He returns to his home to finally complete his magnum opus, but an unravelling grip on reality turns that endeavour into a nightmare. If my memory can be trusted, I played the original game in one or two sittings, but in Layers of Fear VR-even having seen all these scares before-I struggled to play more than 20-odd minutes at a time without needing a break, just to give my heart a rest.įor all the struggles of the VR adaptation, the core of Layers of Fear VR is still Layers of Fear, a clever, evocative psychological horror that takes players on a terrifying journey into the mind of a tortured artist. With a headset strapped on and the outside world completely blocked out, the impact of those things comes tenfold. Even with the compromised atmosphere, the surreal set design, unsettling narrative, and well-placed jump scares make the journey through Layers of Fear a tense and frightening one. Layers of Fear was already a deeply immersive game to begin, but instead of enhancing that, Layers of Fear VR introduces new distractions and undermines the original game’s strengths.īut there’s one thing the move to VR does very, very well: heighten the tension. One of the main appeals of virtual reality is the chance for deeper immersion than ever.
The footsteps are still there, but more muted, and without the staggered, uneven head movements to go with it, the effect is lost. In Layers of Fear VR that iconic head-bob is just… gone. Through something as simple as a head-bob and the sound design of footsteps, Layers of Fear managed to convey the feeling of an injured man for whom just walking is difficult, adding another layer to the already tense atmosphere. One of the most memorable things about the original game is the main character’s laboured, uneven amble. (By contrast, the Switch version of Layers of Fear 2 is a great example of necessary technical downgrade that still preserves the game’s atmosphere.) The graphical downgrade needed to get the game running on PlayStation VR leaves environments feeling lifeless, and the objects you pick up and examine, through which the game does so much of its storytelling, are often blurry and lacking in detail. The other major problem is that, perhaps counterintuitively, the jump to VR really hinders the atmosphere that the original Layers of Fear built so well.
#Layers of fear vr Ps4
The worst part is that this could have been entirely avoided just by making a standard PS4 controller an option. A tendency to get stuck on objects makes the situation even worse, and even the ability to use movement of your real hands to reach out and grab objects in the game-the main benefit of Move controllers in a game like this-isn’t as reliable as it needs to be. Layers of Fear VR uses an awkward arrangement of face buttons to walk around because that’s the best option available with this controller setup, but the result is a game that makes fumbling with controls a constant distraction. PlayStation Move controllers are the only option, and while they certainly have their place, freely moving about in a 3D space isn’t one of their strengths. Sadly, a substandard VR port means it never comes close to being the game a virtual reality Layers of Fear should be, failing to capture the opportunities that VR brings and undermining a lot of what made the original so good in the first place. And with the original game’s captivating story to go with a terrifying journey through an artist’s obsessive desire to create his masterpiece kept perfectly intact, Layers of Fear VR should be a surefire hit.īut you’ll notice a lot of “shoulds” in that introduction.
“Layers of Fear VR” is available now through Steam and the Oculus Store.Layers of Fear seems like a game that should be a perfect fit for VR. A first-person psychological horror with an emphasis on atmosphere is the textbook case of something that should benefit greatly from virtual reality’s ability to shut out the rest of the world and let a game overwhelm the senses. The psychological horrors buried deep within “Layers of Fear VR” will leave players questioning their own eyes and mind.
#Layers of fear vr series
Through a series of twisted puzzles that challenge players to face and confront their fears, while remaining calm and mentally sane.
“Layers of Fear VR” is a first-person horror game built on a rich and dark story, with secrets that are unraveled along the way. Uncover visions, fears, and horrors that entwine the painter while exploring the depths of an ever-changing Victorian mansion filled with macabre artwork, all brought to life for the first time in a truly immersive and frightening virtual reality adventure. Publisher Bloober Team announced today, the return of its psychological horror hit, “Layers of Fear VR,” out now for Oculus Rift / Rift S and HTC Vive.īased on the critically acclaimed 2016 title, “Layers of Fear VR” immerses players into the depths of madness as a painter aiming to finish his Magnum Opus.
0 kommentar(er)
