Bloober Team announced Layers of Fears during the Summer Games Fest today. The title, billed as “a psychological horror chronicle,” is not quite Layers of Fear 3 but rather a sort of remix of the previous games. The compilation will include the original Layers of Fear, the DLC Inheritance, and Layers of Fear 2. Additionally, it will feature extra content and will expand on these previous titles.
The first-person psychedelic horror experience will borrow from the exploration and storytelling of the other titles. But at the same time, Bloober Team promises “a surprising new story and gameplay direction” as well. According to the official website, this expanded plot will “cast a new light on the overarching narrative.” If you check out the reveal trailer, you can see scenes from the previous games, although the narration overlaying them suggests that the stories will overlap. Or you could even say, and I really can’t resist, they’re layered.
Notably, Layers of Fear 2 took place in a separate setting from the original game. The sequel swapped out an artist in a mansion for an actor on a cruise ship. So it will be interesting to see how Layers of Fears ties those separate tales together. In our review of Layers of Fear: Inheritance, the first game’s DLC, we applauded the atmosphere but lamented the lack of scares compared to the initial title. But in our review of Layers of Fear 2, we praised the scares, visuals, and plot.
Layers of Fears, looking better than ever in Unreal Engine 5, will arrive for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S sometime in early 2023.