In Layers of Fear, the player controls a psychologically disturbed painter who is trying to complete his magnum opus as he navigates a Victorian mansion revealing secrets about his past.

This time the player controls the Painter's daughter with the downloadable content focusing on her apparent relapse into trauma after returning to her old house.

A definitive port for the Nintendo Switch, entitled Layers of Fear: Legacy, was released on 21 February 2018 and it features, in addition to the Inheritance DLC, Joy-Con, touchscreen, and HD Rumble support.

While completing the painting, there is a letter that is slowly pieced together, which shows the origin of his masterpiece, and objects which explain the secret of the Painter through dialogue flashbacks.

Set sometime after World War I in the UK, the unnamed protagonist, also known as the Painter, returns home to begin painting his "magnum opus".

A devastating department store fire left the Painter's wife severely injured, permanently impairing her ability to play the piano and altering her physical appearance.

This tragic event triggered a decline in the Painter's mental health, affecting the quality of his work and leading to a series of rejections from prominent galleries.

The latter, feeling neglected and repulsed by her husband's perceived disgust, resorted to destroying his masterpiece: a portrait of herself entitled "The Lady in Black."

Armed with a flashlight, she relives her traumatic upbringing, witnessing the full scope of her family's tragic past in the form of vivid and surreal memories.

[11][12] A remake of Layers of Fear and its sequel using Unreal Engine 5 was released in 2023, featuring additional and revised narrative content.

"[25] Matt Thrower from GameSpot rated the game a 7/10 saying, "Stacked up like the rickety tiers of a Gothic building, Layers of Fear proves aptly named.