Layers of Fear: Inheritance Review

Layers of Fear- Inheritance Review Screenshot 1

Subjectivity is a difficult concept to get right in any medium due to it’s very nature. The base game of Layers of Fear did an alright job by having the different endings based on how many times you ‘died’ and which collectibles you picked up among other things. Throughout your playthrough, you’ll notice that your character is shown in a light that matches how these various elements show him. For example, if you choose to ignore certain paths or collectibles, the game may show our troubled artist as a loving husband or a harsh father or both at the same time. This type of storytelling is brought to the DLC every time you confront a memory.

I want to point out that this is my absolute favorite thing about the Inheritance DLC. It manages to tell the story of the daughter of the base game’s troubled artist, which changes with how the player decides to handle each memory. These memories are mostly how players will interact with the game world and story. Shortly after starting the DLC, our protagonist finds herself searching through her childhood home, trying to find something that will help her reconcile with her (possibly late) father.

Layers of Fear- Inheritance Review Screenshot 2

To this end, our nameless protagonist will explore the now dilapidated house, searching for items from her childhood that will make her think about her early years with her parents. When players find one of these items, they will be taken into a memory they must play through to figure out more about our protagonist’s relationship with her father. Just like the base game, the protagonist’s opinion of her father will change as you  go through these memories. For example, there’s one room you can access very early where you will be in a closet with a lot of mouse traps. If you choose to just sit there, your father finds you and apologizes for yelling. However, if you choose to lock the door, your father yells about how he can’t find his key.

With each of these memories, an accompanying drawing can be found, visually depicting our protagonists feelings with that memory. These aren’t the only collectibles in the game, but they are some of the most important. Other than these drawings, players will hear dialogs in memories change to reflect our protagonist’s feelings on her mother and/or father. All of these variants make multiple playthroughs a must as players seek to find out more about this strange family.

Layers of Fear- Inheritance Review Screenshot 3

Since this DLC is an extension of the original game, it looks and sounds just like the main game, so there’s not much to say about that. The game looks and sounds great, my only issues were a single room that had too much fog and the fact that the jumpscare sound got old very fast. There is a gripe I retain from the base game, both parts have too many obnoxious jumpscares. In the main game, these were mostly paintings and quickly moving objects. In the DLC, these jumpscares are mostly from a certain pet or the environment, but they are still plentiful and much like the ones from the main game.

No, the Inheritance DLC doesn’t stray far from the feeling the base game gives, but it is definitely it’s own, separate story with its own protagonist and endings. If you didn’t enjoy the main game, you won’t enjoy this. But if you are like me and found the way the game tells its story interesting and worth the time to play through, then this DLC is perfect for you. If it weren’t for the pointless jumpscares and occasional annoyance (super foggy room), it would be the best it could be without being an entirely different experience.

Rating 8

REVIEW CODE: A complimentary Microsoft Xbox One code was provided to Brash Games for this review. Please send all review code enquiries to editor@brashgames.co.uk.

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