Fear the Spotlight review – engrossing, eerie and unexpectedly thought-provoking horror

PC, PS4/5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox; Cozy Game Pals/Blumhouse Games
Its expertly retro, low-poly visuals are a nod to Resident Evil and Silent Hill, but this horror game has an emotionally resonant story at its heart

For those who remember the dawn of the survival horror genre, its aesthetic renaissance in the independent gaming scene has been a spooky delight. Crow County, The Closing Shift, Murder House – are all modern supernatural adventures that use low poly 3D visuals and blocky textures, not just as a visual hook but as a means of reconnecting with what made the likes of Silent Hill and Clock Tower scary and engaging in the first place. Fear the Spotlight, the debut title from Cozy Game Pals and new horror-specific publisher Blumhouse Games, is another wonderful, warmly chilling example.

Two girls break into their high school library late at night, looking for one particular item: a spirit board, locked in a display case as part of an exhibition on the occult. Vivian is kind of a nerd, a star volunteer at the library, while Amy is a fascinating outsider, interested in the supernatural. When the two decide to hold a seance in the empty building, they make contact, not only with the dead, but a tragic event from the school’s recent past. And then Amy mysteriously disappears.