Fear The Spotlight Presented a Spooky, Charming Retro Adventure

The first of Blumhouse Games’ newly announced slate, Fear The Spotlight promises throwback horror with a more approachable take on PS1-era horror gameplay designed for non-horror fans to enjoy. Set on the night of a break-in gone wrong, this story follows two high schoolers on a night they won’t soon forget as they unravel their school’s dark past.

Fear The Spotlight follows a trend that has yet to get old in that it looks a lot like an updated PS1 game. Chunky character models wearing low-resolution textures and a CRT filter might have you believe that this is a lost game from the late ‘90s. But don’t let its homage for bygone games like Silent Hill or Resident Evil mislead you – Fear The Spotlight is no hollow nostalgia trip. Wandering around the school’s dim halls reveals a free camera, modern lighting systems, and most importantly, modernized controls.

Sunnyside High can get pretty spooky after hours. The high-pitched whir of security cameras and exaggerated creak of every door make everything just a bit more tense; you never know who or what could be around the next corner, with almost certain detention threatening any misstep. Ducking below desks to avoid the watchful eye of a rotating security camera or running from room to room exploring empty halls feels smooth and responsive. Overall, Fear The Spotlight seems intent on avoiding a lot of the pitfalls that hold its predecessors today, instead letting its story and mechanics shine in their own right.

That story shows immense promise. The half-hour demo I played followed two girls: Vivian and Amy. The picture of a perfect student, Vivian’s hesitant approach to their quest to break into the school’s library and perform a seance using a Ouija Board-like Spirit Board paints her as the goody-two-shoes foil to the rebellious and morose Amy. This punky goth kid is constantly pushing Vivian outside of her comfort zone. Meanwhile, something’s not quite right with Amy, but it’s hard to care… Her dynamic with Vivian was so compelling during the first half-hour of the game that all I wanted to do was see what happened next, no matter what the consequences were.

We learn that decades prior, Sunnyside High had a fire that claimed dozens of students’ lives. The ghost of these victims loomed over the school’s library as I found my way into the librarian’s office, fished the key for a display case out of their desk, and eventually freed the ‘Spirit Board’ from its glass prison. Small interactions like moving the Spirit Board’s planchette myself revealed just how much love and care has gone into building this experience with multiple dialog trees and responses to my trickery before ending the seance with an abrupt shock as Amy was seemingly possessed. Suddenly, the school started shifting, turning the familiar library into something else entirely as the hallway emitted a bright light, creating a concerning silhouette.

A mysterious letter for Amy sits in Vivian’s inventory. Its vague description, which hints at the hopes of giving it to her at the end of their adventure that night, adds an extra layer of tension of another kind; one that’s the perfect blend of teenage pining and fear of what might come between Vivian and making her confession.

Interestingly, this first project from husband and wife duo Cozy Game Pals already released on Steam in 2023 before the pair pulled it from storefronts following their deal with Blumhouse Games in order to add more into the game. Cozy Game Pals promised me that this updated version of Fear The Spotlight is getting about two more hours’ worth of content, according to their estimates. Given how detailed the first section was, I’m confident that the new additions to this short-but-sweet-seeming experience will be just as detailed as the original release when it comes out on PC and consoles sometime later this year.

Fear The Spotlight sets up a great premise for a horror game. With well-realized characters in a fun, trope-y premise, Cozy Game Pals teased something with lots of potential in this demo. Although I wish I had the opportunity to see more of the puzzle and exploration mechanics, its story has me really excited—and scared—to see what happens next.