Reviews - fiuuuuuuh

"Did you hate Outlast? Was it the lowest common denominator of horror? Is Outlast 2 somehow worse than that? Is it even possible?" - you ask. Well, my childe...

Outlast has no significant role in the horror's evolutionary cycle. Contrary to popular belief, it did not have great atmosphere, great story or great scares. Was it close to bringing about the end of the horror genre? I don't think so, but it did set the bar very low for future horror games. Did the sequel manage to outdo that?

Short answer is: in a way. The atmosphere, the soundtrack, the visuals and trying to progress under the pressure did ease up the ultimate pain however, but alas; what we've got here is DOOM without the shooting. And what happens in DOOM if you suddenly could not shoot the enemies? You either run away from them or you die, constantly, until you figure out where you're supposed to be going. The developers seem to expect the players to know the area layouts beforehand and thus punish them for taking the occasional wrong turn. A complete opposite of that classic chase scene from 2004's Haunted Mansion during which a fortune-teller who is trapped in your lantern tells you where to go in order to survive. Does that sound stupid? Outlast 2, being an exercise in frustration and repetition, is a primary example of why it was not. That's unfortunate, because the game's beginning is actually not bad, enjoyable even. I wouldn't call a game like this a horror game, but the soundtrack, the environments and the lighting together manage to create something that the first game couldn't with its identical corridors. And once again, the certain semblances of atmosphere will be gone once an enemy decides to show up. The enemies look weak and ridiculous, begging to be chokeslammed. The reason you'll be staying away from them is because the game tells you to do so, not because you don't want to see what they look like. Artificial horror at its finest.
There was no rhyme or reason in having so many enemy encounters and scripted chase sequences with the same enemies in the first Outlast, and the sequel is even worse. Being about as subtle as a sledgehammer, it becomes such a chaotic mess that even Chris Walker would be ashamed.

The level design is as uberlinear as it was in the first game. There is nothing open about it. What looks like it could be an open area with multiple places to explore, in actuality there is only one place you can go, maybe one extra place for those who try to find every single battery in the game. The biggest misstep here revolves around being constantly hunted and trying to find where you're supposed to go at the same time. As I mentioned, the levels are linear; clearly not designed for these activities at all.
Different hiding places are of little use in this game; hiding is on The Evil Within's level of uselessness. Due to their set paths, the enemies slowly wander from point A to point B and then back to point A, never looking for me or doing anything out of ordinary. Running is the option players are constantly bound to, which is why it is so comical to see a stamina system present in the game like this. It takes about 5-10 seconds before Blake gets out of breath and can't run anymore.

However, the reasons I liked the game were these : the soundtrack and the more varied environments, plus the semi-ambiguous narrative. The ending doesn't do the game any favors and some things could have been left more open for players to interpret. Replacing Miles's dreadfully written notes from the first game with recording and reviewing footage works better; Blake slowly "losing it" in these recordings is evident the further you get in the game. The school segments were the peak of the game, but there was not much to them. Less time in the hillbilly-land and more time in the school I would've liked, but with more mystery behind it instead of doing the same thing everytime over and over. The game does however use symbolism fairly well and helps you piece things together yourself before they are spelled out for you.

All in all, the story department seems to have been improved, the gameplay stayed mostly the same (repetitive, the gameplay and the story completely separate entities), level design still linear but more detailed and varied areas, the lighting and sound design are both strong in Outlast 1 and 2. Although they are not the answer to the problems of the genre, the sequel took some babysteps in the right direction, or so I'd like to think.

Layers of Fear is a below average visual clichéd novel falsely labeled as a fantastic horror adventure.

Thankfully, it never exactly fell apart thanks to its music, visual presentation and short length.
However, it loses what little atmosphere and subtlety it had to begin with as soon as the second hunt for a piece of a painting begins. It manages to run out of its ideas very soon and the "Turn around and now the room/hallway is different" or "Walking through a hallway and a painting will jump off the wall, making a loud noise, or something like it" - tricks get old during the first quarter of the game.

The story should be well-written and impeccable in games that are as repetitive and lackluster gameplay-wise as Layers of Fear, and it is certainly not that. From poor voice acting to random hints on the walls, trying to provide some deeper meaning behind this otherwise very simple story, lacking any sense of mystery or intrigue.
Old creepy paintings are actually perfect for a horror game, but seeing the same paintings scattered all over, probably just for the sake of doing so, dismisses their purpose (for me) completely. I would've preferred if they were used as environmental storytelling method; an actual meaning behind each painting, each reflecting some part of the protagonist's life.

Environment interaction is similar to that of Amnesia, but noticeably clunkier and serves very little purpose. Cabinets have rarely anything worth finding in them and most doors are locked or will be locked after entering a new area. After going through a door, there's no going back since the game locks the door behind you and ditches the room/hallway you previously were in. If the player missed something "crucial", loading the latest checkpoint is required. Also escaping from "the enemy" (who is not a threat whatsoever) can be easily done by entering the next area, although occasionally the doors stay open but the areas disappear nonetheless, making the enemy de-spawn with them.

It has very good music and graphics, despite its inconsistent lighting and anti-aliasing issues back when I played it. It can look very pretty at times and very murky at times due to its lack of colors and the darkness is more of an annoyance. The game's pitch-black darkness is only good at hiding the jagged edges. As for the anti-aliasing, it didn't outright work about eight months ago. Not sure whether they've fixed it or not.

Just like in any other first-person horror game, exploring is a key-activity in Layers of Fear, but lasts only for a moment. As soon as the protagonist goes crazy and the "old spooky house filled with paintings" starts to change, it loses its appeal, especially considering how the hallways and rooms that appear out of nowhere have no significance. Far too often the game insists on playing by its rules, with no real player activity. Too much recycling of the same tricks and too much wandering around aimlessly, not knowing where and when will the next area appear/unlock.

I played through the game multiple times, trying to find all the collectibles and get all the endings. It takes about two hours or less to finish, which is absurd considering the 20$ price tag. I got 10 hours out of it, with no real regrets. Still, not great, or even good.