We've really enjoyed watching the community figure out on its own that Layers of Fear is in fact a game about Layers and has multiple endings depending on how you play the game. Many of you have figured out the mechanics, but for those of you that are having some frustration nailing a particular ending, we thought we would post a few tips.

The path out of insanity is a tricky one. The default ending will have you stuck in a loop of constant madness, however you can break this loop by focusing on one of two most precious aspects of the painter’s life: his family, or his work.

The game follows your every move and allocates a hidden point score based on your actions. The points you get vary from action to action. To achieve one of the concluding endings you will need to gather a fixed number of points from one path without exceeding the same number in the other path.

Gathering 2D and 3D items will bring you simultaneously closer to two different endings. There are two exceptions: the painted rats and the letters/photos from the wife, which respectively give points to only one of the conclusive endings:

Family ending – put the focus on interactions with the apparition and never strafe from danger or risk; look for items connected to your wife, but do not pick up those which connect to the painter’s passion. Seek out hidden rooms and look for findable items there.

Selfish ending – seek out artistic work; look closer at the paintings; always follow the rats; gather rat posters; avoid death at all costs.

The items that you can collect which are stored in the workshop count to the sum of your points on each playthrough on the same profile. Events, as in choosing the ‘correct’ path, or finding alternate ways to leave a room are the most decisive in terms of obtaining one of the concluding endings.

We should note that you need to be thorough. There are a lot of opportunities to get points, but you need to find almost all of them to trigger one of the concluding endings.