Fear of the Light
- November 7, 2024
- Adrian-Robert Baluta
Get on SteamIn "Fear of the Light" , you must survive on a light-bathed spaceship infested with monsters. Use your radar and stealth to avoid enemies, overcome quarantine lockdowns, and escape. With intelligent monsters and diegetic UI tools, this 20-40 minute horror experience reimagines fear in a well-lit world.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a unique and engaging horror experience reminiscent of Alien Isolation, with a strong atmosphere and interesting lore.
- Despite being a student project, the game is well-made and features solid gameplay mechanics, including a clever light-avoidance system.
- It's a free game that provides a fun and intense experience, with many players expressing a desire for more content and polish in future updates.
- The game suffers from poor optimization, making it difficult to run on some systems and leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- The AI of the monsters can be inconsistent and sometimes frustrating, with issues like getting stuck or not behaving as expected.
- Players noted that the game is quite short, with some feeling that the abruptness of the beginning and end detracted from the overall experience.
- gameplay6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by intense and engaging mechanics, particularly the "avoid light" feature, which enhances the horror experience. Players appreciate the sound design and the interesting levels, though some sections lack distinct themes. Overall, the game offers a concise and enjoyable experience, lasting about an hour, with a solid foundation for potential expansion.
“The gameplay is for the most part clear and really helps build on the scary horror feeling.”
“Neat, short, has some cool ideas with the 'avoid light' mechanic.”
“Really interesting core mechanic with a lot of potential for sure.”
“Only some of the sections had a distinct theme, and the themes were, for the most part, gameplay-wise.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is consistently described as creepy and dense, enhanced by fun puzzles and intriguing lore. Players appreciate the effective yet simplistic AI and the satisfying in-game UI, though navigation can be challenging, adding to the overall experience. The presence of large, frightening monsters contributes significantly to the immersive and spooky environment.
“Creepy atmosphere, fun puzzles, interesting lore to be pieced together - what's not to like?”
“It's spoopy and atmospheric, and the big monsters keep scaring me.”
“The atmosphere was dense and consistent.”
“Interesting atmosphere, satisfying in-game UI, stupid but effective AI, hard to navigate at times but that can also add to it.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization at release was widely criticized, with many users reporting significant performance issues that hindered gameplay. Complaints included frequent disruptions, such as temporary loss of lighting, which contributed to frustrating experiences. Overall, the consensus is that the optimization needs substantial improvement.
“At release, there was very bad optimization and I couldn't play it at all.”
“- Cons: Poor optimization; EMP sometimes shuts down the lights for 0.5 seconds, and because of it, I lost several times.”
“- Bad optimization.”
- graphics1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics are praised for their quality and immersive design, effectively enhancing the game's tense atmosphere and jump scares. The combination of visual elements and sound design contributes to a compelling and suspenseful experience.
“Great graphics and sound design with an interesting premise. There's always a monster behind you or waiting around the corner; the stress was real, and I got jump-scared a couple of times.”
