Layers of Fear: Inheritance Review

This Work Of Art Gets More Detailed
By Edwin Velez
Reviewed on Xbox One
Released on August 1st, 2016 on Xbox One, PS4, and PC
Developer: Bloober Team Publisher: Aspyr Media 

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When I covered Layers of Fear earlier this year, I had a certain affection for the game. Praising it for its cool themes and stellar transitions, it was an experience I was delighted to have been a part of. My biggest gripe with the title, however, was the lack of focus on the actual narrative, which was there but hard to interpret. Layers of Fear: Inheritance takes all the good about the base title while fixing my biggest gripe, adding more narrative details in a quick but solid expansion. While maintaining a very similar experience, both in setting and tone, but focuses on a new perspective. That perspective is in the form of the base game's protagonist lineage, or more specifically so his daughter. She presents a much more enlightening narrative in the players roughly two hour trek throughout her childhood home, giving insight on both her parents and her traumatic upbringing. While some moments are somber, the scares and hallucinations are still in full effect.

Decrepit, dark, and gloomy are some of the words that can easily describe your surroundings in Inheritance. While your characters take on her surroundings are much more grounded in reality than that of her fathers, that doesn't mean that your adventure comes without some twisted visions. Like a coming of age movie spun with horror-adventure themes, you discover the families past through flashbacks. But these flashbacks are more like nightmares than they are peaceful trips down memory lane. Taking her childhood into consideration, Bloober Team was able to make scenarios that still felt very Layers of Fear, while also giving a perspective that is faintly familiar of that felt in Among the Sleep. There is a helplessness and insecurity brought to the table that is different than the base package, while still making the player know more about the dynamic of the family. From creepy baby dolls and claustrophobic situations, Inheritance still puts the pressure on the player and brings the scares.

It’s a short package, but at only $5 it’s more than fair. If you are a fan of the base title, this is a no brainer. While some of its segments felt inconsistent, as a whole it delivers everything good about the original while maintaining better story telling. It’s still visually jarring and trippy, albeit a bit too foggy at points, but the atmosphere is always there. With better commentary from your character, and even quips (like a light scream when a candelabra falls over) you get to feel more in tune with who the player is taking control of. Should there be a sequel or spiritual successor, Bloober Team is on the right path with their take on story telling. Inheritance brings the story as a whole to a satisfying conclusion, serving as a pseudo pentimento for the title, touching up this piece of art where it needed it most

*Note: A copy of the game was provided for the purposes of the review

Final Score: 7.5/10

+Improved Narrative
​+Great Atmosphere

-Somtimes Foggy Visuals