The Indie Informer

Mystery is a wonderful base for a horror game, and in the case of Fear the Spotlight, it comes in two flavors. The first unfolds as a kind of whodunit within the framework of school drama turned deadly. The second, which I find much more effective, is a examination of the character’s personal, though carefully pushed down, personal demons. With tactile mechanics bringing traditional survival horror puzzles to life, Fear the Spotlight is a solid eerie experience.

Our first mystery reveals itself in the start menu. Besides the expected new game and greyed out options, a row of question marks greets my curiosity-filled eyes. But, like any good riddle, the secret here isn’t quickly discovered. So, I start my adventure with Vivian, a shy, nerdy student, with a question already burning in my brain.

Planning on a more mundane brand of mischief for the evening, Vivian and her friend Amy have broken into their school to commune with the otherworld via a spirit board. Getting to the library without being caught by the camera turns out to be a taste of the stealthy, tension-laden gameplay coming in the later game. This works exactly as intended, which mitigates the frustration stealth sequences can inspire in players.

Likewise, breaking into the library’s office to unlock the display case holding our sought-for spirit board unveils the game’s puzzle and inventory system. These are classic, with one puzzle needing an item to unlock its secrets which then lead to solving another problem and so on. The challenges are never terribly hard to figure out — except for me in one case where the solution was so simple my brain refused to believe it and I spent a lot of time casting around for another tool that didn’t exist.

Playing around with the spirit world in a building having suffered a deadly fire a decade before was probably not the best idea. Things almost immediately go farther than either of the girls intended and it becomes Vivian’s job to save Amy from a supernatural villain.

Winding through the inexplicably transformed school, I overcome hurdles which never feel uninspired but also never stretch my detective skills too far. I don’t mind this, as it keeps me moving forward to learn the pieces of the deadly drama. Even as the game opens up to allow for larger pieces of the puzzles, the game provides players with easy cheat sheets so it’s hard to lose your way.

The ending of Vivians adventure would have been a satisfying enough one, but the game throws a curveball at me when it finally les my peak behind the menu’s row of question marks. From that point on, the story shifts, the setting mophs, and my objectives twist around.

I enjoyed this section of the game even more than the first, as the personal nature of the narrative made the circumstances feel much creepier. My goals didn’t tax me any harder, but the haunting adversaries, level design, and driving force felt more compelling.

Fear The Spotlight ends on a surprisingly wholesome note, rewarding the character’s and player’s triumph over enemies both macabre and frighteningly human. The narrative is the title’s strongest pillar, which stands most securely in the second half. Its gameplay isn’t as load-bearing, but does everything it needs to facilitate a bracing escapade.