Blumhouse, producers of Paranormal Activity, Insidious and Five Night’s at Freddy, begin their adventure in video games
June 17, 2024, 11:00
Updated June 17, 2024, 12:19
In the middle of 2024, with very powerful tools accessible to almost anyone, it seems almost counterproductive that games do not have the most striking graphic values comparable to technological development. However, thanks to the indie video game industryMainly, we also have the option of enjoying deliveries that decide to leave this section aside and focus on offering something original.
That has been the bet of Blumhouse, the production company behind films like M3gan, Black Phone or the adaptation of Five Nights at Freddy’s, which has now decided to make the leap to video games with, nothing more and nothing less, than six advertisements in the last Summer Game Fest. And of all of them, we have already been able to prove Fear the Spotlight.
Being under the Blumhouse label means meeting certain expectations, something that Cozy Game Pals seems to have fulfilled. That is to say, a production company specializing in horror cannot offer less than a product capable of giving the player a bad time.
A classic Silent Hill/Resident Evil made today
An interesting story, a good script, is also expected from it, and then we get this polygonal-looking game, which is very visually reminiscent of PlayStation 1 installments like Silent Hill. And maybe you think like me, “it’s hard for this to be scary today.” Well, stay and read my impressions after playing at the Summer Game Fest, because they are going to surprise you.
Fear the Spotlight is a project that was scheduled for release in 2023 for PC. However, after the interest of Blumhouse, the project has grown, changed and even added content for its release on consoles. A sponsorship that comes in the final stretch of development, in fact after its original release on Steam, and that seems not so common in the world of video games, but which is very popular in the film sector, as evidenced by the purchase of movies for distribution agreements at festivals.
“Vivian and Amy, two students at a high school who decide to sneak into it when it is empty to have a seance”
This story begins with They lived and Amy, two students from a high school who decide to sneak into it when it is empty to have a seance. Of course, strange things have happened in this place like the fire that destroyed an entire class. But this doesn’t seem to have much relevance for Vivian; We are talking about a model student, labeled as strange by her classmates, and studious. She agrees to do a Ouija night with her friend somewhat reluctantly.
The first fifteen minutes of the game are spent exploring the site to familiarize yourself with the basic mechanics. In this case, moving, crouching, hiding, interacting with objects through a very Resident Evil 1 inventory, open doors, study files, etc. All of this is very simple and with controls that respond well when playing on a controller. There is also a certain flirtation with stealth at a time when you have to hide from security cameras and that seems like training for what is to come.
During these moments, the terror begins to brew little by little. And sometimes, it is better to suggest than to teach, which is why the title plays a lot with what can happen and does not happen. For example, a convenient thunderclap, a chance reflection of light, an unexpected movement on the part of your friend accompanying you. Nothing out of the ordinary.
Fear The Spotlight is a title that chooses a pretty nineties aesthetic, not only in the polygonal designs, but also in the fact that a CRT filter has been added that closely resembles the distortions of old televisions. Furthermore, it is a very dark game that uses the few moments of light in a very intelligent way and at the service of the narrative.
Although I opt for an aesthetic low polythere is no shortage of scares
But continuing with the demo, it is at this point that the Ouija board moment arrives, increasing the tension little by little, with intense dialogues and revelations, and that is when everything explodes. It is the moment in which you jump in your seat and emit a small scream (or not so small), it is when the entire environment begins to deform, and also when it seems that there is no turning back. Amy is missing and we are alone in the dark.
From this moment on, the game becomes much more frenetic, with stimuli that you don’t know where they come from. For example, footsteps behind your back that never reveal anything. The map, suddenly, is a labyrinthine place and the tension of turning a corner and finding something unexpected is real.
In just 15 minutes, the game has gone from taking place in a normal high school to taking place in a place where you have to run from the flames with almost no margin for error. And, in that sense, the atmosphere it acquires is very Silent Hillwith a profound deformation of the environment, a lot of darkness and beings from another plane, but without being a copy either.
Thus, the demo ends with a sudden ending that leaves you wanting more. I won’t know until September 15 how the story continues, but what I do know is that it has completely captured me. I don’t care that on YouTube you can see a gameplay complete version of the first version of the game, I prefer to wait. Everything seems to indicate that it is one of those plots with many twists, surprises and, surely, an ending that is more bitter than sweet, which is better to experience than to see.
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