★★★☆☆

Rather than a straightforward remake or sequel, this Layers Of Fear is an anthology featuring the original game (from 2016), its DLC and follow-up. All have been rebuilt in Unreal Engine 5 with each story threaded by a new overarching chapter. The gameplay for each title is broadly similar (and hugely influenced by Hideo Kojima’s short game demo PT): players must walk through a haunted environment solving simple puzzles while avoiding ghosts, contact with which brings about a short hop back to the last checkpoint.

After a relatively gentle start, the original game, set in a haunted house, is unrelenting in its shocks. It skilfully combines creepy imagery (furniture moves impossibly, ghostly figures appear but vanish the moment you see them) with a precision-engineered soundtrack to keep players on their toes. At times, the perpetual attack on the senses makes protracted sessions feel exhausting. 

Compounding matters, the game frequently plays tricks with perception and, due to its first-person camera and tight field of view (at least on PC), there are sections where an iron stomach may come in handy. On those few occasions when the infamous ghost appears, it does get really tense as you flail around in the dark, searching for an escape.

Thankfully, its sequel is a calmer affair. Set aboard an ocean liner, it relies on a more subtle creepiness and is much less reliant on clichéd tropes such as thunderstorms, dolls and toy clowns. Away from the constraints of the first game’s mansion, it presents a more imaginative mise en scène and the path forward is mercifully clearer. Overall, this is a good package with plenty of scares, although at times it can feel a bit much, like being bludgeoned by a haunted fairground ride.

Out now.