

They are contacted by the director by a speaker, and is tasked with "building the character" the actor must traverse an area of the ship sectioned off from the guests and crew. The game begins on a cruise ship after an actor boards it in a special suite, as their agent convinced them to meet with a mysterious, eccentric director. The game begins with an actor awakening and walking through a damaged, dilapidated area resembling the hallways of a cruise ship, encountering a deformed female figure who mocks them, stating that they "almost had it". Whether or not the player complies with the director's instructions influences the dialogue and ending of the game. The voice of the film's director appears to be piped in at certain points, when the actor is expected to complete a certain task.

As the player explores the ship, he comes across reels of film and camera equipment, as well as various built sets. The player takes control of an actor aboard a ship.

A sequel titled Layers of Fears is set to launch in early 2023. The gameplay, presented in first-person perspective, is story-driven and revolves around puzzle-solving and exploration. In Layers of Fear 2, the player controls an actor on board a ship following instructions of an unseen director. It was released for Linux, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in 2019, and for the Nintendo Switch in 2021. Layers of Fear 2 is a psychological horror video game developed by Bloober Team.
