Info about Layers of Fear 2 (2019):

Official game description:
The acclaimed sequel that redefined the award-winning series. Climb aboard a mysterious ocean liner as you step into the shoes of an actor called to perform under strange circumstances by a director with unsettling intentions.
Echoes of past performances twist into distorted memories, props become threats, and the line between stage and self begins to collapse. With every step, you’re pushed to achieve the director’s cryptic demands – and answer the question of what you’re willing to sacrifice for the perfect role.
Created by the modern masters of horror at Bloober Team, Layers of Fear 2 is a feast of cinematic storytelling amidst shifting, nightmarish environments.
Game Features:
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*   Story-driven Exploration – Explore the world around you in order to uncover your past and reveal the hidden reasons why you were chosen for this role.
*   Psychological Horror – Is this part of the film, or are your memories playing tricks on you? The world may change in an instant and only you can decide what's real and what's not.
*   Unique Ocean Liner Setting – As you descend into the depths of the ship, the scenes you shoot for the film grow ever more surreal, and ever more terrifying.
*   Classical Ominous Soundtrack – An original score composed by Arkadiusz Reikowski, conducted by George Strezov, and performed by the Sofia Session Orchestra.

Release date: May 28, 2019

Categories: Psychological Horror, Atmospheric Horror, Exploration, Puzzle Solving, Story-driven Gameplay, Narrative Adventure, Environmental Storytelling, Walking Simulator


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $10.00 - $15.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence suggests that the community generally finds the game worth purchasing only when it is discounted. Multiple reviews mention waiting for a sale or not paying the full price, indicating that the perceived value is lower than the current base price of $19.99. The sentiment is that the game is worth buying at a reduced price, typically around 50% off.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 6.0h
  - Story completion: 4.0h
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The evidence provides direct and indirect indications of playtime metrics. The first quote mentions a playtime of around 6 hours, which can be considered a typical story completion time. The second quote suggests that the game's impact lingers hours after completion, indicating a shorter playtime. The third quote explicitly states that the game can be completed in 3-4 hours, supporting the story completion metric. The fourth quote mentions a playtime of around 30+ hours, which is likely an outlier but suggests extensive play for completionists or those engaging in multiple playthroughs.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game is initially perceived as boring and repetitive, with slow progression and tedious gameplay, but there is a potential for it to become more engaging later on.
  - Stance: Never clicks
  - Anchor: N/A
  - Time to anchor: 1h 0m
  - Friction: Repetitive sequences; Slow progression; Tedious gameplay mechanics; Walking simulator aspects
  - Unlock drivers: Innovative visuals; Scene changes
  - Conditions: Playing in safe mode; Appreciation for abstract visuals
- Player Archetypes:
  - Story-Driven Horror Enthusiast (buy)
    - Motivation: Immersive storytelling and atmospheric horror.
    - Playstyle: Explores every narrative detail and enjoys the psychological and atmospheric elements of the game.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: horror fan; storytelling enthusiast
    - Reference games: The Evil Within 2; Silent Hill; SOMA; Outlast
  - Achievement Hunter (sale)
    - Motivation: Completing games and collecting achievements.
    - Playstyle: Systematically completes all in-game tasks and collects achievements, often replaying sections to ensure nothing is missed.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: achievement hunter; completionist
    - Reference games: Layers of Fear; Outlast
  - Franchise Fan (sale)
    - Motivation: Nostalgia and appreciation for the original game.
    - Playstyle: Enjoys the game for its narrative and atmospheric elements, often comparing it to the original.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: franchise fan; LoF fan
    - Reference games: Layers of Fear


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Stunning visuals and graphics (weight 0.5): The game is visually fantastic, featuring impressive and masterful visuals, excellent graphics, and striking imagery.
- Compelling and well-written story (weight 0.45): The game offers a compelling and well-written story, with clear and sad narratives that are both interesting and understandable.
- Immersive and atmospheric gameplay (weight 0.43): The game features an immersive and terrifying atmosphere, praised for its haunting ambiance and sophisticated design that blends movie and video game elements.
- High artistic design (weight 0.31): The game boasts a high artistic level with beautiful visuals and design, stunning art design, and impressive art style.
- Effective sound design (weight 0.29): The game's sound design is highly effective, with great sound effects and cinematic ambiance that enhance the overall experience.
- Safe mode option (weight 0.16): The inclusion of a safe mode allows for a stress-free experience, making the game accessible to a wider audience.
- Attention to detail (weight 0.14): Every detail of the game is gorgeous, with scenic beauty and meticulous attention to detail that contribute to its overall quality.
- Balanced and intuitive puzzles (weight 0.13): The game includes well-designed and mostly logical puzzles that are balanced and intuitive, enhancing the gameplay experience.
- Improved gameplay and creativity (weight 0.13): The game shows improved gameplay and creativity compared to the first game, making it more replayable and of higher overall quality.

Common complaints:
- Confusing and obscure plot (weight 0.77): The story was widely criticized for being difficult to understand, with many players finding it convoluted, cryptic, and poorly told. The narrative often required reading notes to comprehend and lacked a clear ending.
- Not scary enough (weight 0.63): Many players found the game lacking in scares, with predictable jump scares and an overall atmosphere that wasn't frightening. The mannequins and other horror elements were deemed unscary, especially for experienced players.
- Disappointing compared to predecessor (weight 0.51): Players felt that the game did not live up to the standards set by the first game. It lacked the artistic atmosphere, standout designs, and overall experience that made the first game enjoyable.
- Frustrating chase sequences (weight 0.45): The chase sequences were a common point of frustration, described as repetitive, annoying, and poorly designed. Many players found them more frustrating than terrifying.
- Linear and monotonous gameplay (weight 0.35): The gameplay was criticized for being painfully linear, monotonous, and lacking interaction. This made the game feel tedious and stifling to some players.
- Lacks tension and appeal (weight 0.28): The game was criticized for lacking sustained tension, widespread appeal, and genuine scary scenes. The soundtrack and overall dread and suspense were also found to be lacking.
- Game length issues (weight 0.24): Opinions varied on game length, with some finding it too short and others feeling it was overly long. This inconsistency suggests problems with pacing and content depth.
- Poor puzzle design (weight 0.23): Puzzles were described as not user-friendly, not challenging, and sometimes ridiculous. This indicates a lack of engaging and well-designed puzzle mechanics.
- Visual and motion issues (weight 0.2): Some players experienced motion sickness and were bothered by the excessive use of black and white screens and filters, which affected their overall experience.
- Not worth the price (weight 0.13): Some players felt that the game was not worth the price, indicating a perceived lack of value for the cost.
- Lack of language support (weight 0.08): There was a notable lack of Chinese language support, which could limit the game's accessibility to a broader audience.

Gameplay feedback:
- Exploration and puzzle-solving focus (weight 0.63): The game emphasizes exploration and puzzle-solving as core mechanics. Players spend a significant amount of time navigating environments and solving puzzles to progress.
- Psychological horror with narrative (weight 0.39): The game blends psychological horror with a strong narrative focus. The story is driven by atmospheric and puzzle elements, creating a deep and engaging experience.
- Multiple gameplay modes (weight 0.38): The game offers various gameplay modes, including different difficulty settings and a New Game+ mode. These modes provide replayability and cater to different player preferences.
- Horror elements and atmosphere (weight 0.35): The game includes various horror elements, such as jump scares, psychedelic visuals, and a generally scary atmosphere. These elements contribute to a surreal and paranormal experience.
- Chase sequences with monsters (weight 0.34): The game features intense chase sequences where players must evade or hide from monsters. These sequences add tension and urgency to the gameplay.
- Multiple endings based on choices (weight 0.28): The game features multiple endings that are determined by the player's choices and actions throughout the story. This encourages replayability and exploration of different narrative paths.
- Collectibles and hidden lore (weight 0.19): Players can find and collect various items throughout the game, which often reveal hidden lore and additional story elements. These collectibles add depth to the game's narrative.
- Setting on a boat (weight 0.14): The game is set primarily on a boat or ocean liner, which serves as the main environment for exploration and story development.
- Story told through environmental details (weight 0.09): The narrative is conveyed through various environmental details such as letters, paintings, dialogue, and notes. This method of storytelling immerses players in the game world.
- Monotonous and repetitive environments (weight 0.08): Some players have noted that the game's environments can feel monotonous and repetitive, detracting from the overall experience.

Performance notes:
- Good optimization and performance (weight 0.29): Many players have praised the game's optimization, noting that it runs well technically with good performance even on mid-range hardware like the GTX 1050 Ti.
- Game fails to launch (weight 0.14): Several players reported issues with the game not starting or opening properly. This seems to be a common problem affecting the initial launch of the game.
- Compatibility issues with CPUs (weight 0.06): There are reports of compatibility bugs specifically related to new CPUs. This issue may affect players with newer hardware configurations.
- End game video glitch (weight 0.06): Some players have encountered a glitch in the end game video. This issue affects the gameplay experience towards the end of the game.

Recommendations:
- Buy on sale (weight 0.1): Many players recommend purchasing the game only when it is discounted.
- Atmospheric with adrenaline rushes (weight 0.06): The game is praised for its immersive atmosphere and occasional bursts of excitement.
- Engaging story (weight 0.06): The game features a good and engaging story that players appreciate.
- Fans of the first game (weight 0.05): The game is recommended for those who have played and enjoyed the first game in the series.
- Horror storytelling genre (weight 0.05): The game is suggested for fans of horror and storytelling genres.
- Good gameplay mechanics (weight 0.05): The game is recommended for its well-made gameplay mechanics.
- Suitable for teens (weight 0.05): The game is considered appropriate and enjoyable for teenage players.
- Moderate PC requirements (weight 0.05): The game has fast and moderate PC requirements, making it accessible for many players.
- Consider newer game (weight 0.05): Some players suggest getting the newer game instead of this one.
- Positive French recommendation (weight 0.05): French-speaking players recommend the game without hesitation.

Other player notes:
- Controller setup issues (weight 0.06): Players report needing to adjust or turn off STEAM input settings when using a controller. This suggests potential compatibility or configuration challenges.
- Chinese language request (weight 0.05): There is a demand for the addition of Chinese language support. This indicates a desire for greater accessibility for non-English speaking players.

Emotions:
- Disappointment (weight 0.25): The game failed to meet expectations set by its predecessor, with players citing a lack of genuine horror elements, confusing and poorly told storylines, and monotonous gameplay. The chase sequences, repetitive environments, and outdated design contributed to the overall dissatisfaction. Additionally, the absence of certain language supports and technical issues like glitched videos further detracted from the experience.
- Frustration (weight 0.2): Players experienced frustration due to the game's confusing and obscure narrative, which was difficult to follow and lacked a clear ending. The chase sequences were particularly problematic, being described as tedious, repetitive, and overly punishing with a low tolerance for error. Additionally, the gameplay mechanics were criticized for being monotonous, cryptic, and causing motion sickness, while technical issues such as achievements not unlocking properly and the game not starting added to the frustration.
- Positive (weight 0.08): Players expressed positive emotions towards the game's strong and immersive experience, highlighting its beautiful graphics, good audio, and fascinating stories. The atmosphere, sound design, animations, and cinematic references were particularly praised. Additionally, the game's replayability, new mechanics, and artistic design contributed to a highly enjoyable experience.
- Appreciation (weight 0.05): Players appreciated the game's artistic approach, atmospheric and graphical improvements, and creative horror elements. The high energy density, interesting space conversion, and compelling storytelling were also highlighted as strong points. The improved graphics and thought-provoking plot contributed to a positive reception.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.05): Players were enthusiastic about the game's engaging atmosphere, visual tricks, and strong narrative. The art direction, visuals, and symbolism were particularly praised, contributing to an overall positive and immersive experience. The game's graphics and sound were also highlighted as strong points.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.05): Players enjoyed the game's funny puzzles, quality graphics, and diverse gameplay. The setting, shape-shifting environments, and mysterious story added to the overall pleasant and engaging experience. The regular surround sound and replayability were also mentioned as positive aspects.
- Excitement (weight 0.05): Players were excited about the game's detailed and varied chapters, multiple endings, and replayability. The captivating and well-written story, improved gameplay, and creativity compared to the first game were also highlighted. The engaging narrative, spectacular audiovisual experience, stunning environments, and soundtrack contributed to the excitement.
- Admiration (weight 0.04): Players admired the game's gorgeous details, visuals, and narrative. The atmosphere, story, graphics, seamless scene transitions, multiple endings, and New Game+ mode were particularly praised. The writing, soundtrack, voice acting, and art style were also highlighted as strong points.
- Fear (weight 0.02): Players experienced fear due to the game's atmospheric elements, psychological horror, and scary atmosphere. The immersive and terrifying atmosphere, along with jump scares, contributed to a sense of fear and tension.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.02): Players felt satisfied with the improved gameplay mechanics, graphics, and atmospheric sound compared to the first game. The great story and acknowledgment that the second game is also good contributed to a positive experience.
- Immersion (weight 0.01): Players felt immersed in the game due to its strong narrative, cinematic ambiance, and immersive atmosphere. The combination of these elements created a captivating and engaging experience.
- Tension (weight 0.01): Players experienced tension due to the game's effective use of sound design, visual cues, and increased chase sequences. These elements combined to create a sense of urgency and suspense.
- Confusion (weight 0.01): Players felt confused due to the game's disorienting and abstract narrative, as well as its intricate and confusing story. The lack of clarity in the storyline contributed to a sense of bewilderment.
- Awe (weight 0.01): Players felt a sense of awe due to the game's mesmerizing visuals, unique setting, and spectacular imagery. The haunting ambiance and artistic visual design contributed to a feeling of wonder and admiration.
- Unease (weight 0.01): Players experienced unease due to the game's constantly distorted reality and shifting environment. These elements created a sense of discomfort and disorientation.}