Phasmophobia

Greetings, ‘Phasmophobia’ is a 4 player co-operative horror game that launched in 2020 although a brave single player is also able to play solo if they so wish. It was created by Kinetic Games who are a small independent video games studio based in the United Kingdom. They do not appear to have produced anything else of note according to their website and associated wikis nor does there seem to be any other upcoming projects unrelated to this game. As can be gleamed from the name of the game, it focuses around phantoms. The player is a ghost hunter and is tasked with determining which type of spirit is haunting a location during an investigation and to avoid being killed by the apparition in the process. ‘Phasmophobia’ became a very popular game around its launch due to numerous Twitch users and Youtubers streaming their terrified reactions, causing it to be the best selling game on Steam in October and November of 2020.

As of December 2024, there are 24 ghost types that the players have to whittle down to just one by collecting 3 categories of evidence on default mode. The difficulty can be increased which lowers the amount of evidence in the game and therefore makes identification even harder. While certain types of ghosts may share some of the same evidence with others, only one will have a specific combination of the 3 traits. The evidence is gathered through using various ghost hunting items. For instance, an Electromagnetic Field Reader will reveal if a ghost is in a nearby area by flashing over a range of readings while a ghost writing book can be written in by various spirits provided the player isn’t present during the action. Players can also make use of their headsets to speak to other players via an in game radio and with the ghost directly when using a spirit box.

A photo camera is one of the most valuable pieces of equipment in the game as the player can take pictures of paranormal instances including dirty water in a sink, otherworldly prints in salt and photographic proof of the phantom itself. Other items, such as a crucifixes, can impact the match in other ways including delaying hunting. Hunting is when a ghost is capable of killing players who are unable to escape the house. All players enter the level with a 100% sanity rating but this can be dragged down in various ways such as using cursed items, which can help track down the target, or by a lack of light in the room. A lower level of sanity means that spirits are more likely to perform numerous actions including engaging in hunting. Sanity is monitored in the starting location of the van which is a secure zone and serves as the focal point for reviewing equipment including live video camera feed.

There are 13 maps at present which consists of 8 small maps, 3 intermediate and 2 large ones. They cover various locations including residential houses, farmhouses, a school and a psychiatric hospital. I generally found the smaller and medium maps to be the most enjoyable as the bigger maps can be so extensive that it is hard to find just the ghost never mind the evidence it leaves behind. While more maps may be added in the future, it is interesting to note that a previous one known as ‘The Asylum’ was removed by Kinetic Games. The first few rounds of playing ‘Phasmophobia’ was a great experience as everything was so fresh and unknown with a genuinely creepy atmosphere having been built up. After playing it for a while, the mechanics become obvious and the fear it managed to initially induce is very much lessened. Saying that, I still have a soft spot for ‘Phasmophobia’ and I consider it to be one of the best co-operative games I’ve ever played.

Plot=6/10

Characters=5/10

Graphics=8/10

Overall=8/10

Quote of the Day

When I was young, folks used to talk about you. Said as how you knew things. Said if a man had been wronged, he could come to you and you'd call upon this thing in that man's name, and that man, he'd be avenged.

Ed Harley

Pumpkinhead