Fear the Spotlight

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A séance at school goes wrong, and something with a spotlight walks the halls.

Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
Price: Paid
Rated: Overwhelmingly Positive on Steam (97% of 1,330 reviews)
Length: about 3 to 6 hours with the second story
Players: 1
Made by: Cozy Game Pals
Released: 2024

Get it on Steam PlayStation Store Xbox Nintendo eShop

What frightens Vivian and her friend Amy sneak into their high school at night for a séance, and it goes wrong: Amy vanishes, the school turns into a nightmare version of itself, and a figure with a spotlight for a head walks the halls. You cannot fight it; you stay out of its beam, hide, and solve puzzles to find Amy and the truth about an old tragedy.
Content: mild blood, violence, murder in the backstory.

Fear the Spotlight is a third-person horror adventure styled after 1990s horror. Two teenagers hold a séance in their school after dark; one disappears, and the other must sneak past a spotlight-headed monster and solve puzzles to find her.

About Fear the Spotlight

Fear the Spotlight is a horror adventure by Cozy Game Pals and the first game published by Blumhouse Games, a games label within Blumhouse Productions. It came out in October 2024 on PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch. Sunnyside High has a dark history. Vivian goes into its empty corridors after hours with the rebellious Amy to hold a séance, and suddenly she is alone.

The school turns into a nightmarish version of itself, and a monster with a spotlight for a head wanders the halls. Vivian has to avoid its gaze, find her friend, and uncover the murderous truth behind a tragedy from decades ago. There is no fighting: the tense moments are hand-made stealth sections where you hide and move while its light sweeps past.

Between those come tactile puzzles, such as fiddling with an electrical panel and a meter, which nod to classic horror games. You explore with a flashlight, a screwdriver, a wrench and other tools. The retro, low-poly look and the 90s setting are part of the appeal, and its makers say it is a good first narrative horror game for people new to the genre.

After the first ending a second storyline opens, which reviewers urge players not to skip. Reviewers finished the first story in about three to four hours, and both in around five to six. It suits players who want a story-led, not too punishing horror game with puzzles and a strong 90s mood.

How to play Fear the Spotlight

Start the story as Vivian and follow Amy into Sunnyside High after dark.
Explore the corridors with your flashlight and pick up tools such as a screwdriver and a wrench.
Solve the hands-on puzzles that open new rooms.
When the spotlight monster appears, stay out of its beam and hide until it passes.
After the first ending, return to the title screen and play the second story.

Screenshots

Fear the Spotlight screenshot: a girl in glasses hides behind a pillar as a figure with a glowing spotlight for a head walks past

Fear the Spotlight screenshot: a girl in a pentagram T-shirt sits at a ouija board between candles in a dark library, a shadow behind her

Fear the Spotlight screenshot: a close-up puzzle of an electrical panel with fuses and a needle meter

Fear the Spotlight screenshot: a student walks a dark stone tunnel toward an ornate door

Tips

Watch the beam, not the monster; its light shows where it is looking.
Examine objects closely; many puzzles are solved by handling things in close-up.
Play the second story after the first ending; it finishes what the first begins.
Headphones help you hear the monster coming.