Layers of Fear 2 does get off to a reasonably good start, with the first of its five acts introducing players to the Titanic-esque setting in which much of the game takes place. There's certainly an interesting core premise here, with several different story strands vying for your attention as you stumble around the warped corridors of this cursed ship, however, an over-dependence on hackneyed scare tactics, several frustrating insta-kill sections and a handful of boring puzzles leave this one feeling like a bit of a drag overall.

This sequel to 2016's well-received psychological horror sees players assume the role of a Hollywood actor who, having heeded the call of a mysterious director, finds himself aboard a creepy ocean liner where he slowly begins to unravel, forced to relive past traumas that see an already fragile reality begin to crumble. However, for every riveting, Rutger Hauer-flavoured cyberpunk horror there's an underwhelming Blair Witch spin-off and, unfortunately, Layers of Fear 2 is much more a case of the latter than the former. Polish developer Bloober Team has produced something of a mixed bag thus far when it comes to their horror/psychological thriller game output, with the likes of Observer and the first Layers of Fear definitely feeling like their most successful efforts to date. Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Undocked)

Layers of fear 2 switch review