The latest slate of free games coming with Xbox Live Gold in October 2019 has been revealed. To say that it’s not as impressive as Sony’s PlayStation Plus offerings would be an understatement. Xbox One players are getting Tembo the Badass Elephant and Friday the 13th: The Game. Check out the trailer below.

The former is available for the whole month while the latter must be claimed between October 16th and November 15th. Offerings for Xbox 360 aren’t much better – Disney’s Bolt is available from October 1st to 15th. Meanwhile, Team Ninja’s Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge is available from October 16th to 31st.

Both games are playable on the Xbox One though they’re hardly the creme of the crop in terms of quality. At least the Xbox Game Pass offerings for the coming months are looking good. Titles like Cities: Skylines and Saints Row IV: Re-Elected are on the way along with Yooka-Laylee, The Escapists 2 and Dead by Daylight.

We reported earlier that the slasher inspired Dead by Daylight is coming to the Switch in September, but it seems like it’s going to get beat to the punch as the first serial killer/survivor simulator to hit the system. One of the (very few, at this point) killers not guest starring in Dead by Daylight is coming just a month beforehand with Friday the 13th.

Due to some rights issues that are unresolved, publisher Gun Media and developer IllFonic unfortunately can’t produce new content for the game, but it already got quite a lot of Friday inspired DLC before those issues arose, like costumes and emotes, all of which will be included in the Switch version of the game, which they are calling the Ultimate Slasher Edition. Those who buy the game on Switch will also get an exclusive limited edition poster. You can check it out below.

Friday the 13th: Ultimate Slasher Edition will launch on August 13th (unfortunately, not an actual Friday) and will retail for $39.99 USD.

Where an incredibly tense game like Outlast melds together macabre ambiance, jump scares, and genuinely high-stakes gameplay with a sense of purpose, Layers of Fear 2 doesn’t manage to conjure so much as a mildly compelling reason for doing… well, anything. Moseying around picking up items and reading pieces of paper might be more rewarding if any of the game’s bizarre optical illusions tied together into something cohesive, but it instead offers us little more than a collection of rooms and events seemingly saying, “Look at how weird this is. Isn’t this so scary?”

"Moseying around picking up items and reading pieces of paper might be more rewarding if any of the game’s bizarre optical illusions tied together into something cohesive, but it instead offers us little more than a collection of rooms and events seemingly saying, “Look at how weird this is. Isn’t this so scary?”"

But no, Layers of Fear 2 is not scary. There’s the normal flickering lights, hallucinations, and some admittedly trippy one-off segments that impress from purely an aesthetic standpoint with fantastic visuals. Rats scurry past you as you navigate dark cabins and banquet halls on the ship, and some of the otherworldly sections of the game are delightfully mysterious in presentation. But there’s nothing about any of it that leads to feelings of trepidation. An endless onslaught of seemingly old-timey mannequins litter the game’s locations and often change stances or suddenly appear behind you upon turning your back momentarily, but the effect is used so frequently and unenthusiastically that it’s tiresome by the end of the game’s first act. They’re seen as props in some key scenes to draw the player’s attention to items or keys to obtain, but since nothing truly scary ever really happens, I found myself checking my phone during an in-game elevator ride packed full of them. It’s a perfect example of just how apparent the game had made it that I never had anything to actually be afraid of.

There’s a monstrous apparition that shows up in certain scenes, but rather than evoke genuine fear, it often one-shot kills you unexpectedly. One such situation had me walking down a hallway with a door ajar on my left begging to be opened further, but doing so resulted in sudden death by the monster. But since the scene itself built no tension beforehand nor gave me any real opportunity to escape, the shortly-lived jump scare solely brought me frustration, not fear. When it’s not one-shotting you this way, the monster chases you through linear paths until you reach a predetermined point where you escape or close a door on it. These scenes are at least more intimidating than sudden death, and I appreciated the brief sense of adrenaline, even if it was usually followed up with the game’s normal tameness.

Layer of Fear 2’s core gameplay relies heavily on a looping mechanic. When it wants you somewhere specific, it ensures all other paths are blocked off to funnel you in the desired direction. Immediately after, merely turning around will have unlocked will change the scenery and open up new paths to proceed through. There’s nothing really wrong with this type of progression, but Layers of Fear 2 telegraphs them so obviously and constantly that I became aware of the tricks early on and found myself knowing precisely when and where I’d trigger an alteration. “A dead end? Time to turn around and act surprised at the change!”

"There’s nothing about any of it that leads to feelings of trepidation. An endless onslaught of seemingly old-timey mannequins litter the game’s locations and often change stances or suddenly appear behind you upon turning your back momentarily, but the effect is used so frequently and unenthusiastically that it’s tiresome by the end of the game’s first act."

Aside from the fundamentals of being an actor in a movie on a ship, you’re offered very little coherent exposition to set you off on your journey. The movie’s director narrates some sections with vague, nonsensical dialogue that is clearly meant to confuse and concern you alongside its eerie imagery, but without any deeper initial understanding or sense of purpose, it’s a chore to try to comprehend what’s going on beyond the principle theme of early childhood trauma. The game’s obsession with its repetitive mannequin shtick and bottom-tier shock value never seems to mesh with the more intimate ideas it’s trying to convey, and as it tries desperately to prove to you how profound it can be with its enigmatic storytelling, it only comes across as pretentious. I had things figured out by the end, but by then I was bored by its self-importance and frankly didn’t care anymore.

Much of the game’s more intimate details are told through various scattered items and pieces of paper that give cryptic clues to piece together for the larger story. These moments of exposition are some of Layer of Fear 2’s best, providing some insight into the deeper psychological trauma your character experienced growing up. Even when it wasn’t making a lot of sense, I still enjoyed these warmer, dialogue-heavy memory sequences. I couldn’t help but feel that these sections of the story could’ve avoided dragging the game’s horror down with so much tonal inconsistency if they were reworked and placed into a softer adventure game along the lines of What Remains of Edith Finch or Dear Esther.

The puzzles are Layer of Fear 2’s best feature by far. One type of puzzle in particular sees players messing with a slide projector to make doors and items appear. Moving the film to one frame creates a door in the wall, another creates the key, and another spawns a locked doorknob on the door. It’s easy to figure out but unique enough to stand out as a meaningful memory and serves as an interesting pit stop in an otherwise not-so-interesting experience. A few puzzles seem designed to halt progress with ambiguous objectives, but most are more standardized and deal with basic concepts like finding and remembering numbers or aligning mechanical pieces to create new pathways. Ultimately, they’re all a nice reprieve from the monotony of opening doors and holding up on the left stick in an otherwise uneventful game that never brings its scattered ideas together cohesively.

"Though it seems endlessly determined to prove otherwise, Layers of Fear 2 is neither scary nor deep."

Though it seems endlessly determined to prove otherwise, Layers of Fear 2 is neither scary nor deep. An intriguing setup quickly falls apart with a lack of coherent storytelling, bland horror tropes, and an unhealthy obsession with mannequins.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 4.

The sequel to the acclaimed indie horror title, Layers of Fear 2, is out this month, and recently we got a lengthy gameplay preview of the title. The video gives you an idea of how similar the game is to the first, but also how it differs.

The first game, Layers of Fear, was a crowdfunded title and eventually came out to all major platforms. While it focused on a painting and art aesthetic, the sequel will draw more from classic films. Focusing on a new story and a new set of characters, you play as an actor on a cruise ship who navigates a terrifying series of event.

As you can see from the video below, provided by Game Informer, the game features more puzzles, voice over work from Tony Todd (who played the Candyman slasher in the film of the same name), and an eerie effect some creatures have that mimics stop motion. The video also also mention that another new feature is that the game will have a choice system, which will prove to be interesting for a second playthrough in new game plus.

Layers of Fear 2 releases May 28^th for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. You read about the length of the game in the meantime or check out a previous, but similarly eerie, gameplay video from earlier in the year.

The sequel to the acclaimed indie 2016 horror game, Layers of Fears 2 finally has a release date set for next month. Publisher Gun Media and developer Bloober Team have announced that the game comes out at the end of May- on the 28th, to be precise. We don’t know a huge amount about it, but the bits and pieces we’ve been shown will be very familiar to fans of the first game.

Set on a ship and following a new set of characters (the game is not a direct narrative follow-up to the original), Layers of Fear 2 will have a focus on films as opposed to the art and paintings that took centerstage in the first game, with the main character being an actor named Jimmy. You can see from the gameplay demo showed earlier in the year that the developers are aiming for the same unsettling environments and feel. They also promise a longer experience, with a runtime that is said to be 9 to 10 hours.

Layers of Fear 2 will release on May 28^th for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

Bloober Team’s Layers of Fear 2 has been seeing more details lately. The recent extended gameplay demo offered a peek into the madness inherent on the new cruise ship setting. Gun Media’s Wes Keltner also recently revealed that the sequel would have a playtime of 9 to 10 hours.

Unfortunately, those hopeful for a Nintendo Switch version at launch will have to wait. At PAX East, DualShockers interviewed Gun Media creative director Ronnie Hobbs, who said, “Our official statement is no Switch at launch.” It could happen somewhere down the line, especially since the first Layers of Fear arrived for the platform with its DLC. Just don’t hold your breath.

It’s also worth noting that despite not having a release date, Hobbs did confirm that Layers of Fear 2 is still planned for release this year on Xbox One, PS4, and PC. The new story sees an actor Jimmy being hired for a new project aboard a cruise ship. Things go wrong, as one might expect, with Tony Todd (of Candyman fame) voicing the director of Jimmy’s project.

Layers of Fear 2 was unveiled last year, but we have yet to see much outside a vague reveal trailer and a brief gameplay demo for the follow up to the 2016 horror game. But publisher Gun Media’s Wes Keltner recently opened up about the game at PAX East while speaking with Gamereactor, about how the game is shaping up and what to expect from the sequel.

He confirmed that the game’s story will not be a direct follow up to the first game, and would instead focus on a new story and character, as well as have a focus on film instead of fine art and painting like the first.

“The second one is an entire new story, so it’s not like it picks up where part one left off, it’s not like that; new story,” said Keltner. “It focuses primarily on film […] a lot of horror references are found within, going all the way back from like Nosferatu […] that’s within the colours and the actual environments you’re walking around in, so that’s what we were most excited about when we met with Bloober Team, because we’re big horror people as well, so when we saw the direction they were going with part two, we were like ‘oh my gosh, what can we do to help you guys?’”

Keltner also said that the game would have more content than the original game, stating it would have 9 to 10 hours worth of gameplay as opposed to the much shorter experience of the original.

Layers of Fears 2 has no release date or platforms attached at this time, but you can watch its freaky new trailer here and the gameplay demo here.

Bloober Team’s Layers of Fear 2 has received an extended gameplay demo, venturing deep into the darkness and showcasing the same surreal horror that defined the original. This time around, players will be wandering through a cruise ship. Check it out below, courtesy of WorthPlayingVideos on YouTube.

With narration by Tony Todd (known for his role in the Candyman films), Layers of Fear 2 focuses on an actor who seems to be running from his past. Though set on a ship, the first person psychological horror features plenty of reality-bending. Certain segments loop around, and burnt mannequins emerge from the walls. It’s certainly a trip.

Layers of Fear 2 has been teased to release in 2019. However, neither a release date nor platforms have been confirmed till now. Regardless, if the first game was any indication, we’re looking forward to seeing how the “new masterpiece” will play out. Check out GamingBolt’s review for the first game here.

Even though legal troubles prevent the developers from making any more content for the surprisingly fun and successful co-op title Friday the 13th The Game, it doesn’t stop them from bringing what they have made to other platforms. And that’s exactly what they will be doing this Spring. Friday the 13th: The Game- Ultimate Slasher Edition brings the popular co-op shooter game based on the slasher horror movie to Nintendo Switch, a press release from Gun Media announced today.

Presumably, this launch refers the base game plus all the DLC that has been released for it so far (though Hellfire Jason may not be included due to the aforementioned legal issues). That said, the game’s co-op nature lends itself incredibly well to the Nintendo Switch, with its support for spontaneous local co-op, so I have to imagine that one missing bit of content won’t matter much, given how well a fit the game is for the platform to begin with.

Friday The 13th: The Game is available currently on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. 

Bloober Team’s Layers of Fear 2 was properly announced back in October with Gun Media as the publisher. Following up on the terrifying psychological horror of the previous game, Layers of Fear 2 will take place on what seems to be a cruise ship. Players will still be wandering around in first person, so don’t worry about not being terrified.

Check out the latest trailer below – it features narration from Tony Todd, famous for the Candyman movies. The story focuses on an actor who’s trying to escape his true identity. Of course, sinister plans are afoot, and it seems our main man won’t be able to escape this “new masterpiece”.

Layers of Fear 2 doesn’t currently have a release date (though a 2019 release window has been teased). We’re also waiting to hear about the platforms, and whether it will land on Nintendo Switch following the release of Layers of Fear: Legacy last year. Stay tuned for more information.