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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 Big Bad Mutuh