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‘Layers of Fear 2’ Trades Tension for Uneven Game Play

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Layers of Fear 2, the highly anticipated follow-up to Bloober Team’s Layers of Fear, released this week with a brand new story to tell. Unfortunately, it seems the magic of the first has been somewhat muddled in the creation of this new chapter.

Set on a luxury cruise ship, Layers of Fear 2 is every bit as beautiful as its predecessor. Immaculate dining rooms and state rooms are open for exploration; gorgeous sunsets gleam through portholes and windows, and terror can wait around any turn.

Bloober Team also seriously upped their game in this sequel with sound design adding layers upon layers of directional sound.

Players step into the shoes of an actor who has been brought on board to star in a film directed by a reportedly deranged film director whose musings we hear in voiceover–by none other than Tony Todd (Candyman)–as the game progresses.

Layers of Fear 2

The settings are stunning in Layers of Fear 2

Unfortunately, the game seems to flounder, not only in purpose but also in storytelling.

The first hour or so of the game feels much like the first Layers of Fear. Players solve puzzles, rooms change in the blink of an eye, and strange voices whisper from the dark.

The developers deftly use jointed wooden mannequins to incredible effect in these scenes. It’s almost unbelievable how utterly terrifying an inanimate object suddenly moving can be, but the turn of a head or the shift of a hand can be truly startling in these circumstances.

Then things get strange.

Suddenly the actor comes face to face with a deformed creature who can and will kill you…instantly, again and again, until you figure out exactly how to navigate safely away from it. While this might work in other games where the player is expecting confrontation, it was completely unexpected in the Layers of Fear setting.

Not only did it pull me out of the storytelling space the game had curated to that point in the game, but the combination of slow game mechanics versus a very fast-moving monster left me frustrated and angry. What’s more, there’s very little signposting in this game. Many key moments you’re going to figure out only by trial and a lot of errors.

Once this confrontation aka running-for-your-life-while-slamming-doors-without-making-a-single-mistake challenge is over, the player finds themselves back inside the walk and explore model.

Unfortunately, this creates a very uneven gaming experience. It’s as though Bloober attempted to please everyone with this game and somewhere along the way lost sight of their objective.

Still, there is a lot to enjoy here, especially during those sequences where you’re exploring and putting together the story. Unlike the rather internal experience of the first game, Layers of Fear 2‘s story is more external, putting together the story of those who have sailed this ship before while trying to adapt to “the Method” that the director is asking you to take on for his film.

There are moments where the game asks you to simply give over to its madness and it’s up to the player to decide just how deep they’re willing to go in their exploration and immersion.

Will you give over to the madness?

Can you accept the conceit of stepping out of an elevator on a ship to find yourself on a cobbled stone street while still accepting that you’re actually still on the ship? How about a door in slideshow that actually becomes a door?

If so, and I recommend you go with it, then you may find things to love in Layers of Fear 2.

Layers of Fear 2 is available on PC, PS4, and XBox now.

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Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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Part Concert, Part Horror Movie M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Trailer Released

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In true Shyamalan form, he sets his film Trap inside a social situation where we aren’t sure what is going on. Hopefully, there is a twist at the end. Furthermore, we hope it’s better than the one in his divisive 2021 movie Old.

The trailer seemingly gives away a lot, but, as in the past, you can’t rely on his trailers because they are often red herrings and you are being gaslit to think a certain way. For instance, his movie Knock at the Cabin was completely different than what the trailer implied and if you hadn’t read the book on which the film is based it was still like going in blind.

The plot for Trap is being dubbed an “experience” and we aren’t quite sure what that means. If we were to guess based on the trailer, it’s a concert movie wrapped around a horror mystery. There are original songs performed by Saleka, who plays Lady Raven, a kind of Taylor Swift/Lady Gaga hybrid. They have even set up a Lady Raven website to further the illusion.

Here is the fresh trailer:

According to the synopsis, a father takes his daughter to one of Lady Raven’s jam-packed concerts, “where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.”

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Trap stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and M. Night Shyamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.

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Woman Brings Corpse Into Bank To Sign Loan Papers

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Warning: This is a disturbing story.

You have to be pretty desperate for money to do what this Brazilian woman did at the bank to get a loan. She wheeled in a fresh corpse to endorse the contract and she seemingly thought the bank employees wouldn’t notice. They did.

This weird and disturbing story comes via ScreenGeek an entertainment digital publication. They write that a woman identified as Erika de Souza Vieira Nunes pushed a man she identified as her uncle into the bank pleading with him to sign loan papers for $3,400. 

If you’re squeamish or easily triggered, be aware that the video captured of the situation is disturbing. 

Latin America’s largest commercial network, TV Globo, reported on the crime, and according to ScreenGeek this is what Nunes says in Portuguese during the attempted transaction. 

“Uncle, are you paying attention? You must sign [the loan contract]. If you don’t sign, there’s no way, as I cannot sign on your behalf!”

She then adds: “Sign so you can spare me further headaches; I can’t bear it any longer.” 

At first we thought this might be a hoax, but according to Brazilian police, the uncle, 68-year-old Paulo Roberto Braga had passed away earlier that day.

 “She attempted to feign his signature for the loan. He entered the bank already deceased,” Police Chief Fábio Luiz said in an interview with TV Globo. “Our priority is to continue investigating to identify other family members and gather more information regarding this loan.”

If convicted Nunes could be facing jail time on charges of fraud, embezzlement, and desecration of a corpse.

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