THE TRUE STORY OF Layers of Fear 2 EXPLAINED | [Theory Part. 1]
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 ก.ย. 2024
- ➡️ WATCH PART. 2: • THE MYTHOLOGY OF Layer...
This video will debunk EVERYTHING there is to know about this game, from the characters' backstories and identities to the most implicit of secrets... Will it be just a theory, or a brilliantly crafted horror tragedy by Bloober Team?
If you played Layers of Fear 2 and didn't understand anything about the lore, this video is for YOU.
🔸 This video literally took two years to make (because I'm lazy): one year theorizing and coming up with a full valid explanation for every single detail about the game, and another year or so for the editing. It's the biggest video project of my life, and it made me love LoF2 even more.
🔸 I hope that people who disliked the game at first glance or got unsettled by this obscure scenario will see in this video an opportunity to give LoF2 a second chance. Trust me: it IS a hidden treasure, and it's 100% worth digging out.
🤍 Acknowledgements: ZerachielAmora and the Bloober Discord, my friend AssMatiK, the LoF speedrunning community (Lanzaa, Shirako, Playful, SoftBoyo, EkkuMaru, Craisi...), DilvAime, Zerator, and my beloved Twitch community always supporting me.
⚠️ Keep in mind that everything I talk about in this video is my own opinion, and you have all the rights to disagree with it! There's a lot I didn't specifically mention, like the many consequences of my statements, psychological interpretations, relations to real life traumas etc, but I tried my best to give you all the keys to understand 100% of LoF2's events. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments, and don't forget to respect everyone's opinions: it's just a video game :)
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FIND ME ON:
🟪 Twitch: / kaweedfull
🟦 Twitter: / kaweedful
🟨 Speedrun: www.speedrun.c...
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00:00 - Introduction
01:09 - Act I
05:09 - Act II
05:44 - Act III
09:24 - Act IV (part. 1)
12:04 - Break - Movie references
13:33 - Act IV (part. 2)
16:11 - Ending
17:06 - Phonograph Interviews
19:03 - James's identity
20:43 - Outro
![THE MYTHOLOGY OF Layers of Fear 2 EXPLAINED | [Theory Part. 2]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Svt_lwaNy9A/mqdefault.jpg)
Great video overall! However, there's one point that I don't think you gave enough evidence to support.
Regarding Lilly being assaulted, what evidence do you have it was the father? Yes, you see a man staring through the TV, but that man has TWO eyes. The father is clearly represented as a cyclops due to losing an eye to a war wound, so why would he suddenly be portrayed with two eyes? Unless you have some evidence to back up that theory which you didn't mention the video, I think that part falls flat. Also, I think it's significant that the environment of Chapter 4 which centers on the event is based on the ship's decor, not their family house from chapter 3. Implying it happened after they ran away.
Personally, based on the audio logs/events, I think that Lily sent James back to their hideout (it sounded like he kept messing up and making noise) and then while she was searching for food alone, some crew member/passenger found her and dragged her into a cabin. That would explain what the figure watching on the TV has two eyes and why it's a shadow. It was a stranger of whom she probably only had a vague memory. This also fits why it's fancy ship decor for Chapter 4. This approach would also explain why Lily says, when trying to calm herself down, "You just need to be more careful". That would be an odd thing to think if it happened in your own home, but it makes a lot more sense if she got caught as a stowaway and then assaulted. Her not being careful put her in that position, so shes trying to reassure herself that if she isn't caught again, it won't happen again.
Would love to hear your thoughts, but I think the figure on the TV having two eyes alone is pretty strong evidence that it wasn't the father.
*edited to fix a typo
Well I'll be honest, I must agree with you on that one! I already talked about this detail with a friend theorist, and I must say I don't have such strong evidence to show that it's the Father. However your justification that it happened on the boat seems really convincing to me!
So yes, I agree with you entirely! I don't really know what happened when I wrote the script, it made sense in my head for some reason haha. Sorry for this mistake and thank you for the heads up!
@@KaweedFul I really dont see how apples = sexual assault (if anything they represent her fear of starving)... I can see those line she says being about that she almost got caught on the ship and is afraid of that (and also the 2 eyes), but the whole sexual assault theory is quite a stretch.
@@otomon5 I see what you mean, but actually it's not just the apples, the whole first part of Act 4 is an accumulation of suggestion and symbolism. The color red, the red bedroom after the screams in the gramophone (where we hear Lily sobbing while singing and see an actual lily in front of the bed), blood stains, Lily gasping and crying, saying she needs "to be more careful" (which implies that something did happen and not that she's just afraid of something that might happen), the Director repeating "Don't do it" (don't do what, if not a direct assault?)... Maybe the fruit symbolism is a bit far fetched I admit, but at the same time, googling "apple" or "cherry symbolism" systematically brings to temptation, love and luxury for apples, and sensuality for cherries. I really see all of that as a whole and I can't see any other justification to this entire section of the game... But if you have any other theory feel free to share!
You guys are great. Thanks for combing through this thick narrative and helping us understand what’s happening. I also love how Kaweedful takes the time to read others theories and concedes well made points. It’s like watching accomplished scientist compare data.
@@KaweedFul
Being a casual player and not privy to any of these in-depth theories I absolutely took it as sexual assault. For me it was the scene in the bed room with the two mannequins. One on the bed seemingly touching itself and the other on the floor pulling away in fear.
Can't believe I finally found a reviewer who doesn't shit on this amazing game and explains its true meaning. Thank you! I agree with everything.
I fell in love with it, so I had to give it the credit it deserved ;)
Thank you for watching!
your editing and narration is so good, keep up the great work!
Thank you so much for the kind words, I'm glad you enjoyed!
Très bien ! Le rythme est fluide et le propos va droit au but, c'est un bon accompagnement pour la compréhension de l'intrigue principale :D
Vivement la partie 2
this was such a great and concise analysis! Can't wait to see more!
Amazing summery dude! Mind blown. Keep up the good work dude!
Few questions on minor points in case you have thoughts about them:
*spoilers*
1. Did Lily kill their father?
She calls herself the cyclops slayer at least once, but that could just be from the movie. Besides that reference, I didn't notice an other references to the fate of their father. They clearly don't want to be caught as stowaways and sent back, but that could be because they're wanted or they just don't want to live with their father.
2. Whats with the bank robbery scenes?
It's repeated multiple times and it doesn't seem like it relates at all to the lives or even the fantasies of Lily and James. Obviously there are tons of bank robbery movies, but is that a reference to a specific movie? They used it at least twice in somewhat lengthy sequences, so it would be interesting to know if there's some deeper meaning there beyond the obvious unlocking the bank vault = your unlocking your inner soul/heart/self.
Thanks! I really appreciate your insights! You found some movie references that I didn't catch.
1. You're right, I didn't cover the Father's killing in the video because I wasn't 100% sure at the time about what happened to him. But now that I am, I'll gladly answer!
It's funny cause we discussed Lily killing her Father on the Bloober Team Discord just a few days ago with Zechariel! We reached an agreement, but I'll still submit to you 2 potential explanations for the Father's death so that you can see for yourself:
1.1 - Lily kills her Father
She indeed calls herself "Slayer of the Cyclops" in Act 2, and we clearly see her stabbing a mannequin in Act 4 with the "Psycho" themed room. In the timeline, she could have done this just before running away with James, leaving their father for dead inside their house and running away before being caught by the police (hence the sirens in the bank robbery scene?). This makes sense, but it leaves aside a crutial detail that no one ever bothered to explain: the "electric chair" room in the end of Act 3. So in order to include it into the whole picture, I propose 1.2:
1.2 - The Father dies in the fire of his own movie theater
We know thanks to different notes in Act 3 that the theater is in a poor condition. The balcony is fragile, and the fire safety equipement is seriously lacking, but the Father (or the owner) stalls the County Council's obligations and doesn't take care about the "fire resisting materials" and that "the theater infrastructure facilitates escape in the event of fire". However, what else do we read in Act 3? A note from the owner to the Father, saying "For the last time, I'm not replacing the bloody projector. It's your job to keep it up and running." Well it's very likely that this projector caused a fire in the theater, causing the Father to be stuck inside in agony. And when Lily and James finally run away, they make a detour to the theater as they were used to go there to escape their torments, and they discover their father, agonising, begging for his suffering to stop, just as we see in the "electric chair" room. Lily says "Come, there's nothing left for us here", and they run away.
2. The bank robberies
We see them first in Act 1, and lastly in Act 5, right? I don't remember any other one in between. I don't have a theory about them to be honest! I just saw them as a cool tribute to old noir films, and the fact that the Act 1 robbery is repeated in Act 5 could make sense, seeing that Act 5 is just a distorted version of everything we've seen before. But I would be open to any interpretation on the subject!
@@KaweedFul Thanks for providing those theories!
For 1., I quite liked this game, but I'm disappointed that this part of the story was left so vague, since it seems what happened to the father, especially if he died, is important.
1.1- I think the problem with the stabbing idea is that, as I mentioned in a separate comment, the one who assaulted Lily wasn't the father. It would therefore seem odd to loop back to the father's death in chapter 4. It seems more likely that stabbing scene was showing Lily kill or at least her desire to kill the man who assaulted her. Also, keep in mind that the movie scene in Psycho that that sequence is based on is meant to be sexually charged. A man sneaks in on a naked woman and proceeds to... stab her. The symbolism is pretty obvious and I think they were going for the same thing here. For example, if Lily ambushed and stabbed the man who assaulted her in that manner, it would have a direct symbolic connection to what he did to her. She delivered poetic justice. That wouldn't make sense for the father who didn't assault her in that manner (he may still have belted her like he did James).
However, I am wondering about the symbolism of shooting a moon with the father's face on it (via a rocket) in chapter 3. However, the fact that we have to run from the father in the maze after shooting the moon, makes me think that sequence may have been just symbolizing them deciding to go against their father and run. Also, I'm sure the creators wanted to work in more movie references.
1.2- I think you make a good point here that there should be a narrative purpose to all those letters about fire safety in Chapter 3. It could just be meant to show desperate the father's situation was (having a job in a barely functioning theater), but the creators could have expressed that in other ways. There are many examples of burning mannequins throughout the game, but side the ship they snuck aboard definitely burned, so the burning people could be from that.
1.3- Here's a possible theory that combines the two.
Lily did kill the father (making her the Slayer of the Cyclops), but not by stabbing. Instead, she started the fire that killed the father in the movie theater. After all, we saw the fire safety letters in their home, so she was likely aware of the safety issues and she knew how to sneak into the theater. Old film could start on fire very easily, so it wouldn't have taken much to ignite it. Also, burned film seems to be a common theme throughout the game, such as the burn holes in the films and sides you find. The electric chair could then symbolize Lily's fear of getting punished for the crime. A guilt James likely felt he shared with his sister, even if he didn't actually participate. If Lily did stab to death the man who assaulted her, that would be her second murder, enhancing that fear of punishment. It would also explain why she opted for that solution. She had killed before, so that might make it easier for her to choose murder again.
Please let me know if you think there're issues with this theory, but I think it combines all the elements fairly well.
2.- That makes sense. I was just curious if there was some context I was missing. Thanks!
@@Kain666 Oh yeah I love that 1.3 theory!
The stabbing scene can represent the vengeance of Lily over her aggressor. But followed by the Director saying "Forever the dream, forever the wound, forever you", it led me to believe that this room was only just a representation of Lily's rage, of what she wanted to do but never could... Did she actually kill this man or is she just desperate to? I'm not sure. This line from the Director puts doubt in my mind.
However, I like the fact that she could have set fire to the theater. After the electric chair room, we walk through a little corridor where every wall, floor and ceiling is covered with film. Maybe she just knocked down the faulty projector on these and condemned her father this way.
All of this is very vague as you say, but I don't feel like it's an issue. After all, when the kids leave for their transatlantic journey, they leave their father behind, so what happens to him doesn't really matter to them; why should it matter to us? Apart from satisfaction, and the fact that we can't help but decrypt every detail that this game throws into the picture ;)
@@KaweedFul True, the father's fate isn't vital to the plot, but I feel like he's featured prominently enough that it's worth making it a bit clearer, especially if it had enough of a psychological impact on the protagonist to cause things like the electric chair and film to appear. Still, I agree that it's overall a minor point in the plot.
I agree that the fate of Lily's attacker is also left ambiguous. The stabbing scene could be literal or metaphorical, but like you I lean towards it being an expression of Lily's rage rather than an actual plot event. In this case the attacker is an unnamed shadow whose only importance to the plot is his one interaction with Lily, so I think it's fine to leave his fate ambiguous.
That's a good point that Lily igniting the film could have been an accident. Afterward, perhaps she then decided to embrace her role as Slayer of the Cyclops to help cope with the event. Lily always wanted to be strong and bold, so it may have been better in her mind to be the intentional Slayer of the Cyclops, rather than a foolish child who made a deadly mistake. Even if it was actually a mistake, the fear of getting caught and executed could still be very strong.
Thank you very much for discussing these theories! :) I feel like I now have a much better grasp of the story.
@@Kain666 Well thank you for starting the conversation! Theorizing works so much better when two brains work together 👍
Great explanation.
Thanks!!
This was absolutely amazing. Thank you so much. I enjoyed the video so much. Continue doin what u do!
This explanation is great, I’m surprised you only have 1,8k subscribers. I genuinely thought you would have at least 100k. Amazing video bro, dropping a follow. You deserve it
Excellent video and explanation! Really liked the way you presented the informations. But there's a question to me that remains without answer:
The madness ending with the rat queen, the same lady from the first LoF.
In a point of NG+, we can even see the same painting of her.
A letter in the game suggests an almost Lovecraftian plot, with she being an Eternal entity, some sort of goddess of Madness.
Considering that the game has this kind of atmosphere, I think it'd be plausible if there was a plot like this.
I'd like to know what you think. Hugs from Brasil :)
Edit: I just saw there's a part two, never mind hahahah
Incroyable! M'accrocher 20 minutes sur un jeu qui de base ne m'intéresse pas, bien joué!
Super montage, super rythme, super analyse!
Merci patron !
This is a great video! Thanks for making it!
Amazing work
Great video, I love this game 😸
Excellent video! Thank you very much 👍
I think the sinking of RMS Odyssey is inspired by the Titanic sinking.
Amazing video
it looks amazing
great video :)
Good vid
Great job putting all of this together..there's a lot here that I never thought of!
Personally my interpretation was the struggle of a transgender person finding their identity. I never really believed that Lily was real, that she was just a part of James' "identity" throughout the game, you become more James, or more Lily. I always took the Director to be "society" always pushing you to do and be what society wants.
Your theory seems more concrete though! Awesome job!
That's a great interpretation! Any work of art must have several ways to be understood, and it's great that you found your own 👍
Thanks for the kind words!
Thank u!
how do i know this is a great horror game? i played it in the morning and afternoon, and its still fucking scary.
or maybe i am just a wuss
Ok. So how did Lilly die?
Lily died in the explosion seen in the final cutscene of Act 5. About half of the passengers of the ship survived this accident as mentioned in the note in the HUB after the cutscene, so James is one of them, but not Lily.
Stop throwing up memes please, if i watch a video analysis breaking down every aspect in loving detail what i DONT want is a '???' meme put into the video. I want to see and hear all the information, understand the subtle intricacies, it actually detracts from a serious piece having a surprised Pikachu face stuck over the top of information.
I think you should watch the whole thing then ;)