Spooky season is well under way following the successful launch of the Silent Hill 2 remake, but fans of survival horror have more to look forward to this month with the release of Cozy Game Pals’ Fear the Spotlight. The first of multiple projects that Blumhouse Games has plans to publish, Fear the Spotlight is a suitably creepy, teen-slasher romp that — while not all that scary — is a strong start for the publisher’s upcoming slate of games.
You play as Vivian — your stereotypical ‘geek’ featured throughout 90s media — as her and her romantic interest, Amy (who looks as though she just walked off the set of The Craft), decide to break into their school after-hours and mess around with an Ouija Board. If you’re reading this, it’s likely that you’ve consumed enough horror media to know exactly where this is going; Amy goes missing during the seance after things turn awry, and Vivian finds herself alone in the school mindlessly trying to find her amongst the mess. Though, this is where things began to surprise me, as Vivian actually finds herself exploring a past version of the school from the early 90s, riddled with corridors and rooms that frankly don’t make sense. It’s here that things begin to feel very Silent Hill, as we delve into the school’s past and find out some answers about the fire that engulfed it — and more notably, its students — in 1991.
Much like Silent Hill 2’s protagonist, James, who doesn’t seem at all alarmed by what’s going on, Vivian acts similarly. A corridor just appeared in the middle of a wall? No drama. There’s a spotlight-wielding creature that burns everything it touches? Not a problem. Moments like this certainly reminded me more of the nineties nostalgia that Fear the Spotlight is certainly going for, but ultimately, it feels like a modern, indie horror with a tin of PSX-style paint thrown over it.
Fear the Spotlight is yet another product of its inspirations — the explicit Silent Hill 2 easter egg found alongside the Spirit Board goes to show that much, among other moments. While its tactile puzzles are satisfying to solve, and its story of the horrific effects of bullying — which often reminded me of Stephen King’s Carrie — is relatively riveting, it feels as though the game is confused about what it is, or what it is trying to be.
The pointed polygons and the grainy television filter go a small way in making Fear the Spotlight feel like a PSX-style horror game, and don’t get me wrong, Fear the Spotlight is stylish within its own right. Though, some of these stylistic decisions often feel like a gimmick rather than a meaningful attempt at evoking nostalgia. This is where Fear the Spotlight lets itself down a little; if this is a homage to the 90s which it somewhat sets itself up to be, I feel a lot more could’ve been done than applying a filter and creating main characters out of polygons.
While Fear the Spotlight didn’t impress me as much as the likes of Hollowbody or demo for upcoming game, Heartworm, who both attempted to reproduce the 90s formula in the modern day — albeit with more success — there’s still no denying that this is a solid start for Cozy Game Pals’ first foray into horror. Regardless of how you feel about Fear the Spotlight’s approach to the survival horror zeitgeist of the late 90s and early 00s, it’s still very much worth any horror fan’s time if you fancy throwing yourself into a provocative story about the perils of troubled teenagers, just don’t expect anything mind-blowing.
This isn’t a new story when it comes to horror games for young adults, though there are a couple of grim twists and turns I didn’t see coming, and while the story feels as though it is about the relationship between Vivian and Amy at its core, you’ll likely find yourself more enthralled about the story between Chrissy, Heather, and Raoul, and the events that unfolded between them in 1991. The good news is that unlike plenty of horror games of similar ilk, you actually get some answers as to what happened — and is currently happening — this time around.
There’s not much to worry about in terms of combat in Fear the Spotlight; this is a game that quite clearly focuses on its story and its puzzles more than anything. Spotlight Heads are the only enemy you’ll face, forcing you to hide and flee the fiery path their blinding lights create. If you do get caught by one, you’ll need to use Vivian’s inhaler to bring her back to full health when she’s done escaping danger.
This was one of a few small touches — using the air capacity of Viv’s lungs to measure her health rather than having a health bar — that stood out to me about Fear the Spotlight, though, what also stood out to me was that I never really felt like I was in danger. These enemies do not pose much of a threat, and while the story and puzzles were enough to keep me engaged with Fear the Spotlight, don’t expect yourself to be scared by it.
Fear the Spotlight shines when it comes to its tactile puzzles. While these aren’t exactly tricky, you’re left to rely on notes and the discovery of various items to solve them, and as you do, you get to interact with every button, latch, and wire involved in each puzzle or mechanism you must fiddle with. The buttons of a vending machine, plugging wires into a television, actively turning the tombola. There’s something deeply satisfying about this, and it really aids with immersing the player in the game’s world.
At times, it feels as though Fear the Spotlight would make a better escape-the-room game than the survival horror games it is trying to imitate. Either way, where stylistic decisions fail, Fear the Spotlight’s puzzles go a long way in elevating it and ensuring that despite my qualms, I still had an enjoyable time roaming around Sunnyside High School.
If you’re looking to delve into a supernatural story laden with satisfying, tactile puzzles, then Fear the Spotlight is a grand way to spend two to three hours of your time this autumn. Though, if you were hoping for something that would keep you on your toes and have you losing sleep, you might be better off waiting for the other titles that publisher, Blumhouse Games, has up its sleeve.
Fear the Spotlight was reviewed on Nintendo Switch with a code provided by the publisher. There were no performance issues.