Stage Fright

About

Stage Fright is a single player action game with a horror theme. It was developed by mauriciojuliano and was released on February 1, 2018. It received neutral reviews from players.

"Stage Fright" is a single-player rhythm-horror game where you play as a piano prodigy plagued by musical performance anxiety, manifested as a ghost girl named Hannah. The game uses Guitar-Hero-style beatmatching mechanics, and the horror elements intensify as you perform better. Experience procedural horror, 7 original songs, and a haunting story, with the option to play on a computer keyboard or MIDI controller. The game aims to hinder your success as you face your stage fright.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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45%

Audience ScoreBased on 22 reviews

music6 positive mentions

story4 negative mentions

The game offers a unique blend of rhythm and horror elements, creating an interesting concept.
Gameplay is fun and challenging, especially for those who enjoy rhythm games.
The visual effects and challenges, such as screen distortion, add an engaging layer to the experience.

The game has a limited number of songs, which may lead to boredom quickly.
The difficulty spikes significantly, making it frustrating for less experienced players.
The story is vague and lacks depth, leaving players wanting more context and narrative.

music
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
79%
7%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with players enjoying the quality of the songs, though they note a limited selection of only seven tracks (four in story mode and three in arcade mode). However, the difficulty spikes significantly after the first song, making it challenging for less experienced players, and many express a desire for more songs or additional modes to enhance replayability. Overall, while the music is enjoyable, the lack of variety and the steep difficulty curve may lead to a quick sense of monotony.
- “The songs are great, if you can get to the good parts.”
- “Additionally, maybe have a concert mode where you play a few songs continuously.”
- “And maybe a mode for someone who just wants to enjoy the songs like a jukebox.”
- “However, the game has limited songs available, so it may get boring quickly.”
- “With there only being seven songs, four in story and three in arcade, the difficulty after the first song is absolutely brutal to the point where, as an amateur, although experienced with other music games, I find that I can't complete more than the first two songs of the story and the first in arcade.”
- “The second of the three arcade songs is particularly ludicrous for anyone starting out (and I haven't even tried checking the third).”
story
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
65%
20%
The story in the game is minimal and often described as vague or non-existent, with only four songs dedicated to the narrative. Players express frustration over the lack of depth and clarity, particularly regarding the central mystery of a haunting presence. Additionally, the difficulty spike in gameplay detracts from the experience, making it challenging for many to progress through the story mode.
- “The story is shown to you in bits and pieces before, during, and after the song.”
- “With there only being seven songs, four in story and three in arcade, the difficulty after the first song is absolutely brutal to the point where, as an amateur, although experienced with other music games, I find that I can't complete more than the first two songs of the story, and the first in arcade.”
- “There were only four story-related songs, and even then there wasn't much story.”
- “The story was very vague and non-existent.”
- “There were only 4 story-related songs, and even then there wasn't much story.”
- “It's one thing to have a subtle story when it's not the main focus of the game, but it made such a big deal over the fact of 'why is there something haunting him while he plays?'”
gameplay
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
33%
17%
Gameplay is generally enjoyable and starts off easy, but quickly ramps up in difficulty, presenting a fun challenge. However, some mechanics, particularly an echo feature that causes players to miss notes despite successful inputs, can be frustrating and detract from the overall experience. The use of screen distortion and static audio adds to the tension, though some elements feel somewhat clichéd.
- “The scary elements are relatively standard, but I appreciate how they challenge you by distorting the screen and using static audio. I haven't completed it yet due to the difficulty, but I find the main gameplay fun.”
- “Gameplay is easy in the beginning but can quickly become more challenging.”
- “The effects are interesting, but there's one particular mechanic that I find frustrating. When you successfully play a note, an echo of that note remains and then falls off the board, causing you to 'miss,' which breaks your combos and leads to a loss.”
- “With the effects themselves, there is one particular mechanic which makes the game unplayable in my opinion, where you successfully play a note, however an echo of the note you have to play remains and then plummets off the board, causing you to 'miss', which both breaks your combos and pushes you towards a loss.”