Layers of Fear Gameplay Trailer Shows Off Unreal 5 Engine's Visual Realism Capabilities

[T0@st]

Get an exclusive first-look at the gameplay of Layers of Fear, the series' crowning work, in this 11-minute walkthrough. Follow the Painter from the original Layers of Fear, and join the Writer - a recently unveiled character - for a closer look at the latest installment in the Layers franchise.

As The Writer, enter the lone and ghastly Lighthouse - a newly-introduced location - and uncover an untold story that links all of the Layers' characters and events together. Unravel secrets, solve puzzles, and face the threats of the old Mansion that can only be solved with a lantern - a new and essential tool to confront the nightmares in the game!



Feast your eyes on the vibrant visuals powered by Unreal Engine 5, featuring technologies like Lumen, Ray Tracing, HDR, volumetric lighting and Niagara-creating graphics as lifelike as possible.

The canvas awaits its final brushstrokes.
The stage calls for its lead actor.
The novel needs its final chapter.
It's time to face your fears.
One. Last. Time.



Layers of Fear, coming out June 2023 on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.
Wishlist now on Steam and PlayStation stores.

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[TumbleGeorge]

I still don't like how the light looks visible as a material object. So, the illuminated parts seem to be covered in "paint, like a glowing fogg or dust", rather than just illuminated.
Specifically the window itself and its curtains.

 

[KrazyT]

It doesn't shock me.
Maybe the render is better in motion ?

The 1st was a honest game. Liked it.

 

[bug]

I still don't like how the light looks visible as a material object. So, the illuminated parts seem to be covered in "paint, like a glowing fogg or dust", rather than just illuminated.
Specifically the window itself and its curtains.

Actually, that's pretty accurate.
What your eyes are telling you, is that in their quest to highlight the engine's capabilities, the devs came out with a highly unrealistic scene: candles in the middle of the scene (on a porch, no less - who put candles on a porch?) and another light source outside the window, but also exactly in the middle of the scene. Since the source outside is a point light, it could cause "God rays" that would imprint the window stencil on the drapes. If the drapes are not thick enough, which they normally would be, because otherwise, why have them?

 

[TumbleGeorge]

Oh, there are similar badly recreated lighting effects on other still shots. A ray of light in which you are afraid not to hit yourself. With density, it's like a laser beam. It is clear to everyone that similar effects in reality are produced by illuminated dust particles or vapors that have fallen into the path of the light beam. Still, the rooms can't be that dusty, as if there's some powerful activity kicking all that dust into the air. Also has some artefacts(horizontal lines) on part of way of light.

 

[dyonoctis]

Oh, there are similar badly recreated lighting effects on other still shots. A ray of light in which you are afraid not to hit yourself. With density, it's like a laser beam. It is clear to everyone that similar effects in reality are produced by illuminated dust particles or vapors that have fallen into the path of the light beam. Still, the rooms can't be that dusty, as if there's some powerful activity kicking all that dust into the air. Also has some artefacts(horizontal lines) on part of way of light.

It's called "art direction". Movies and games don't actually try to be as realistic as possible, there's always a bit of stylization going on to make the scene more dramatic, have a particular mood. An actually realistic game could be very dull, or fail to bring a visual hierarchy (tweaking the light to put the focus on a particular object, path etc...)

 

[TumbleGeorge]

It's called "art direction". Movies and games don't actually try to be as realistic as possible, there's always a bit of stylization going on to make the scene more dramatic, have a particular mood. An actually realistic game could be very dull, or fail to bring a visual hierarchy (tweaking the light to put the focus on a particular object, path etc...)

I'd agree if it's certain that this is an artist-drawn and pre-intended effect, and not just bad ray tracing thrown into the frame.

 

[Deleted member 185088]

It's called "art direction". Movies and games don't actually try to be as realistic as possible, there's always a bit of stylization going on to make the scene more dramatic, have a particular mood. An actually realistic game could be very dull, or fail to bring a visual hierarchy (tweaking the light to put the focus on a particular object, path etc...)

That's why I feel the attention given to RT is exaggerated, I hate when some so called reviewers talk about how realistic the lighting is while having monsters on display.

 

[ZoneDymo]

blooper team is one of the least talented developers out there, and this once again proves it, at least I didnt yet get nauseous from the amount of scene changes per second.

 

[dyonoctis]

I'd agree if it's certain that this is an artist-drawn and pre-intended effect, and not just bad ray tracing thrown into the frame.

That's why I feel the attention given to RT is exaggerated, I hate when some so called reviewers talk about how realistic the lighting is while having monsters on display.

Ray Tracing/Path tracing still allow you to bend the rules a bit, it just makes producing a "good looking" image easier. Pixar's renderman is good for cartoons, but it can also be realistic if you want it to be