Over the past console generation, Bloober Team has become an established horror studio that many gaming enthusiasts turn to when looking for a scare. While the studio has been around since 2008, it broke into the more mainstream gaming sphere with the release ofLayers of Fearin 2016, a horror title heavily inspired by the playable teaser for the canceledSilent Hills. Since then, Bloober Team has releasedObserver,Layers of Fear 2,Blair Witch, and, perhaps its most high-profile title,The Medium. When it was announced last week that the studio was returning to theLayers of Fearfranchise for another entry, speculation regarding what it will be like began running rampant.
Becausethe newLayers of Feargame was announcedon the official PlayStation YouTube channel, plenty of fans have been speculating about the studio’s relationship with Sony. Some think that the game will launch as a PlayStation exclusive, while others think that it might be a timed exclusive with an Xbox version coming later down the line; a reversal for the exclusivity deal that Microsoft had withThe Medium. No matter how it releases, one thing is clear: the PS5 version of the game will likely be the best way to play it thanks to the DualSense controller.
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The Immersion that the DualSense Brings to Horror
Although it was certainly impressive on the Xbox Series X and S when it was first released, it feels likethe PS5 is the definitive place to playThe Medium. The DualSense controller brought a lot of great features to the game that just aren’t possible while using other hardware. This isn’t to say that there’s anything wrong with the Xbox Series X/S controller or the DualShock 4, but just that the DualSense is the perfect controller for horror titles thanks to its exclusive features.
When it was first introduced by Sony, many gaming enthusiasts were skeptical about how well things like the adaptive triggers, 3D audio, and haptic feedback would work. The features were marketed as things to increase a game’s immersion as each title could literally have its own unique feel. Now that it’s been nearly a year since players got their hands onthe DualSense, it’s clear that the controller can indeed take a game’s immersion to the next level. This was perhaps most evident in the horror genre withThe Medium’s PS5 version.
Bloober Team really went all outwhen bringingThe Mediumto the PS5by adding plenty of DualSense support. The triggers were used to help players truly feel Marianne’s powers. The haptic feedback provided vibrations to match the feeling of walking through the game’s various swarms of moths while also giving players the ability to feel Marianne’s heartbeat when she’s holding her breath. Additionally, the lights on the controller itself matched Marianne’s flashlight alerting the player when the Maw was nearby. These features aren’t necessary to appreciate the game, obviously so as they weren’t available when it was initially released on the Xbox. However, they do add a level of immersion not seen before the current console generation.
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Making Meaningful Use of the DualSense with Layers of Fear
Tense horror gamesalready have players gripping their controllers for dear life, but using things like the resistance that the adaptive triggers can provide or the minute vibrations of the haptic feedback can help the player take the next step into truly feeling like they’re inside the game that they’re playing. Hopefully, Bloober Team keeps using the DualSense in meaningful ways for the release of the nextLayers of Feargame to bridge the gap between the game and the player.
A very simple but effective feature that more horror games should take advantage of is 3D audio. By including a high-quality speaker within the DualSense, Sony has made it so that games can jump out of the screen a little bit more by bringing certain sound effects and voices closer to the player.The first twoLayers of Feargamesrelied heavily on the insanity of their main characters and featured plenty of inaudible whispers and ghastly sound effects. By moving those sounds to the controller, Bloober Team might really be able to build an uneasy atmosphere for the game right off the bat.
Haptic feedback could be used in a similar way toThe Mediumby highlighting different horror elements depending on what sort of things are included in the game.BothLayers of Feartitles had plenty of different horror aspectsto them that could be improved by the different styles of vibration available with the controller.
Layers of Fear Can Stand Out on the PS5
If the aforementioned elements were to be incorporated with the PS5 version ofthe newLayers of Feargame, it would be the definitive place to play it. While the story and overall gameplay of Xbox, PC, and PS4 versions would be largely the same, a major part of the horror experience would be lost without the DualSense.
Of course, that all depends onhow much the game will rely on the DualSensefor its experience. All too often, games are releasing on the PS5 with uninteresting, unimpactful uses of the controller to the point where it would almost be a better experience if the functionality was omitted altogether. As long as Bloober Team uses what it learned when developing the PS5 version ofThe Medium, then the PS5 version of the newLayers of Fearshould stand out among the rest of its editions.
