As I paced the weathered lighthouse hallways, anxiously fidgeting at each and every doorknob in an attempt to find one that might give me both passage and a false sense of security, I could feel the ocean spray on my skin. I could smell the sea salt, the dampened wood, and the smoke sent billowing from blown out lanterns. In time, these sensations would pass, as walls became flesh and the sound of crashing waves, a widow's wail.

In short, Layers of Fear (2023) is an intensely atmospheric game--the depths of which are made all the more impressive when you consider that I was not thousands of miles away, wandering the halls of an east coast lighthouse, but rather sitting in a plastic chair surrounded by a thousand other game enthusiasts at GDC. After spending 30 minutes with the game--during which I controlled two characters, The Painter and a new character referred to as The Writer--I spoke with the team regarding the upcoming, er… well, we'll get to that in a second.

Originally titled Layers of Fears in an attempt to differentiate itself from the original Layers of Fear, which first released back in 2016, Layers of Fear (2023) is an ambitious game in that it is a remake, remaster, and definitive edition all in one. The game--which is being developed by Anshar Studios in collaboration with the series' original studio, Bloober Team--combines the first two games in the series, completely rebuilds them in Unreal Engine 5, and adds several pieces of new content, including some much-needed throughlines.