First revealed during Summer Game Fest 2024, Fear the Spotlight is an original PlayStation-era inspired indie survival horror game that also pays homage to 90’s teen horror films. Developed by husband and wife team Cozy Game Pals, Fear the Spotlight is also the first title to be released under new publisher Blumhouse Games, known for their iconic horror films. Just in time for spooky season, Fear the Spotlight is a worthy contender for your Halloween-themed gaming sessions. Read on for our spoiler-free review!

What Lurks Beyond?

In Fear the Spotlight, you play as Vivian who, along with her close friend Amy, breaks into their high school at night to perform a seance. As is typical in horror, nothing goes according to plan. Our protagonists have to make it through a harrowing night by solving puzzles, exploring the school, and avoiding the spotlight.

We all know the building blocks of what makes a quality survival horror experience. Tense sound design, claustrophobic exploration, environmental storytelling through dreadful exposition, and dark, atmospheric lighting. Fear the Spotlight has these in spades. And while it doesn’t reinvent the wheel in any way, it takes these concepts and makes them its own. The game doesn’t have combat or traditional jump scares, just vibes. As the title suggests, you’ll be pursued by what I can only describe as the Spotlight Man – a creepy male figure with a rusty prison spotlight for a head. Get caught in his gaze, and he’ll pull you in and deal damage. You can only take about 3 hits, so luckily getting caught once isn’t an auto-fail. You’ll have the opportunity to escape, run, and hide once he drops you.

Tried-and-True Survival Horror Formula

Another typical occurrence in survival horror games is the scarcity of healing items, and Fear the Spotlight is no different. You can find inhalers scattered throughout the game to help heal you should the Spotlight find you. The game maintains that tense and scary tone throughout its roughly 6 hour runtime, and is divided into two chapters. The first is a sort of proof of concept for its mechanics and overall vibe. The second chapter, however, is where the horror is turned up to 11.

The game gets darker (both visibly and tonally), you’re pursued by a terrifying, relentless enemy à la Alien: Isolation, and the puzzles become more intricate. This is where I most enjoyed Fear the Spotlight. I played this concurrently with the recently released Silent Hill 2 remake, and couldn’t help but observe many similarities – and I mean in this in the highest praise possible. While this is definitely an entry-level horror game for those looking to dip their toes into the genre, it’s probably the best game around to do so.

The level and puzzle design are of the utmost quality. Never once did I feel lost or stumped, despite the game’s omission of a traditional map. Intuitive level layout ensured that neither the environments felt stale nor the puzzle solutions felt too far off the beaten path. Special shout-out to the latter half’s lockpicking mini-game, as well. It’s one of the most well-designed I’ve seen in a game in a long while.

Just Vibes

Like this year’s Crow Country, Fear the Spotlight’s visual style takes inspiration from retro horror games of the PS1-era. This minimalist style works extremely well here, and doesn’t detract from its tone in any way. In fact I think it’s what makes the game work as well as it does.

One small gripe I do have, however, is the game’s story, despite it’s surprisingly deep themes of lost love and inclusion. No spoilers here, but I’m confused about how or why the two chapters are connected. Same goes for Vivian and Amy’s motivations for breaking into the school in the first place. I may just need to do a second playthrough now that I have full context, but playing again would be a treat.

I’d be remiss to not sing the praises of Fear the Spotlight’s impressive voice acting. Khaya Fraites and Maganda Marie steal the show as Vivian and Amy, respectively. Their performances really help sell the world and immerse me in the horror their characters are experiencing.

Verdict

Fear the Spotlight from relative newcomers Cozy Game Pals and first-time publisher Blumhouse Games is a home-run indie horror experience that respects your time. A great jumping on point for gamers looking to try out the survival horror genre for the first time, it takes the tried-and-true formula of its genre brethren and makes it its own. The level and puzzle designs are some of the best, and are another testament to the passion shown by the husband and wife development team. Despite the at-times confusing narrative, its voice acting performances really help get the player immersed in the terrifying world of Sunnyside High. If you play anything this Halloween season, make it Fear the Spotlight.

Myles’s Verdict: 4/5

Reviewed on Nintendo Switch. Review code provided by the publisher. Fear the Spotlight launches October 22 on all major platforms.