Layers of Fears: Everything We Know

Layers of Fears' twisted and downright psychedelic nightmare has once again been pulled from the dirt in a bid to regain the traction that once engrossed the horror community. With Bloober Team at the helm, fans of the cult-classic IP can yet again expect to see ravenous and unimaginable creations, illusions, and otherworldly apparitions jolt to life in an all-new reimagined version of the 2016 original and its hard-hitting successor.

So, what do you need to know about the Bloober Team IP? Will it be a remake of the first game, or will it simply build from the foundations and evolve into something completely different and unheard of? Here's everything we know about Layers of Fears so far.

What Is Layers of Fears?

Layers of Fears is an upcoming story-driven horror game by Bloober Team. According to the developer, the entry will be “built upon the foundations of Layers of Fear and Layers of Fear 2 with a surprising new story and gameplay direction,” which of course leads us to believe that this isn't just your everyday remaster—but more a fully realized version of the first two games and its Inheritance DLC, optimized for next-gen consoles through the power of Unreal Engine 5.

At its heart, Layers of Fear is a walking simulator, and one that mostly relies on building atmosphere and creating grand illusions that knock its players for six. With no combat featured, it is, more or less, a series of relatively short story-driven horror experiences, but with far more twists, turns, and conclusions than the bog-standard simulator.

“Layers of Fears will be the complete, definitive and at the same time unpredictable way to discover the stories of artists enslaved by their obsessions,” the website states. “Prepare for an exquisite horror experience thanks to the expanded plot lines that will cast a new light on the overarching narrative.”

Story

Layers of Fears will consist of the first two Layers of Fear games plus its DLC, Inheritance, but fully remade in Unreal Engine 5. Each chapter, which typically tells the story of an artist trapped in the confinement of their own creative minds, puts you front and center in what can only be described as an endless fever dream. With horrors extracted from the mind forever playing tricks on you, each experience will boast relatively short but emotionally gripping and immersive worlds and anchor points for you to be a part of.

Gameplay

For those of you who turned up the chance to play the original Layers of Fear two-piece, we can only describe its gameplay as being a mixed bag of walking, collecting, and puzzle solving. All of this is reflected on an overarching narrative that's both twisted to the core and absolutely rife with mixed messages, questionable motives, and psychological horror. Unlike its originals, though, Layers of Fears will supposedly build on the very foundations, which could mean Bloober Team will be considering the addition of combat.

Of course, it's still too early to tell at this point. Either way, make no mistake that this is not a survival-horror game. If anything at all, it's an experience, and one that conveys atmosphere over explosions and in-your-face jump scares. And honestly, when it comes to building atmosphere, the guys over at Bloober Team really knows their stuff.

Development

Layers of Fears is being developed by Bloober Team, a respectable outfit that's best known for its contributions to not only the horror community, but the gaming industry, in general. As well as the Layers of Fear series, Bloober Team has also been behind hit survival games including Blair Witch, The Medium, and Observer.

As it stands, Layers of Fears does not have a concrete release date set in stone, though it does have its platforms locked in, which are Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC. It's hard to say at this point whether or not the Switch will receive its own adaptation, but as history has shown, Nintendo are often a year or so behind most modern releases. To this end, Switch users could see it arrive on the console at some stage in 2024. But don't take our word on that, though.

Trailer

Layers of Fears was first brought to the table back at the Summer Games Fest in June 2022. Since then, Bloober Team has shed a little extra light on the project by revealing a gameplay trailer, which, true to its psychedelic roots, showcases some of the nightmares that players will have the opportunity to delve into come launch day. But for the time being, you can catch the original announcement trailer in the video above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Layers of Fears will be coming to Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store at some point in early 2023. As far as we know, there will not be a Nintendo Switch version, though this is subject to change as the year draws on. For now, though, it seems Bloober Team will be keeping it tied to next-gen consoles.

So, will Bloober Team be partnering up with either Xbox or PlayStation to bring Layers of Fears to Game Pass or PlayStation Plus? The short answer to this is, well, no. As it stands, neither subscription-based platform will host the latest entry in the horror saga. But this isn't to say that it will never become available in the future. Chances are, though, we won't find out until the weeks leading up to its eventual release.

Unfortunately, there won't be any special editions outside of its standard one, either. Again, this could change, similar to how the first game went on to receive the Masterpiece Edition in the years following its 2016 debut. For now, though, the game will only be available in either a vanilla physical or digital format.

For more information on the Layers of Fears release, be sure to check in with the official social handle here.

So, what's your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Layers of Fears when it releases later this year? Let us know over on our socials here or down in the comments below.