I am four hours in, so this review is based on what I've seen so far. Unless things take a dramatic turn, though, which I don't expect them to, this review will stand. Note, I don't mention many specifics, but what follows is pretty spoiler-ish in that it could tint your lens (detrimentally) towards the game...so you might want to play it first, if you are definitely intending to. Once upon a time a game called MYTH blew people away with its gorgeous worlds, compelling puzzles, and intriguing storyline, but among the few but ardent detractors was the criticism that it was "just a slide show." In reality, it was about 20% slide show, 80% puzzle-solving, and, at the time, I dismissed the critics as being semi-mindless FPS nuts. (The FPS's at the time being basically just run-and-gun splatfests.) Layers of Fear, though, is literally 100% slide show, complete with intermittent transition effects. You basically go room to room, clicking on the same bookshelves and drawers, most of which do nothing but show you the same generic book spines, papers, and other minutiae, sometimes stumbling upon a scrap of paper with a bit of backstory on it. Every now and then you'll have an "episode," and something "spooky-ish" happens. There are also other subtle spooky-ish things that depend on you noticing them. As far as the fear component, the game would be better named Layers of Guilt, Layers of Obsessiveness, Layers of Masochism, etc. Something tragic happened in the seemingly somewhat OCD, and perhaps schizophrenic, character's past, and he is trying to resolve it. The process is not so much a frightening as tedius. Take away the incidental music and sound effects, and it would be wood panneling, woodpanneling, piece of furniture, wood panneling, transition effect... As far as the appearance, it's okay. Did I mention there's a lot of wood panneling? The visuals are certainly not enough to compensate for the limpid story or total lack of gameplay. Plus, it might be my setup, but movement is anything but smooth. I've played with all the settings, but haven't figured it out. This leaves some of the more dramatic slide transitions (dare I say moments?) underwhelming as I miss part of it awkwardly focused on the floor or a corner. Plus, opening drawers and doors (over and over and over) can be a pain in the butt. Oh, and another biff, though more minor, is that visually, and via clues and technology level, we would seem to be in turn of the 20th century, but any spoken or written script is solidly 21st century language, which kills the period aspect of it. At least the voice acting is alright for the most part. All in all, the atmosphere/mood/sensation/theme of the game reminds me very much of Sanitarium, but, in Sanitarium, you actually problem-solve, interact with meaningful characters, visit a diversity of dreamscapes, and identify wih the main character. ...and, in fact, now that I think about it, this team really missed an opportunity with having the player do painterly things...not exactly like Okami, but something like that, where brush strokes, and maybe obtaining and using certain paints or other materials, could reveal new clues, or even influence the story. With practically no interaction thusfar into the game, the best I can give is two stars. I thought I would like the 'sleepy' aspect of the game - I'm a person who likes movies in which 'nothing happens' (e.g. Lost in Translation and most Wes Anderson films), and I was partly influenced by other reveiws here (and the preview vids), but this is just too, too spare.
