[Careful, long and detailed explanation] I’ll explain the ending of the game for those who didn’t understand it. I feel like a lot of people in the comments think Lily is the protagonist, but that isn’t the case. You play this game as James inside his own mind, being the main protagonist of the “film” as Lily’s flame (her soul within him) and James’ flame (his own, the director) fight to see who gets to keep his body. What you go through is an artistic, fucked up and hard to understand interpretation of various memories of James’ life while in each act except the fifth, you get to make an important choice: You either kill off Lily and move on from James’ painful memories and guilt of the past, or fulfill the promise he made to lily, of getting her back so she can always be with him, forever. Without going into too much unnecessary detail: James’ mother died giving birth to him, while his father was an war veteran who lost an eye. Lily was James’ older sister and the two were very close. Their father was rather abusive, blaming James of his mother’s death due to being born and always saying he was worthless. Because of this, James developed a bit of an obsession with his sister, due to the fact he idolized her so very much. As their life went on, his father owned a movie theatre where he’d always show the same pirate movie, one that Lily enjoyed and began to role play with James. At a certain point, Lily falls from her bed and hits her head, passing out for a period of time in which James thinks she’s dead. However, she comes back and says the old lily is dead and now she’s the captain. Due to the theatre being in very shitty conditions, it burns down one night, resulting in the death of their father. It is not clear to me if Lily burns the place down or it burns by itself.. But part of me believes she burned it down. Taking James with her, she decides to fulfill the dream that they both had: Getting away from everything and going on a journey. This way, they sneak into a ship as stowaways and hide in both the machinery area and the place where the animals are kept. This brings an issue however: They are starving and they are being chased by the guards. At one point, Lily advices James to stay behind while she goes get food, leaving him behind because he’s messed up before and almost gets them caught. However, after she leaves, she doesn’t seem to come back for a long long time. In this time, James panics, until he remembers what Lily taught him: Whenever he feels alone and as if she isn’t around, he just has to listen to her voice inside of her. Furthermore, this is the first time when a voice inside of him speaks.. This voice, I believe, is actually Lily within him (only he doesn’t know it yet) She says that it’s his fault she went missing and that the only way to get her back is by making use and regaining her flame. However, Lily eventually does come back, but something happened. Based off of imagery and things lily says, I believe she was raped by a director who was in the same ship as them. As it turns out, there WAS a movie being filmed in that ship, with a very weird director who was in charge. There is a part in the game where a two shadows seem to be struggling until one of them overpowers the other and stabs them many times. Although I am not sure of this, I think that perhaps Lily actually killed the director after she was raped. Once she comes back she lashes out at James, blaming him for not being there, saying she hates him. And it is either this same night or soon after that a storm hits the ship. James and Lily try to escape but only James reaches the boat while Lily is left behind. Right before she dies, she tells him that she’ll always be there and will find him again. It is after this that James is left alone and one day, is found in a bench by a famous journalist or maybe a famous actor, one who speaks in the voice notes that you can find throughout the game and listen in the room. There, James says he doesn’t know where he belongs, but that his sister will be there with him forever. Although I don’t know what happens between this time.. If he’s taken in by the person interviewing him or what happens exactly, James loses his personality, fighting his guilt and hatred of himself (He hates James) by becoming an actor and not only playing the characters he does, but also living as them throughout the time. He BECOMES those characters, he takes their “flames” But there is one flame, Lily’s that he’s not able to fully take. Because in order to become lily and therefore bring her back, James has to die. At the same time, if James wants to move on from his past and the pain within it, he has to let the guilt go, and forget lily. “Let go off reason and follow instinct. One life outweighs the other.” Basically, if you follow reason and tap into your emotions throughout the game, Lily takes over because he can’t move on from the guilt he feels. If you can’t decide throughout the game, the monster that chases after you (which is a representation of James’ lack of personality) remains and you find yourself in front of the unfinished version of lily talking to you and saying you’ll come back once you get the flame. If you follow the director (who is tough and bold, but overall wants to help James because it’s his conscience ) he is able to move on and finally become himself, no longer doubting or wanting to change who he really is. Unlike Lily’s ending, he doesn’t kill his old self, his bad memories and pain. He moves past them and accepts them, letting them be a part of him as well. In the end, James’ ending IS the good ending. Even if both end with this shot of the box behind shaking. That box represents his fears, his past, his trauma. In both versions, they always stay there because they are a part of him. Only in Lily’s, it means the past will haunt him. But in James’ it means that it’s within him, but he is aware of it and accepts it. If you’ve read everything, then thank you! I hope this was able to make you understand the game as a whole. EDIT: Since people seem to be reading this such a long time after the post, I want to update it with an important piece of information that will deepen the story a bit more. I think a big aspect this game touches is Carl Jung's psychology study. There's a lot to go over.. But I want to point out the basics: -The shadow and the persona. The persona is a representation of our personalities and the masks we put on (the part of ourselves we want to show) which coincides with James' ability to BECOME the characters he portrays. The shadow is the part of us we don't want to accept (which can be represented as the director, his sub-conscious trying to talk to him and remind him who he truly is. Lastly, the Anima and the Animus. They represent our feminine and masculine sides/traits respectively. In order to achieve our true "persona" we must kill one or the other. This is pretty easily represented as James' struggle to accept his true self or succumb to his guilty and accept Lilly.

What's past is past, What's gone is gone. the door is shut, and the curtains drawn. The lands that are no longer there, the dreams we did not get to share. when all we love is stripped away, a boy must leave, a man must stay. And yet, there is still hope, you see, for you are still a part of me, although the boy has ceased to be, where there was 'I' , and there shall be 'we'. The holy Flame, it burns away, it shows us there's another way. let us be together, forever, and ever, and ever.

I know this is going to be buried, and there are a lot of interpretations of the game, but to summarize it in a nutshell, after lots of discussion over it: the things that are happening to the Actor are supernatural, and that's evident because of the mysterious items you can find over the course of the game (plus a paper describing them found in Act 2). The being that circles you in the Formless Ending is the Rat Queen, whose portrait is seen in the first game. That means she visited the Painter as well. No matter what ending you get, Lily died on the ship as a child. James was the survivor. He took her soul into himself, and this resulted in a messed up development as he grew up, resulting in the Formless Man. He created the Formless Man as a clay doll as a child - he eats it in his ending because he's finally ridding himself of the unsure aspects of his being. He is becoming fully whole. In the Lily ending, he shoots the doll, and recoils as if he injured himself. This proves that the Formless Man is indeed James. Her ending even confirms that Lily was the one who perished. "A sister's last breath. A life for a life. A death for a death." James has to choose whether or not he will be fully himself, and expel Lily's soul, or let her take over, meaning he has to die. There is a reason that in the two main endings, Lily and James share the same hair/eye color, and have a mole in the same exact place, despite the fact that they are not twins. They were two beings sharing one body, but in their respective endings, one soul has been pushed out.

This is probably the most confusing game ive ever played. But then again the level design was absolutely top class!

So "Obey" ending is the James' ending and "Disobey" ending is Lilly's ending.

Why James lowkey sounds like Hugo from plague tale innocence

Lets we call this ending to James, Lily, and Formless ending

"The world is a stage, but the play is badly cast."

I love how the kids went from being british to being being American.

I have a theory this is a case of multiple personalities... James survived that night and grew up to be a great actor. However, that night continued to haunt him to the point of creating another personality, which is Lily. Hence why she seemed confused at her adult appearance in one of the endings and why it seemed something attacked her in the end. Whenever they switched places, the Lily persona wanted to remain in control, repeatedly forcing James in a 'cage' to relive his horrible experience as a way to keep him at bay. He eventually sets himself setting himself free and takes back his place, as represent Ed by Lily seemingly attacked by something that came out of the chest behind her. And based on what the creature said, the struggle for who should control the body has been a constant struggle, one always trapped in a 'prison of its own making'. The creature is a perfect representation of how James perceives himself. That's why it speaks with two distinct voices. That's how James sees himself, a monster with no true identity.

My understanding of the endings in a TL;DR style: Flame: James accepted his past and let it mold him into who he is (symbolized by eating the clay doll. You are what you eat.) Forever: James could not accept his past and killed himself shortly after being rescued (symbolized by him repeatedly shooting the clay doll.). Formless: James could not fully accept his past and it caused him to be a miserable actor. (He couldn't find the fire, or the spark that would bring his character to life.). Random Theory: The Rat Queen created a formless (clay doll) to ensure the story of the shipwreck would be told. In this theory everyone died. While trying to capture the last flame of James, the Formless will either succeed, find Lily's through James or not be able to distinguish between the two. When the Formless fails, The Rat Queen sends it back to try again. (She could possibly create a new one.) What does the Rat Queen need the story to be told for? That is for us to wait and see. She does exist in both games after all (Layers of Fear 1 and 2.)

Spoilers: Actually, here's my explanation of the endin'. Read: I didn't understand everything since only genius people can do so. But as i get it, the true ending is Lily ending because our main character is Lily (update: it's not 100% like that. Another theory is that our main character is James but there are nuances). Lily theory: The director wanted us to change the character because we can easily believe everything is real and accept any role as real (that's why movie seemed scary to us, - our imagination is great). He wanted us to "wear another mask", so when we were obeying him we were destroyin' Lily (Lily's part) and taking role of James. Thus, we (our character) accepted the part of the boy and believed he's James. That's why in the final (while sitting/stayin' in front of table) main character said to James-boy "i'm your part" (or something like that, i don't remember exactly but i kept the sense). It's not really good ending because while looking through the mirror Lily (our character) sees a guy. It means unreality continues and we still didn't realise who we are. In Lily ending we see ourself as a true character and finally realise that we are Lily and James is a boy who plays another role (probably the real James died in real and the movie is based on our past, but the whole game tries to say that the dead one is Lily and James is survivor... to confuse reality and character). And third, weird ending means that we were put over the edge and became mad cos we couldn't realise who we are. We got in a "trap", - reality among "me" and "not me". P.S. you can read my big message in comments in which i explain why i think the main character is Lily. It's mostly theory, - the game keeps a lot of secrets. Anyway, i believe that main character is either James or Lily, but as we have split personality, we cannot accept the true role (there is detailed explanation in comments).

So wait-if you shot the girl,you would have killed Lilly and played as James the whole time (and got the James ending)? If so,wow-a minor choice,yet so game changing.

I think the director is James. The "tapes" we get is someone interviewing James and he's outside and free from their father. He was disfigured in the war and no one has seen his face since. He desperately wants our character to realize their true potential but I also think he wants her to realize who he is. Which is why during the acts there's lots of pirate parts, there's scenes around their home life and their room. No one else would know that stuff except for Lily and James. He wants her to be the greatest Actress and because of how she raised him, because lets be honest their father is useless and hates his son, he believes that method acting is the only way and that his sister is a better actress then she is. At first I thought we were the daughter of the artist in the first one because of how we react when we get to the room with the easel and the beer bottles but it makes more sense that we're Lily to me

...........Voldemort?

Layers of fear, Home sweet home, Outlast are my favorite horror series.

So I still don't understand the ending of this game

I am convinced the choice is between keeping your mask on, your guilt, your shame and moving on nevertheless or instead giving up to the guilt and letting your sisters "persona" take over. Thats why in the first choice he sees himself, in the second - he sees his sister. Because in a way, he becomes his sister. Split personality pretty much due to all the trauma and guilt

Am I the only the one confused by the similarities of the house in act 3 of LoF2 to the house in the first one?

always confuse me what is going to be in end

"You run, but do you know the way?" Me: _"ᒪET ᗰE ᔕTOᑭ YOᑌ ᖇIGᕼT TᕼEᖇE."_

Guys I think this female/male endings can be metaphors for self, actually the self, animus/anima from Jungian psychology. Let me explain in further detail. First ending, the male ending. We know we are an actor named James(a male), and we are passing through a self descovery and reconstruction after trauma. The ending when he is dineing with the boy symbolizes the finding of the INNER SELF. He has bounded with himself and came to accept himself thus becoming a whole. The female ending. We are an actor called James(a male). Anima is the female unconcious self within a male, she is shaped by the females figures around the male, and his interactions with them, and anima represents also the female traits opressed within a male, like: mysticism, empathy, spirituality, sensibility, creativity, artistic endeavour, etc. In a word, anima possesses the traits of the soul for a wider understanding. (While animus possesses the traits of the logic, example: analysis, logic, the ability to not take things at heart, determination, courage). Anima comes in 4 stages: Eve, Hellen, Mary, Sophia. And through the game when the director forces us to choose who are we gonna shot - the girl or the boy, it means who we are going to choose to follow the anima(the girl) or the self(the boy). The ending when the boy is shoting the rag doll symbolizez James who was always beating himself down and trying to kill who he was in order to bring his sister's soul back. I observerved that the "sister" is wise : "a mother long gone, a sister's last breath, a life for a life, a death for a death, lay your head down brother, go to sleep this vow is no longer yours to keep." Her verses can simbolize inner transformation when the anima - Sophia(in this case) is integrated within the concious mind and is used as a guidence.

That moment when you get the secret one first time playing :D

Good day everyone ! It's now the "Layers of Fear" remastered outside and also a story with about a director. I just don't know if it's really about the director in "Layers of Fear 2." But it might well be that the director in "Layers of Fear 2" doesn't have the theory like many. is not James's inner voice, but that the director himself is only a victim of the rat queen.

What does the blast (BOOM) of chest mean? (at the end of james or lily endings)

8:36 This is actually the Secret Ending ?I thought it was the normal ending WTF. I did not understand the game

The story of "Layers of Fear" is a story of choice. To choose between your insanity/your world/your individuality/what will immortalise you and put you above the world that abused and corrupted you, at the cost of your body and soul, the very things the world wanted you to sell. Or your sanity/what the world wants you to be and that's going to make you just like everyone else, in a way proving that you were unable to handle the pressure of fame and would rather live among the mortals, even if you feel you won't have to prove anything anymore to neither others or yourself. In the first game, the artist and the daughter needed to choose between their love for the world or their insane talent. In this game (since I believe the director and the play are real but are distorded due to the protagonist's perception of reality), he needs to choose between allowing the director to turn his history into a spectacle for everyone to see and simply have his strings pulled in the name of the show, or be like his sister, and take control over this story, not allowing the director to show everyone who the protagonist really is, but rather who he wished he was (his sister), thus puting him above the other actors who simply take orders and are pulled by the plot, instead of taking control and move the plot themselves.

God damnit, i got that Voldemort ending! Most time i wasn't even knowing what im doing! 🤣

Where can i get the game soundtrack? its so good

Vim por causa da live do alan e porque fiquei confuso sobre a história do game. Mas a atmosfera e a dublagem do jogo é perfeita, que obra prima.

apa cuma aing disini orang nyasar:(

Damn! I got the 3rd ending, which I assume is the bad ending?

I would say I prefer an ending, but, the sister one is-too sad for me The Bad ending is just starting over The brother ending-is also sad, but one I’m cool with somewhat

LAYERS OF FEAR GAMES ARE USUALLY INTO THE TOPICS OF "DEALING WITH THE PAST" I'M GUESSING, LILY AND JAMES ENDING ARE BOTH REAL BUT CANNOT EXIST AT THE SAME TIME OFC IT IS POSSIBLE THAT ONLY ONE SURVIVED THE ACCIDENT, BY PLAYING THE GAME, WE ARE MOLDING "WHAT REALLY HAPPENED IN THERE." IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE "NEUTRAL" ENDING IS ABOUT HOW THE REAL AUTHOR OF THE STORY (THE STORY OF LILY AND JAMES) GOT ANGERY OVER YOU NOT GIVING A PROPER ANSWER, "SHE" IS MAD BECAUSE YOU WASTED YOUR TIME BY MAKING A 50% OBEDIENCE, 50%DISOBEDIENCE RESULT, ITS LIKE A DEVELOPER TELLING YOU THAT... "YOU MISSED THE POINT OF THIS GAME GODDAMNITTTTTTTTT" you after getting that ending: *AW SHIZZ HERE WE GO AGAIN*.... *RESTARTS GAME AS YOU ARE TOLD TO DO SO* ANYWAY... THEY JUST WANT YOU TO PLAY THE GAME, EITHER YOU GET LILY OR JAMES ENDING, YOU'LL FIND YOURSELF LOOKING FOR AN "ALTERNATE" ENDING. CHOOSING THE "GAME DEV GETTING MAD AT YOU" ENDING IS PRETTY MUCH NOT MEANT AS AN ENDING FOR YOU TO HAVE. YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO "OBEY" OR NOT TO "OBEY" IN THE 2 CHOICES THAT THE GAME DEVS GAVE (WHO TO ERASE, WHO SHOULD SURVIVE THE INCIDENT) YOU. AGAIN DONT WASTE YOUR TIME BY BEING *I N C O N S I S T E N T* GODDAMNNIITTTTT

Accidentally got the secret ending at first xd idk how

Compared to the first game, and based on the expectations it created for the sequel, this one was kind of a wash. This didn't really feel like a horror game, and discarded much of the atmosphere that made the first one so good.

So..Which one is the good ending?

so i played for the first time and i unlocked secret ending without even knowing it?

So whait I got the secret ending on my first playthrough and didn't even know? What do you do to get the secret ending? It cant be that hard if I did it without knowing

You are Telling me i got the "secret ending" on the first run by Luck?

the video is mistitled. there's the standard three endings, but where's the secret one?

Apa cuman gua yg nyasar karna miawaug?😂

So, what you're telling me is Voldemort killed James and Lilly. Checks out.

So who you are is depentend on the choices you've made, right? The youtuber I've watched the gameplay from got the third ending, I didn't understand at first but he explained it and it really is a great story. So it appears the Lily has died on the ship. His theory is that we are Lily who's in some kind of porgatory. She must find out what happend and who she truly is and she has to accept herself. It's quite unfair tho. I mean she hasn't done anthing bad, has she?

I got the secret ending on the first try. Don't know how but I did.

oooh, i see just 3 ending in this game, thankss

i got the third ending does that mean i got the shitty one?

imagine playing this game while having an existential crisis; and reach the hidden (3rd) ending without knowing its not the actual ending.. then come watch this video and learn there is proper endings, grow your depression even more bcs you fell like you're actually indecisive and incomplete person, and have suicidal thoughts bcs of it.

Hi @GamersPrey, I'm making a video for LOF2 detail explaining. But I lost the Forever ending after reinstalled window. May I borrow the Forever ending from your video ? That would be great. Many thanks!

2020 anyone?

Also Hey... what's with the lemons on the game? There are but a few ways you can get lemons throughout the whole level and it's drawing attention from me on some of the levels.

What/ Who is inside the box at the end?

What does the chest at the end with the brother or sister mean. Like they're facing their past and it scary like pops opening up with scary sounds cause their past like childhood was really bad and dark?

I know it shouldn't, but the female ending feels more correct to me.

Layer Of fear 2 (Based On The True Story) By Titanic Jack And Rose

how is it in both games i got the secret ending first try without trying to get them, just by playing how i wanted to

That was really fast!

Berarti endingnya tergantung dari poster poster yang di temukan kahh? Jika posternya kurang maka endingnya akan secret

Wait so is the last ending the secret ending if it is I got that ending first it creeped me out XD

James and lily is potter

I don't get the story? Can someone explain?

This plot and what happened and happening is so confusing. The 1st game while you don't know everything you find stuff like notes and as it goes on u find out more and actually get what happened by the end at least more then this one. Or maybe im just not smart enough to put the pieces together lol

I don't understand a single a fucking thing that happened in this story.

How to end the game on the brother

Until then.... ACTION Holy shit you start over

The basic, ordinary ending is so disappointing, but the cheesy nursery rhymes for playing it the "right" way aren't much better.

Check out my play through of the first game if you’re interested!

Layers of fear 1 is my favorite horror game of all time but part 2 was a let down.

I somehow got the secret ending on my first run lol

This Third ending is rubbish as at some point you would expect her to say you have earned it but you never do lol.

I got the secret ending

I got the secret ending without even trying lol weird game....

it dragged on a bit too much for my liking near the end. by that point i just wanted it to be over

Lol i got the secret ending

Wait isnt this old? Or am i missing something?

i got the last ending (rat woman)

Whose poen is this? I mean the first one

I still don't know who shot JR.

Jimmy siapa

can anyone tell me the name of these beautiful soundtrack? 04:07

good game

The game is about the psychological struggles of a transgender person. The "director" is society. If you obey the director all the time, you are revealed to be James, caving to societies expectations you have suppressed your true self to be what society expects you to be. If you mix obeying and disobeying the director, you get the formless end - you are not sure what you are, you are formless, without conviction, the rat lady even says, "you don't even know what you are." If you disobey the director at every turn, you are revealed to be Lily, your true self, going against the mold of what society expects of you to embrace your true self.

so sad :"(

Miawaug?

Do you know da wae

Bad game

This game was a waste of my time.

Akte KK KIA asli Dan fotocopy

Xd Fear not guys whether it's first or second ! Your ending the the game are still irrelevant Whether u seek for the first or the third U will always get what u dont want !! This game is so surreal u can't decide But there is one thing tht u have to fight

for me, layers of fear 1 is better.

Unfortunately, emboldened by the praise of their first game's artistic interpretation, the developers decided for their second game to make the game so ambiguously artistic in an attempt to mimic that same praise. Instead, they ruined their chance of telling a coherent story, and the resulting mess has come ashore as a shipwreck.

Take a ban.gai to fight 😆

HALO REK

Tttuuuu sssiiipp :)

Opo seh iki

Akte KK KIA asli Dan fotocopy