So far for me, Phasmophobia is the biggest surprise hit of 2020. I love scary games, movies and things that go bump in the night and Phasmophobia feels like it was made for me. Those who love movies like Insidious or The Conjuring are going to be in for a very scary treat with this game.
How to Download Phasmophobia
To download the game from Steam, click on the Download button that you will find located below this review.
The Game Review
I just mentioned Insidious and that is a great example of what the game is going for. You are not the ghost “killer” or priest or anything like that, you are more like the two guys who accompany Eloise in Insidious who help her fight the ghosts. It makes for a very interesting type of game.
You start at your headquarters where you can buy your equipment. Equipment ranges from things like flashlights, radios, crucifixes, and so on. As you progress in the game and level up and make more money, you can get access to better equipment that will help you out more.
The game has different locations that you will go to visit and as I write this there are ten different styles of ghosts. These range from a Poltergeist to an Oni and each one is very different. Different in what it wants, what it does, and how you deal with it. You may go to the same house, but the ghost you face will be different
You have a setup phase where the ghost will not attack you. The goal of the game is to gather enough evidence so you can know what type of ghost you are dealing with. You do this, you get out, you sell your findings and you make some money which you can invest into the next ghost hunt.
You can lose when you play this game! You can freak out and run away, the ghost can get agitated and kill you, and so on. This is a game where you need to play with other people. Four is the intended number of players and if you are playing with others, you have to communicate. Not just to make the ghost hunting easier, but it makes things even more intense.
While you are talking to your fellow ghost hunters, the ghosts can hear you too. Hearing a ghost respond to something you say is creepy as hell and will send shivers down your spine. A huge part of the fun you are going to have with this game really does depend on the people that you are playing it with. You can go solo, but honestly, it is not much fun at all doing this.
The game is played from the first-person point of view and the presentation is great. Everything has a realistic view to it and the only thing that took me out was when you would walk through another player. It is worth noting that if you are brave enough and have the setup, you can play this game in VR which I am sure is even better!
I had a fantastic time with Phasmophobia. If you have an interest in ghosts and enjoy movies like Insidious, you are the person this game is made for. It is still in early access as I played it, but what is on offer here feels very complete and worth checking out.
