If you're in the market for an incredibly fun, and genuinely sweet soft core horror experience this holiday season, then Fear the Spotlight from developers Cozy Game Pals is the game for you.
A two campaign, spook filled jaunt through the most stereotypical American high school you can possibly imagine, it comes complete with creepy drama teachers with theater lights for heads, fun puzzles, and a surprising level of emotional depth.
Fear the Spotlight alreadyreleased some time ago. I expected then, as one might, something subpar. Bugs and issues, a lack of substance even... but no. Whatever 'updates' the developers put in post-pull from Steam have clearly been to great effect, because I absolutely love this charming little indie gem.
The horror in Fear the Spotlight
You shouldn't go in to Fear the Spotlight expecting Visage levels of psychological suffering, nor should you go in expecting Silent Hill 2 levels of survival horror. It's not here because it wasn'tmeant to be, and this game does not suffer for it.
Gameplay is simple. Shockingly simple, even. You walk throughout this ghostly school, taken back to the yesteryear of 1991, except it's like, in Hell now or something — all in the efforts to save your beloved. You have a combined total of three button inputs aside from movement and camera. You can interact, you can crouch, and you can turn your light source on and off.
That's seriously it. And yet, the atmosphere and storytelling in this game carry it all the way to greatness. Those hallways from 1997 don't just look spooky, they feel borderline oppressive. It's like you're surrounded on all sides by the aftermath of a terrible incident, which you are. Everywhere you go feels like you're stepping into somewhere you shouldn't be, aided of course by the fact you've broken into school after hours to perform a seance.
Notes are your main vehicle to understanding here, and at first they seem disconnected, broken. But as you read more, you begin to piece together what went on back in 1997, and the more you learn, the more those hallways seem ever so slightly tighter, and the more white eyes you can see lurking behind shelves.
Fear the Spotlight, as mentioned previously, was made to be accessible to folks of all cuts of cloth. It's less about the 'horror' and more about the 'spooks'. It has a far greater emphasis on presenting you with an interesting mystery (which it does to great effect), than it does to scaring your pants off. That being said, some moments here are genuinely chilling.
Spotlight Head (above), if you'll forgive my lack of creative ability for a better name here, gives me the jeebies. He feels evil, which is good, because he is. As you progress, he is your only threat, which leads me to my next point.
During your play through, you'll quite often see these... shadow people. They're pale, with white shining eyes, and elongated limbs. Horrible, no? But there's something interesting about them, and something I once again have to bow to the developers for, because they don't feel malicious; they feel like ghosts. Ghosts in the way that they're just as stuck as you are, and just as desperate for escape as you are. This revelation of mine was made all the more satisfying when, at a later point in the first campaign, they helped me. It was only a small gesture (moving a shelf so I could access an object), but at that moment I knew I hadn't misled myself. I knew I was meant to feel that way.
In truth, most of the 'horror' comes from the well written story, which you'll be able to piece together as you progress. The more you understand, the more icky it becomes. The game might be light on the shock, but that doesn't mean what's here isn't unsettling.
It's also... sort of heartbreaking. There isn't a single jump scare in Fear the Spotlight, but I'll be damned if my heart didn't sink when I finally pieced together what had really gone on back in 1991. The revelation of what happened on the night the school burned down, who was responsible, and who the real victims were near broke me. And that isn't a feeling I get from video games often, and it stands as a testament to the developers who understand all they needed to make a great narrative, and game, was some emotional depth and intelligence.
Putting the fun in... F(un)ear the Spotlight
I'm pleased to report that as a video game, Fear the Spotlight is also just fun. It's not mechanically complex, and the puzzles are easier than you might expect from your classic survival horrors, but it's a bloody good time. I love solving puzzles, especially so when I don't suck at them.
The puzzles aren't mindless, though. The fuse box puzzle in the Gymnasium is one example; as at first, it seems sort of... random. But once you piece it together, it gives you this super satisfying 'ohhh' moment. To be blunt, I sort of struggled with it at first. There was just a lot going on, and I'm not the brightest on the best of days. But, the second I clicked two wires into the same panel and saw the lights come on, I got my 'ohhh' moment. After that, I felt good about effortlessly breezing through the rest of the puzzle, turning dials and doing simple math. It's a nice feeling, to be rewarded with satisfaction after coming to an understanding of something all on your own.
Fear the Spotlight manages to balance out what can normally be quite tedious in similar titles. The 'survival' sections don't overstay their welcome, nor are they particularly difficult. Now yes, this did lead to a little loss in tension towards the end of Vivian's story. It started being less a feeling of 'Oh, Spotlight is here, oh no!' and became a simple task of looking around the room for the closest table to hide behind.
But, it's nothing that wasn't made up for in a pretty surprising final encounter. Did you think this game would have a boss fight? Neither did I, but it did, and it was pretty damn fun. It's simple, as a lot of the game is at its core, but much like the fuse box puzzle, it's satisfying. You effectively have to... trick the final boss into dealing damage to himself, and then you get the distinctly pleasurable experience of plunging a screwdriver into a plate glass light cover.
Now, I specifically mentioned Vivian's storyline here, because on the flip side to that, Amy's story is quite different. As it's set in a far more claustrophobic environment, this threat feels all the more imposing. Plus, this threat is fast, and when you get chased, you feel this huge rush of tension. Amy's story in general has this feeling, and despite being considerably shorter than Vivian's, it's got an emotional weight of pervasive sadness to it that really lends itself well to the increase in threat level. Coming to understand her home life, her past, her relationship with her father and the brother-shaped hole in her heart make the house feel... broken. But also, seeing those glimpses of her shine through in her tarot cards, or her legally distinct and safe 'GamePal' is as sweet as it is bitter.
All in all, Fear the Spotlight isn't just a well written game, it's also a fun one. It's a lovely balance of tense and exciting, with survival sections that, whilst perhaps a little low stakes, don't overstay their welcome. The dichotomy between Vivian's and Amy's storylines also give you a nice shake up of emotional weight, with Amy's having a far more oppressive overall mood.
Made with love
You know what makes video games good? Love. And you know who can do that? A married couple. I remember watching the promo video for Cozy Game Pals as part of the Blumhouse Games initiative some time ago, and I was instantly hooked on not only the game they were showing, but the developers who were making it.
A married duo development team, making a game that is meant to be an accessible horror experience for the people they care about, as well as a great experience for the players they invite in to experience what is a very personal project for the pair. And ya know what? They nailed it. Fear the Spotlight is practically dripping with a love of video games, and human connection.
The two characters you play as, Vivian and Amy, are both wonderfully sweet and, more than that, identifiable. Vivian struggles with her anxieties, but learns to be brave for the sake of the ones she loves. Amy struggles with a tragic family history, but learns to understand she isn't to blame. Who amongst us can say we haven't struggled with anxiety or misplaced blame before? Also, they have a crush on each other, and it's cute and nice (I am a sucker for both).
I'm also a total sucker for that PSX art style it's got going on, which is done wonderfully. It avoids one of the issues PSX type games can have in being visually difficult to look at. Here it merely emulates the vibe of an older generation, whilst still having the modern convenience of decent picture quality. Plus, it's super customizable. Not in the way that there's a heap of graphical options outside the standard resolutions and such, but in the way that you can adjust some of the PSX effects to match your preferences. I struggle with a lot of screen grain, for example, so being able to turn it down to a point I was comfortable, but still immersed, was a really nice touch. The artistic chops of both developers are on show here, which from a pair who worked on Animaniacs and The Last of Us (what a couple), you'd maybe expect.
Final Verdict
I loved every moment of the admittedly short (around four to five hours total) experience of Fear the Spotlight. A well written, spooky and fun little jaunt, made by a pair with a clear love for the industry, and what they've made. I can only hope future games under the umbrella of Blumhouse Games can match up to this incredibly strong first outing, and I look forward to seeing what Cozy Game Pals get up to next.
[Disclosure: A free copy of the game was provided to PGG by the publisher for review purposes.]
If you're looking for some more spooky stuff from us here at Pro Game Guides this Halloween season, check out our Silent Hill 2 Remake Walkthrough!
