to the first game. Reviewers note reduced jump scares, less tension, and a weaker atmosphere.

Not scary overall: A common complaint is that the game simply isn't scary. This includes both the atmosphere and the monster design, with many saying it fails to deliver fear.

Story lacks engagement: Reviewers find the story uninteresting, disappointing, and lacking a compelling connection to the protagonist. It fails to grip players or make them want to discover more.

Horror walking simulator gameplay: The game is primarily a first-person walking simulator with horror elements, where players move from room to room and explore environments. Many reviewers describe it as a story-driven horror walking sim.

Multiple endings and choices: The game features three different endings determined by key decisions and branching narrative paths. Player choices influence how the journey concludes, and multiple true endings can be achieved.

Monster chase sequences: The game includes chase sequences where monsters pursue the player, with some passages requiring running and hiding. These chases are present but not overly difficult, and there is no stealth mechanic.

New Game+ mode: A New Game+ mode allows players to replay chapters selectively with saved progress, experience different choices, find all collectibles, and see other endings. It enables reliving chapters to collect missing objects and understand the story.

Puzzles and collectibles: The game includes puzzles of varying complexity and abundant puzzle elements, though puzzle difficulty is generally low. Collectibles such as notes, photographs, posters, pictures, audio recordings, and mysterious objects tell a dark story.

Game fails to launch: Many players report the game does not start at all on PC, often requiring fixes from guides or forums. Others say it will not launch on current hardware, after installation, or on specific setups like Nvidia drivers, Steam Deck, or Alienware Aurora 13.

CPU compatibility launch bug: The game has a compatibility bug with newer CPUs, including an OpenSSL error that prevents it from running on Intel 10th gen or later. Workarounds like altering a binary variable can slow down the CPU.

Runs well on mid-range PCs: Many users report smooth performance on mid-range hardware, such as an RTX 3050 or GTX 1050 Ti, achieving 60 FPS at 1080p. Others confirm it runs well or okay enough on their systems.

Crashes and black screens: Players experience crashes on launch and black screens on subsequent launches. Some also report that the game may crash during play, though others note no crashes in extended sessions.

No crashes or bugs reported: Several players completed the game without any freezes, crashes, bugs, or glitches, even after many hours. One user reported no bugs at all.

Wait for a discount: Many reviewers advise waiting for a sale before purchasing, often suggesting a 40%-90% discount. This is a common recommendation to get better value for money.

Worth playing: Many reviewers consider the game worth experiencing at least once, describing it as definitely worth playing. This sentiment is shared across several clusters.

Play the first game first: Reviewers frequently recommend playing the first Layers of Fear game before this one, as it enhances the experience and understanding. Some suggest buying the first game and its DLC instead.

Recommended for fans of first game: The game is highly recommended for those who enjoyed the first installment, with many saying it lives up to or surpasses the original. However, some fans may be disappointed.

Recommended for psychological horror fans: The game is particularly recommended for fans of psychological horror, especially those who enjoy mind-bending or artistic horror experiences. It is seen as a great fit for that niche.

Community fair range: $7.49 - $14.99.

Game completion: 5.0h.

Story completion: 5.0h.

Session length: 3.0h.

Endgame: 10.0h.

The strongest time-to-fun pattern is early acceptability or atmosphere followed by boredom and repetition, especially after Act 2. Many other players report no fun at all, and there is no supported moment when the game reliably becomes fun later.

Friction: Repetitive walking, door-opening, and teleporting sequences; Slow, tedious pacing with long stretches of little significance; Walking-simulator structure with limited engagement; No tutorial and poor explanation of what to do; Mouse controls becoming a chore in some sequences; Black-and-white sequences and visual effects causing repetition or discomfort.

Cinematic Psychological Horror Aficionado: Explores linear environments at a walking pace, absorbing story fragments, film references, and light puzzles rather than seeking challenge. Motivation: To immerse in a slow-burn, artful psychological horror story with surreal cinematic imagery and film-inspired atmosphere. Stance: buy.

Layers of Fear Franchise Loyalist: Plays for the story and series continuity, comparing scares, pacing, and mechanics to the first game; waits for a sale. Motivation: To continue the Layers of Fear series and see how the sequel evolves the original's style, even if it falls short. Stance: sale.

Traditional Horror Purist / Scare Seeker: Seeks challenging, scary encounters; rushes through when bored, judges by scare effectiveness and gameplay engagement. Motivation: To feel genuine fear and tension from active threats, not scripted chases or passive exploration. Stance: no buy.

Windows systems under 12GB VRAM mostly report the game running well, with some launch or crash caveats; the 12-15GB VRAM cohort reports significant launch errors and CPU slowdowns.

Windows <8GB VRAM: positive. Most reports indicate the game runs smoothly, though some users mention possible launch failures or crashes after installation.

Windows 8-11GB VRAM: positive. The included report states the game looks great and runs well, indicating positive performance for this cohort.

Windows 12-15GB VRAM: negative. Reports describe launch failures on newer Intel CPUs and required binary changes that slow the CPU, despite the game running only okay when it launches.

Steam Deck: The game is reported as impossible to play on Steam Deck, with multiple launch failures and a Windows-only Win+R workaround. A separate report warns of permanent deletion of local and cloud saves. These issues place the Deck experience in the Broken tier.

Weaker than first game: Many reviewers feel this sequel does not reach the level of the original Layers of Fear, describing it as less clear, less scary, and a major disappointment compared to the 2016 release. The first game is often preferred for its atmosphere, horror, and storytelling.

Part of Layers of Fear series: This is a sequel in the Layers of Fear franchise, developed by Bloober Team. It continues the series but moves away from the painter-centric madness of the first game.

Multiple endings available: The game features three different endings, including a hidden one, encouraging multiple playthroughs to see all outcomes. Players can make different choices across runs to experience every conclusion.

Short playtime: A single playthrough takes about 3.5 to 5 hours, with some reports of 6-8 hours if exploring thoroughly. This short length is noted by many players.

Different from first game: The sequel changes the formula completely and is not connected to the first game's story, offering a different experience. Some appreciate the change, while others find it less unique and surreal.