Fear the Spotlight on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
Fear the Spotlight is an atmospheric third-person horror adventure with a disturbing mystery to unravel. Sneak into school after hours with Vivian and Amy, survive a séance gone wrong, solve tactile puzzles, and, whatever you do, stay out of the spotlight…
Fear the Spotlight is a adventure, survival horror and atmospheric game
developed by Cozy Game Pals
and published by Blumhouse Games.
Released on October 22nd 2024 is available on Windows, MacOS and Linux
in 14 languages: English, German, Portuguese - Brazil, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish - Latin America, French, Italian, Spanish - Spain, Japanese, Korean, Traditional Chinese, Polish and Portuguese - Portugal.
It has received 631 reviews of which 615 were positive and 16 were negative resulting in an impressive rating of 9.1 out of 10. 😍
The game is currently priced at 19.99€ on Steam.
The Steam community has classified Fear the Spotlight into these genres:
Media & Screenshots
Get an in-depth look at Fear the Spotlight through various videos and screenshots.
System requirements
These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.
Windows
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS *: Windows 7 64 Bit
- Processor: Intel i5 @2.5 GHz or equivalent
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 700 series
- Storage: 1 GB available space
MacOS
- OS: MacOS 11
- Processor: 2 GHz Dual Core
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: Radeon Pro 5500M
- Storage: 1 GB available space
Linux
- OS: Linux
- Processor: 2 GHz Dual Core
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 700 series
- Storage: 1 GB available space
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
Honestly, I'm surprised with how instantly I fell for the game's charms. It took me by the hand and whisked me away so effortlessly! You won't feel the touch from a distance, so the store page sells Fear the Spotlight short if you just glance at it. Given the market's over-saturation, we often don't have the time for a second look. See, it's a remarkable game, not just another low-poly PSX stealth horror. On paper, it's not even my thing! But it's too well-directed to throw it into some pile. Based on my word alone, I can't ask you to buy the game, not in good conscience. However, I implore you to try the demo no matter what your comfort zone is. If you find yourself even slightly intrigued by it, you're in for a ride, for it keeps getting better by the minute. Besides, this comes with the perk of being able to see it for yourself, skipping my ramblings altogether. If this isn't an alluring prospect, then I don't know what is. Enough self-deprecation, let's tackle things in order. The graphics are tastefully retro, appearing rather sharp for what they are. Even with the filters. Atmospheric surroundings are imbued with a droning ambience and complemented by pitch-perfect sound design. The voice acting is natural and the fluent animation is minimal yet expressive. I had no technical problems, but I must note that Spotlight's reliance on a singular autosave is risky. It didn't let me down, though. Saving happens all the time, so there's no real danger of losing progress. This isn't survival horror, nor is it a walking sim. I'd call it a puzzle adventure with unsettling elements. As soon as I understood this, I knew this game wouldn't be what I hoped it would be. Turns out, you don't always get what you want, but sometimes you find what you need. And what I needed was to bathe in a warm, sincere light of this apparent child of love. Yeah, I know, unusually sentimental of me. Now, I'll explain for those in need of convincing. Back to 1991 You start playing as Vivian, a brave asthmatic bookworm who likes her cool goth friend Amy. You know, in that way. No wonder! She knows how to pick locks, plays the bass, loves horror movies, and, after all, it's abnormal not to wish for a goth gf no matter who you are. Well, unless you're 40 like I am, which makes you a creep. Together the girls sneak into the school library at night to perform a Ouija board seance. The spirit answers their call and things go awry. Amy disappears, the school goes dark, and the storm rages beyond its walls. Strange sounds come from the darkness. You think you saw Amy... why is she crying? A fire starts, then a wall opens to swallow and spit you out in 1991. Whoever is responsible, they took your goth gf from you, so it's time to take her back! Mostly by creeping around disturbing places inhabited by burnt children while avoiding projector beams and solving light puzzles. Sometimes those are easy, but most of them I found unique and inventive. The kind that makes you feel kinda smart for figuring things out without applying too much pressure. It kept the momentum going. And the process of solving always felt good, too, due to the controls. The devs went the extra mile there, implementing tactile stuff like moving your stick to unzip bags, lift latches, or pry things out. It reminded me of playing on Wii, in a good way. That little feature had the potential to be an annoyance, which happened many times before, yet somehow ended up feeling responsive and satisfying. It's just one of many nuances that betray the care that went into making this. The same goes for immediately comprehensive sneaking sections. They are never hard, yet never annoying either thanks to the great signposting. There isn't much to explain, things are elegantly simple. Explore, piece together hints and lore from the notes, solve puzzles, avoid the searing light for a bit, then solve some more. The loop flows organically, offering more versatility than meets the eye. This game is only short because it's condensed. And it's more than the sum of its parts, with its atmosphere and the craftsmanship towering above all else. Schoolcore Spotlight is a slow burner that doesn't waste any time. Enemy encounters are rare and there's no combat, hence no need to store resources or manage inventory. No hassle. The game emphasises horror, not terror. I wanted to say there was no place for panic, but that water lady scared me so much I scampered like a headless chicken. Either way, for the most part, the dilapidated environment creates suspense by itself. What could be more liminal than a school at night? Dark and morphing, your surroundings aren't openly surreal, being restrained to trip your sense of uncanny. Made stronger by the non-exploitative use of references. You could see a Silent Hill radio on a shelf, solve Resident Evil's puzzles, and Stephen King's Carrie is written all over the setting. The themes of nepotism, petty jealousy, bad parenting, and cruel injustice made up the school experience for so many of us. It's not all there is to the story, alas, the local symbolism is pretty transparent. It isn't hard to foresee where it all leads to. Or so it seems. But at least you won't get confused. The school's layout is so simple you don't need a map. There's no guessing where to go next, it's almost linear up until one point where you'd get a more sprawling set of locations. But then the game provides a stationary map for you. Didn't need it still. You also have a to-do list, rather unnecessarily. But thoughtfully. As you might've guessed, one shouldn't expect a hardcore affair. This game is anything but sinister towards its players. Call it cutecore, warmcore, wholecore. At that, Spotlight manages to be touching without coming off as manipulative. It was intentionally designed to reach everyone. I'd argue even minors should be able to enjoy it, it's not gory or anything. Except for all the burnt children, I guess. I know how it sounds to you lovers of grit. I am one! It was a thrilling playthrough nonetheless, even though I was slightly disappointed by the lack of ambition in that regard. A drop of difficulty and more gross-out content would've only improved things. I'm sure Amy would agree. Afterword But don't let my bloodlusty whims condemn Fear the Spotlight in your eyes. Sometimes a game is just so tasteful and well-directed these things become collateral. Unexpectedly, the climax wasn't only narratively satisfying - the final confrontation was done imaginatively. In the form of a cool action puzzle. At that point, I was already pleased with my exploits and wouldn't complain even if it ended right there. And then I got to play the best part instead! Yeah, there's more than one climax, different yet cathartic. In fact, Chapter 2 is so different it feels like a free sequel. I didn't expect my favourable first impression to improve further. That extra mile in every facet of this game is disarming. The house is such a well-designed interconnected environment, and it's even creepier than the school. How's that for subtle symbolism? But nuff said. In the end, I'm happy for the girls, happy for the devs, and happy for myself. For that was a great find. A truly touching gem, so full of heart! Will trust you guys with my time again any day of the week. My curator [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/35305390-Big-Bad-Mutuh/?appid=262060]Big Bad Mutuh
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What an ABSOLUTE HIDDEN GEM!! Are you a scaredy cat who loves horror but cannot play modern day horror games because they are too realistic and leave you paralyzed in fear? Well rejoice, you can now enjoy a classic horror tale...without hiding ^_^ This game reminds me of old school PS1 horror. Where the horror was all in the story, small attention to detail and the audio. They didn't have graphics to rely on to scare the shit out of you. This game isn't "in your face" horror. You aren't going to be jumping out of your seat and screaming. It is the horror that gives you the heebie jeebies. The something is watching you vibe. The glowing eyes poking out from around that corner. The feet under the bathroom stall in a desolate school. You have to pay attention in this game to appreciate the (sometimes corny) horror, which is the best type of horror IMO. I am still playing through it, but I had to come to write a review because I am completely enraptured and am left pleasantly surprised by the turn of events. I don't want to say anything else tho and ruin it XD All I am going to say is, play it until the end!! You know when you go to the movies and stay to watch the credits, hoping for a surprise at the end? It is kinda like that :3 It is a very classic and simple play of story and puzzles, where you have to navigate the map and collect items to solve the puzzles. It's just good old fashioned story telling. How it used to be, before you could use graphics as a crutch and selling point. Oh… and did I mention there is a little bit of romance sprinkled throughout the game? Horror and love is literally my kryptonite :D The best feeling as a gamer is going into a game not expecting much and having your expectations completely blown out of the water. I genuinely really appreciate this game <3
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Fear the Spotlight is my personal horror game of the year and I am literally writing this in a year that had releases like Conscript and Crow Country. I cannot overstate how good this game is. First of all, it has a beautiful and very consistent art style that gave me so much PS1 nostalgia. Second, despite having no combat mechanics, Fear the Spotlight gets survival horror absolutely right. I have rarely seen a game balance its challenges and its resources so well. Third, its action challenges are mostly stealth-based and the game blends it perfectly with exploration. It is very forgiving in the way stealth works. I usually hate stealth, but this is the one horror game for me in which stealth doesn't suck or become a frustrating mess of trial and error. Fourth, the level design is beautiful. The game offers some playtime, but never requires you to backtrack too far by segmenting the play area. Everything is just big enough to give you something to do and just small enough so you don't get lost - without a map! The areas are also fairly unique, no visual type of place overstays its welcome. Fifth, the atmosphere is just great. I played a ton of horror games, both indie and big budget, and I don't get scared easily. Fear the spotlight was the first game in two years that managed to give me actual "oh crap"-moments. For example, when my solution to a puzzle resulted in a loud noise and a stalker enemy came my way. Sixth, Fear the Spotlight tells two great stories. One is the story of Vivian, who is in love with her best friend Amy and uncovers a scandal about a tragedy at her school. The other is the story of Amy, who we get to know on a much more personal level when we explore her memories of her childhood home. Seventh, this game manages to get a mechanic right that no other game got right so far. When we interact with a circuit board or a VCR, the cursor turns into a little hand. If we want to pull a lever or open a drawer, we have to do it manually. This sucked very hard in other games, like the recently released "A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead" in which he had to open every door tediously in an inch-by-inch way, but here it is the key to innovative puzzle solving. Speaking of which ... Eight, Fear the Spotlight has hands down some of the best puzzles I ever solved in a survival horror game. Almost every puzzle in this game is unique to some degree and the protagonists are actually smarter than most horror game characters I've encountered. Vivian and Amy are pragmatic. You need a flashlight? Use your phone. You need to get into a car? In other games, you would have to track down the keys or some wire, but in this game you can just smash the window with the hammer you've been carrying for an hour. You need to find a certain desk in a maze? Just call the phone there with your cellphone and follow the ringing. Every - single - puzzle in this game was fun and fresh. Ninth, after a super satisfying first playthrough as Vivian, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that I got to play Amy's story too. The stories are interconnected. This game does the A- and B-scenario thing perfectly and, in my humble opinion, better than the games that originated the concept. Tenth, the dialogue is very good. Eleventh, the voice actors do a fantastic job and deserve some love. Twelth, (at this point I don't know if I am counting correctly), I played it in German language and the translation was done extremely well. Maybe my fellow Germans will get me when I explain how often we have to look up solutions to puzzles because the critcial clue to solving them was lost in translation. Not. Here. This game is a labor of love. I am so glad to see a time where we get great retro suvival horror games like this one. There have been quite a few of them recently, but this one here stands right up there with the greatest, like Signalis and Crow Country. If you like horror and your heart beats for nostalgia retro titles, this right here is the game for you.
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Man this game is crunchy. Pulsing bass and low information really give this a heavy ambiance. Easy to become immersed in the game from the style, but the story is pretty weak. Pretty standard teen drama story that doesn't get into anything deep, though it really doesn't need to. At a quick playtime this is a perfect experience for a night of tension. Puzzles are varied and an appropriate difficulty this type of game warrants. Progression is consistent and rewarding with such emphasis on switches, clicks, clacks, and parts moving its a satisfying reward to see the puzzle unfold before you. Definitely recommended for someone willing to turn off all the lights, play with it loud, and want to knock it out in one playthrough.
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its a 3/5, would recommend for if on sale note of warning - the 'first half' of the game was a slog, felt too generic and easy, its not till second half that it picks up in challenge and story.
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Last Updates| Steam data | 12 April 2025 00:21 |
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| SteamSpy data | 07 April 2025 12:52 |
| Steam price | 13 April 2025 12:50 |
| Steam reviews | 12 April 2025 19:51 |
If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about Fear the Spotlight, we invite you to check out a few dedicated websites that offer extensive information and insights. These platforms provide valuable data, analysis, and user-generated reports to enhance your understanding of the game and its performance.
- SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about Fear the Spotlight
- SteamCharts - Analysis of Fear the Spotlight concurrent players on Steam
- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck Fear the Spotlight compatibility
Online players
3
Developer
Cozy Game Pals
Publisher
Blumhouse Games
Release
22 Oct 2024
Platforms