One of the biggest surprises at this year’s Summer Game Fest live event was the confirmation that Blumhouse Productions had entered the video game space. For the unaware, the US-based production company is synonymous with horror cinema having funded, produced, and published many award-winning genre classics like 2017’s Get Out, 2021’s The Black Phone, and 2022’s M3GAN to name but a few. Now, Blumhouse is shepherding six horror games under its banner, though only one was playable on the Day of the Devs show floor: Cozy Game Pals’ Fear the Spotlight. Luckily, I had a chance to go hands-on with the demo, and I was incredibly smitten with what I played.
In a nutshell, Fear the Spotlight is a third-person PS1-inspired survival horror experience, replete with lo-fi blocky visuals and tank controls. In fact, it even features sound design that has seemingly been lifted wholesale from Akira Yamaoka’s creepy textbook. While that may be construed as a potential flaw, I actually mean it as a genuine compliment; the Silent Hill audio maestro is one of the industry’s GOATs, after all.
You assume the role of a young lass named Vivian who, against her better judgement, has broken into her local school under the guise of night. Thankfully, she’s not alone, as she has a close friend called Amy in tow. On the face of it, the dynamic between them quickly becomes clear: Amy is the outgoing leader of this duo and Vivian is the bookish introvert. There’s also an undercurrent that Amy may’ve emotionally strong-armed poor Vivian into straying from the straight and narrow, as close friends can often do. Nevertheless, Vivian’s deep-seated curiosity and thirst for knowledge pushes her forward, despite her obvious trepidation.
After reaching a locked door, it seems that the pair’s nighttime escapades may’ve been cut short. However, Amy hastily whips out a lockpick and unlocks the way forward. Heck, if you didn’t realise she was a bit of a diamond in the rough, Amy’s intrepid lockpicking skills will likely be a dead giveaway, right? Want more proof? Amy even brags about forging signatures, using pepper spray, and dodging the cops. She’s not exactly the best influence on Vivian, eh?
Just before reaching the library, however, our twosome are funnelled through a stealth segment where they must bypass a camera’s gaze. It’s a little bit of a trite setup, something you’ve seen in plenty of other games of this ilk. But it’s a short section that’s clearly sign-posted thanks to Amy giving you the go-ahead as to when to make a run for it.
As the duo make their way through to the school’s library, players are given free rein to explore and interact with various points of interest. From class photos of children who have died in a fire to drawings of devils lying around on tables, there’s a creeping sense of dread that permeates the moment-to-moment gameplay that just works really effectively. After seeking out a key and unlocking a display cabinet to obtain a ouija board, things begin taking a turn for the worst. That’s right, our wee goth girl Amy wants to perform a seance. What could possibly go wrong? A lot, apparently.
In fact, this seance was one of the highlights of the demo. I don’t want to spoil things here as it’s a very clever set-piece that gives way to a few jump scares. But suffice it to say, I was very impressed with my short time with Fear the Spotlight. Not only is the eerie atmosphere fiendishly on point, but the strong voice-acting and well-written dialogue is also sharp and believable. It’s one of those rare indie horror experiences that evokes a primal sense of disquieting unease that’s often absent in big-budget horror games, much akin to, say, 2012’s Lone Survivor or 2017’s Detention. While its pristine art-style and audio design is a bit of a nostalgia play, Fear the Spotlight has undoubtedly piqued my interest, though I’m a sucker for PS1 era visuals, so your own personal mileage may vary.
Fear the Spotlight comes to PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch later in 2024.
