Layers of Fear: The Final Masterpiece Edition is the definitive version of the Bloober Team classic. It includes the first two Layers of Fear games, along with all post-launch DLC released for them. This is the most feature rich version of the series, with the added benefit of being playable on a portable system. It is based on the significantly enhanced version of Layers of Fear that launched in 2023 on consoles and PC, which effectively served as a remake aimed at fixing issues from the original releases.
This edition includes all DLC, which adds to the overall playtime and brings the total experience to over ten hours. Layers of Fear is a first-person horror game with a strong focus on narrative and puzzles. It has more in common with a walking simulator than Bloober Team’s later projects like The Medium. The main emphasis is on storytelling through environmental details such as notes scattered throughout the environment, inspecting objects, and discovering audio logs. The puzzles are fairly simple, while the limited ghost encounters usually come down to using a flashlight to stun them. The flashlight is also an important tool for revealing hidden objects and solving environmental puzzles.
The story is somewhat disjointed. It takes time to piece everything together, and the game demands a lot of reading and attention to the lore presented through text and narrative elements. Multiple stories are woven into the main experience. The first focuses on the story of a Painter. Later segments expand on this narrative, including the Inheritance DLC, which is integrated into the main game and centers on the Painter’s daughter, and The Final Note DLC, which shifts focus to the Painter’s wife.
This feels like a director’s cut of the Layers of Fear franchise, bringing several story segments together into a single experience. The opening is set in a lighthouse, with the player taking on the role of a writer. The narrative then shifts between different characters and settings, moving from a Painter in a Victorian mansion to an actor aboard a mysterious ocean liner. There are multiple endings, which adds some replay value, and the game encourages revisiting the story to gain a clearer understanding of the full narrative.
Turning to the Switch 2 port, I was impressed by how well Bloober Team managed to adapt the game to less powerful hardware. The game supports HDR, though the implementation feels somewhat underwhelming on the Switch 2 display in portable mode. While it does enhance dark highlights and adds to the atmosphere, HDR works much better on an OLED display when playing docked. In portable mode, there were moments where the darkness made it hard to see what was going on.
Performance is another area where the game does well. It runs at 60 FPS on Switch 2, even if the resolution does not appear to be native. There is noticeable shimmering along edges, showing that aliasing is not handled particularly well, but the dark visual style helps hide many of these issues. More importantly, the game largely maintains its 60 FPS target without major frame pacing problems. Controls are smooth and responsive, with no serious issues. Considering the game is built on Unreal Engine 5, which can be difficult to run on the Switch 2, Bloober Team deserves credit for the overall technical result.
The game also supports several Switch 2 features, and I was particularly surprised to see that touchscreen controls work when playing in portable mode. Gyro and motion controls are also supported with the Joy-Cons, and they help improve the overall experience. The bottom line is that if you are a fan of the story and the world, Layers of Fear: The Final Masterpiece Edition is a solid port worth checking out. Even for those who are new to the franchise, this is a respectable way to experience the game.
The story itself may be hit or miss for some players. Personally, I found it engaging enough to see it through to the end. While the jump scares become predictable over time and the game leans heavily on environmental and perspective changes, I still enjoyed it more than some of Bloober Team’s other projects, such as Blair Witch Project and The Medium. It stands as one of their better recent releases, even though my personal favorite remains the Silent Hill 2 remake.
If you are looking for a solid first-person horror game with a strong focus on exploration and story, Layers of Fear: The Final Masterpiece Edition may fit what you are looking for. Otherwise, Cronos: The New Dawn is also worth recommending. It is an action-focused horror game with sci-fi elements from Bloober Team. I cannot personally comment on its Switch 2 port, but the PC and console versions were excellent and performed well at launch.
Layers of Fear: The Final Masterpiece Edition Game Information
- Price: $39.99
- Publisher: Bloober Team
- Developer: Bloober Team
- Platform: Switch 2 (Reviewed)
- Disclaimer: A review code was given by the publisher
