At no point did I feel the need to look over my shoulder or peer cautiously around a corner – the on-rails style made it clear that the central scare in each sequence was always going to be in front of me, and if it was going to be behind me, it would let me know first. Layers of Fear also tends to telegraph its jump scares, like a poorly designed walk-through haunted house. The "disturbing" crayon doodles are just pointless. Is crayon art of a burning forest scarier than going on a hallucinatory nightmare trip through a living house that’s constantly changing its layout to bring your past misdeeds to light? I’d say no, especially not when the last part lacks the depth to stand on its own. Creepy dolls and “messed up” kid’s drawings serve as cheap ornamentation for a setting that doesn’t really need it. It isn’t even a problem that Layers of Fear features traditional horror tropes to begin with – the bigger issue is that it doesn’t bother to play around with these elements or repackage them as something fresh. Walking through the same predictable hallways just doesn’t make for a scary experience, especially when paired with boring cliches like creepy dolls and angsty wall scribbles. These effects look great and are pulled off seamlessly, but rather than use this subversion of space to heighten your distrust of your surroundings, Layers of Fear ungracefully over-indulges, repeating the same cool visual tricks until they feel like a gimmick. Doorways materialize out of nowhere, new hallways form mid-turn, and reminders of the horrible lengths you’ve gone to for your art await around every corner. “Your home becomes a nightmarish, labyrinthine dungeon of impossible architecture.
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