Why don’t games take inspiration from musical theater more often? I would argue that they are just as much a part of our cultural fabric as movies and TV shows, but for some reason they very rarely get a look. Sure, they may not be the first thing thirty-something white men look for on their tapestry of pop culture references, but for one certain subsection of the player population, an exchange of dialogue riffing on the lyrics of, say, Les Misérables (shout out to Underground circular), is just as likely to elicit a delighted fist pump from me as another Twin Peaks reference in something like Alan WakeFor example.

I mention all this because Fear the Spotlight, the first game published by the new games division of horror film company Blumhouse, takes direct inspiration from Phantom of the Opera – an achievement that brought me so much joy that It was almost enough to soften the sound slightly. rougher edges elsewhere. I love The Phantom of the Opera. It’s one of my favorite things outside of gaming, and I can’t tell you how heartwarming it is to see it appear in this very sweet story of a high school scare session gone wrong.

Again, I realize that not everyone will react the same way to seeing broken mirrors opening to reveal hidden passages or, indeed, to opening sumptuous red velvet curtains to discover the lair of the boiler room of a 90s school instead of a candlelit opera grotto. . But as a repeat offender of watching Phantom in theaters, as well as the 2004 film about ten times more than is really necessary (not to mention reading the book it’s based on), I’ll always have a soft spot for everything what is at stake. with its themes of longing and secret desires – particularly when the ghost figure itself is given a large spotlight for a head, and whose piercing gaze will make shy teenager Vivian gasp for breath if trapped in its blinding light . Honestly, pyramid heads are SO last season here.

It’s a fitting conceit for Vivian’s underlying struggle to expose and express her deepest feelings towards her best friend Amy, but avoiding this errant scene lightbulb is also Fear the Spotlight’s way of keeping players on their toes between its brilliantly constructed Resident Evil-style puzzle segments. . It’s never particularly scary: the overturned tables and desks provide enough cover for Vivian to crouch and hide during the fixed, predetermined times he shows up, and once you reach a door to enter in another room you can still breathe peacefully. It’s not a threat that will constantly pursue you like Mr.for example, and even if you get caught, I was able to outrun him pretty easily and run away.

It’s very generous in that sense, even if it somewhat lessens its overall horror. It’s hard to feel a lingering sense of danger when you can simply shut down the main threat in a game like that, and it’s very easy to lose any kind of suspense when there’s nothing else here that works to maintain tension. Fear the Spotlight isn’t scary, you see (unless you count the creepy little gremlins that sometimes blink and shuffle around in the shadows), which will no doubt be great news for some, but that also attracts attention. a game of any sense of dread or challenge whenever the ghost is not on screen. In other words, it’s a horror game aimed at people who don’t make horror games and it will probably be a little too safe and simple for anyone.

But Fear the Spotlight isn’t just a big riff on The Phantom of the Opera. There is a second part to this tale, which was freshly added to the game in October thanks to the help of new publisher Blumhouse. It shows another side of the story from a character’s point of view that I’d be loath to spoil, and despite moving the action to an entirely different setting, its mix of stealth and puzzle-fueled exploration remains about the same. Alas, this is where Fear the Spotlight starts to seem a lot more confusing to me in what it’s trying to accomplish. For as we retreat into the fascinated mind of Christine Daaé’s stand-in in Vivian’s version of the story, it is no longer the world of musical theater we find ourselves in, but that of Hideo Nakata’s film from 1998’s The Ring.

It’s a strange juxtaposition to say the least, but one that feels even more toothless and diluted than what came before it. Taking place on just two floors of an old house – as opposed to the much larger school of the first part – its puzzles are just as cleverly constructed in this smaller, more intimate setting, but it completely misses how to make its film claustrophobic and riddled with boxes. the corridors work with its main villain – who, yes, you guessed it, is a dripping woman with long hair who went a little too far with her backcombing.

Unfortunately, she’s even less of a threat than the former star of Part 1, as she doesn’t even have the good grace to pursue or stalk you half the time, and is apparently just there to be an obvious metaphor of the character’s troubled mother. . It’s a shame, because the first half seemed to really get the themes and fundamentals of what makes Phantom of the Opera tick. This second part, however, seems to just pick convenient motifs from The Ring without really understanding why it’s still so scary all these years later. Instead, it’s the puzzles that really carry this section, and while each features the same wonderful tactility of pushing and pulling levers with your mouse – turning dials, lifting lids and putting in big chunky buttons as they did in the first part – its weakest story. elements can’t help but feel that this undermines everything in the process.

That said, Fear the Spotlight is still an enjoyable way to spend about five hours, and I really like how the changing textures of its PS1-era visuals make each playthrough feel just a little bit otherworldly despite their very banal. It won’t scare you at all, but there is a very sweet and tender love story at the center of it all, and the excellent vocal work from its central duo of Khaya Fraites and Maganda Marie brings real warmth and empathy for that. pair of nervous teenagers. There may not be much to challenge you here, but if all you’re looking for is the lightest of thrills, then Fear the Spotlight will undoubtedly be music to your ears.

A copy of Fear the Spotlight was provided for review by publisher Blumhouse Games.