Horror movie circles certainly know the name Blumhouse, responsible for publishing some of the more recognizeable horror titles in recent memory. They recently announced they’re joining gaming as well, and PS1-style analog horror title Fear The Spotlight is the first game in this initiative. Let’s get spooked, shall we?
Blum calling
Blumhouse have scarred us in all sorts of ways, with various, often relatively low budget, yet high quality horror films: Get Out, M3GAN, The Invisible Man (2020), Split, The Purge – you name it. They’re now entering the videogame scene with a similar approach, dealing with relatively small but talented studios to deliver unique and memorable horror titles, though without the comparatively astronomical budgets of a new Resident Evil or the Silent Hill 2 remake. Fear the Spotlight is the first title of this initiative, and after initially debuting on PC in various forms, including being featured on one of those Haunted PS1 Demo Discs, it’s finally on our consoles in a new, updated form.
Indeed, Fear The Spotlight isn’t a completely new game, as past iterations of it have been around for various years now on PC, being passed around in said horror circles and being sold on Steam as a standalone, short, but not less captivating horror experience. But now, on top of a big update and relaunch on Steam, the game is finally coming to consoles as well, letting even more players on into one of horror’s most well kept secrets, but with the inevitable spotlight that the Blumhouse involvement this time.
Sneaky sneakers
Notice that I mentioned Resident Evil, Silent Hill and PS1 two paragraphs ago? It was a not so subtle foreshadowing to what this game’s really about: evoking the feelings of old school horror games like that, predominantly the ones that were popularized on the original PlayStation in the 90’s, though various such titles also popped up on PC, Dreamcast and so forth. Still, I reckon most people have the fondest memories of said little grey box being connected to their old CTR TV, as the low-poly graphics and blurry picture gave the horror elements of the games even more power, making it seem like we’re watching the haunted videotape from The Ring or something.
The 90’s aesthetic is replicated in many ways, as our protagonists, Vivian and Amy, sneak into their stereotypical American high school library at night. Vivian, the nerdy type, happens to have a crush on Amy, the more rebellious of the two, and she’s trying to find the right moment to tell this to her “friend”. The plan seems simple enough: doing some spooky stuff, such as finding occult books and messing around with an Ouija board. What’s the worst that could happen, right? It’s not like any of that stuff is really real! Well, obviously something goes wrong in a school that is already quite infamous for a devastating fire, years earlier, that took the life of many students. When her punk-aesthetic friend Amy disappears mysteriously after using the board, Vivian needs to explore the school to find her, only to encounter a haunted, corrupted, terrifying version of the halls and corridors she passed through a million times before.
A time of peace
Despite having its inspirations rooted in classics like Resident Evil and Silent Hill, there’s one thing Fear the Spotlight doesn’t do: combat. The game is all about taking in these atmospheric and spooky 90’s horror vibes, exploring the various locales, interacting with objects to get more context and lore, and solving basic puzzles that often involve items from the 90’s and Y2K aesthetic. There are some… awfully creepy monsters, including one with a spotlight for a head, but these encounters boil down to having to avoid being spotted by them. There’s no weapons, and a weak flashlight is your only friend in this creepy place that should be your school but really doesn’t seem to be like it. In the spirit of the era, the game even adopts point-and-click style interactions with a lot of elements and places, with even some light inventory management to boot. Few enemies, not much difficulty, yet there’s plenty of tension. And the game gets there without doing what most low-poly indie horrors: namely, spamming cheap jump scares.
I’d dedicate a paragraph to the game’s audiovisual department, which is an absolute perfect homage to the PS1-era of horror games and, in general, all the analogue horror titles. Low-polygon characters with limited facial features, simplified animations, all the way down to (optional) visual filters and low-FPS modes that truly go back to the CTR monitors and TVs of old. Simple yet effective background noises can scare the feces out of the players easily. One thing the game isn’t old school about, and that’s meant as a compliment, is the voice acting: absolutely top-notch actresses fill in the shoes of the two protagonists, with various very emotional and dramatic deliveries in time of need. A lot of games try and deliver retro visuals, but in terms of 3D aesthetics, I haven’t played many games that get the job done this well.
It’s not over until it’s over, but it’s over soon
The runtime of the game is on par with a good horror flick, as 2 hours or so are more than enough to get to the end credits. To my surprise, however, that’s not where the game ends, as there is a second campaign right afterwards, one that puts us into Amy’s shoes this time, as we get to better understand what happened to her while Vivian was desperately trying to find her. It might sound like an afterthought or a cheap way to extend the playtime, but Amy’s story is absolutely worth playing through as well, and that one also ends before any of the game’s mechanics could really become a chore.
Ultimately, Fear the Spotlight doesn’t really try to reinvent the formula, serving as a smart, respectful and well-designed homage to the PS1-era of horror games and the 90’s aesthetic in general. Lovely visuals, great voice acting and genuinely spooky vibes more than make up for the fairly simplicistic gameplay loop and short length, making this retro horror game one of the better picks for a playthrough in a spooky season.
Fear The Spotlight
Played on
Xbox Series X
PROS
- Perfect 90's style visuals
- Excellent voice acting
- Just the right length
- A second story worth playing through
CONS
- Not particularly innovative
- The point-and-click style interactions don't add much to the experience
