Fear the Spotlight wasfirst released back in 2023 on Steam before it was pulled by developer Cozy Game Pals as it wanted to develop console versions of the title, among other things. In hindsight, pulling a game for console versions, adding more language support, or adding new content seems strange, but what fans did not know at the time is thatFear the Spotlightdrew the attention of a new publisher,Blumhouse Games, which is headed up byFive Nights at Freddy’smovie producer Jason Blum.
This means fans can expect a new and improvedFear the Spotlightwhen it officially re-releases, and Game Rant was able to briefly check it out atSummer Game Fest. It was a brief demo, but it was enough to get our heart beating and elicited a lot of involuntary “nopes” in reaction to everything going on.
Fear the Spotlight Knows How to Make Horror Out of Anything
The first thing anyone is going to notice aboutFear the Spotlightis theVHS filter, which can be turned off at any time. It does make it a bit rough to look at, but it fits the more blocky approach to character models and environments, as well as provides a strong aesthetic fitting ’90s horror VHS tapes. This filter makes it feel like I was both playing and watching, and several times, I wanted to yell at our protagonist (Vivian) and her friend (Amy) for doing the dumb things people do in horror movies…except, well, I was doing them.
The demo began with us sneaking into Sunnyside High, and Amy making it clear our goal was the library. I did not know, at this time, what we needed from the library, but I followed Amy nonetheless. Environmental clues also informed us that Sunnyside High was once destroyed by a massive fire, something that would obviously come back up later. The first corridor or two played like one would expect sneaking into a high school to play like, but the next hallway had a spotlight we needed to hide from. Spotlights in high schools are unusual, but I thought nothing of it before realizing it was not just a simple spotlight. Amy rushed us into hiding, and the game made a simple spotlight an exciting encounter.
Hiding beneath a nearby table really made the encounter quite tense. The audio shift and Amy’s dialogue warned of its dangers, but even on top of that, the heavy breathing and heart-pumping noise were enough to make me feel the same fear. Amy said to follow her when she moved, which I did, but I got a little overzealous when we made it to the next safe spot, continuing toward the door and getting hit by the spotlight. I don’t exactly know what I was expecting, but getting set on fire was not it whatsoever. Luckily, it wasn’t enough for a game over, but it did result in Vivian breathing rather heavily for the rest of the demo, aiding that overallclassic horror vibe.
Once we made it to the library, our next objective was made clear. There was aouija boardin a display case, and I was tasked with finding the key to get it out while Amy set up a seance. This was the first “nope” to escape my mouth because, if there’s anything you don’t mess with, it’s the dead. It’s ouija boards. But I powered on, finding the keycard to let us into the back room and finding the key for the display case back there. I also found a school note to not leave any important documents lying around for students to find, which did get a little chuckle out of me.
Fear the Spotlight Screenshots
I grabbed the ouija board, made it to Amy, and then the encounter played out something like this:
We Feared the Spotlight
Vivian was scared. I was scared. It was a mess.
We then used one of the candles to search the dark library, realizing a nearby set of bookshelves had fallen over. We were looking for Amy, being berated by creepy sounds and noises, and then she went running around the library in our peripheral vision at one point. We found her, obviously messed up by the spirit, and then the library was on fire, which may have been some form of flashback to past events. We were forced to escape the burning library, and this is where ourhorror gamedemo came to an end.
Fear the Spotlight, at least in our brief demo, felt a lot like an interactivehorror movie, though perhaps with a bigger focus on the “interactive” element than that statement may imply. The VHS filter and horror presentation make it feel like an old movie, but the way we engaged with our controller and the way our mind reacted to the filter and story made us feel like we were in a theater, alone, yelling at the protagonists to make better decisions. Unfortunately for Vivian and Amy, it seems like there will be even worse decisions made before it gets better, but that’s probably a good thing for horror game fans.
Fear the Spotlight
WHERE TO PLAY
Fear the Spotlight is an atmospheric third-person horror adventure with a disturbing mystery to unravel. Sneak into school after hours with Vivian and Amy, survive a séance gone wrong, solve tactile puzzles, and, whatever you do, stay out of the spotlight…Sunnyside High has a dark history. When Vivian enters the deserted corridors for a seance with the rebellious Amy, she suddenly ends up alone, and at the mercy of the monster who wanders the halls. Vivian must avoid its gaze, find her friend, and uncover the disturbing, murderous truth of a decades old tragedy. Fear the Spotlight is a creepy love letter to classic 90s horror experiences with a focus of rich storytelling, puzzle solving, and a tense atmosphere. This is a perfect narrative horror game for those new to the genre.
