We’ve seen a handful of games for Google’s imminent Daydream mobile VR platform so far, though only a few that would appeal to hardcore players. Layers of Fear: Solitude might be one such title.
You might well have heard of this first-person horror experience before; it came to PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One earlier this year as Layers of Fear. Like a lot of other scary games, fans have been asking for a VR version since release. Poland-based developer Bloober Team is delivering, though perhaps not in the way you’d expect. Rather than VR support for the original versions, it’s bringing the game to Google’s mobile VR ecosystem with the Solitude subtitle.
According to the game’s website, this is the original experience redesigned for Daydream. You’re cast as a troubled painter that faces personal demons as he tries to finish his masterpiece. You explore a 19th Century Victorian Mansion that’s littered with original art which the developer uses in clever ways to scare you. It’s not a survival horror, as you can’t actually die, but Bloober does subject you to plenty of surreal and spooky experiences that will hopefully really pop in VR.
The game has probably taken some retooling considering the first version used console gamepads and Daydream only works with a single motion controller with just a few buttons and no analogue stick. Interestingly, the developer also switched engines for the project, moving from Unity to Unreal. According to Game Director Bartosz Kapro, this was to help “hit performance and fidelity targets for the platform.” Epic Games even showcased Unreal Engine 4 at Daydream’s reveal earlier in the year.
A final launch date for Solitude hasn’t been announced outside of a Q4 launch window, but we’re expecting the first Daydream headset, Google’s Daydream View, to hit in a matter of weeks. This would certainly be a welcome edition to the launch line-up. The game’s site brands it as ‘Only on Daydream’ so don’t expect to see it anywhere else any time soon.
