'One of the Best Co-op Horror Games to Date' – Phasmophobia Review (2020)

Store Page (14$) – https://store.steampowered.com/app/739630/Phasmophobia/

Our hunt for a fun, creative and terrifying co-op game has been a long and pretty unfulfilling one. That is until we came across Phasmophobia. This early access title is looking to push the boundaries of the co-op horror genre with a mix of investigation and environmental terror. 4 player horror PC

Let’s start with the basics of Phasmophobia. The premise consists of you and/or a group of 3 other players going into a house or building with the intent of finding and identifying a ghost. Most of the maps are your typical eerie suburban home which eventually work up to bigger buildings like an asylum and a school. Each of the locations are extremely detailed and actually feel like you are in a house or abandoned school. The architecture is believable and the little details like the family pictures, wallpapers, dinner tables, and the paint cans in the basement completely sell the idea and make it all the more immersive.
There are currently 10 different types of ghosts which all act differently. Some may be shy and rather inactive while others will be much more aggressive towards the players (these are the scariest kind). I love the idea of not knowing what to expect when you enter an area. The only information you are given before you enter is a series of bonus objectives for money and the first and last name of the person who’s haunting the building. Kinetic Games studios

One of the best features of phagophobia is the voice system. Everything you say can be heard by the ghost, and you can use this to agitate the ghost by saying its name or asking it to ‘show you some kind of sign’. This adds another level of immersion and truly feelings like you are being watched and heard by the ghost. Another awesome tidbit is the fact that there are certain trigger words that may cause the ghost to be more aggressive, I won’t spoil these for you but it is worth mentioning.

As you enter the map you and your team will have to use a series of items to find the ghost. These include EMF readers, thermometers, cameras, video cameras, spirit boxes, flashlights, UV lights, and even crucifixes if things get ugly. You can only hold a few items which adds a small layer of strategy as you distribute the different items amongst the 3 or 4 of you before you enter. When you are inside the house, you will go through a series of trial and error as you attempt to find clues such as finger prints and freezing temperatures. What sounds boring on paper is actually quite tense and fun in such a mundane setting. You truly feel like ghost hunters investigating the home for clues. With all the evidence you find you can begin to narrow down what kind of ghost you are working with.
The game does an excellent job at being random and unpredictable with the ghost. You have no idea if the ghost is behind you or if its hiding in the corner. The darkness, the ringing of EMF readers, and the flickering of lights can absolutely be nerve-wracking, especially in VR. Speaking of VR, if you have a VR headset it’s highly recommended that you hop in for this one. For an early access game, it is very well optimized and is a highly immersive experience all around.

The only problem I found with it was the journal not working in VR and the occasional screen tearing but other than that VR is highly recommended. This game is a tense and very well polished whether you have VR or not, at the end of the day it’s not required to have a good time.

Another great thing about Phasmophobia is the surprising replay value. Even though there are only around 7 maps as of right now and the premise doesn’t change it still manages to be fresh everytime you play it. This is because of the progression system where you get more equipment as you level up from completing maps. It’s also replayble because of the randomness of the ghost-type and location they’re in. Each session has the same level of tension and spookiness as the last. With this in mind we’re not sure if 30 or 40 hours later, locations might begin to repeat but honestly by then there should be more maps, ghost types and items.
As for the negatives, the game does suffer from a few animation glitches, clipping, and some bugs. The journal and in game options menu could use some work as well. Apart from these, we must take into account that the game was recently released as an early access title and the game has been having daily bug fix updates.

Thank you for watching! Let us know below what you think of the game and if you would like us to review other games. Have a great day and We’ll catch you all next week. One of the best horror co-op games on PC and console.

Social Media:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/SlickShotGames/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/SlickShotGames/

source