Phasmophobia sparked a wide variety of new ghost hunting games. Yet none of them were able to build long term interest. In this video I want to highlight why people go back to Phasmophobia when it comes down to ghost hunting and maybe offer developers some inspiration for their ghost hunting game.
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Do you agree with my points? If not, let me know why please! It will help developers to make their games better! ❤️
100% nailed it on this one, Pyscho. I have friends constantly trying to get me to play Demonologist and my response is always "meh". I'll play sometimes when it's what people want to play but it just doesn't feel alive like Phasmo does. It's stagnant and not complete. Whereas Phasmo keeps me coming back over and over again all because of it's basic formula. The puzzle.
When people say that Phas is boring, I believe those people do not do no evidence runs. I believe a no evidence runs is how the game is truly supposed to be played. I know that is too difficult for the casual players but I have spent hours studding ghost behavior's and I am still far from being the best at it. I think you made the biggest point with for other ghost games. They do not focus on the depth of the ghosts and think having better jump scares than phas automatically makes it a better game.
The giving a name to the ghost doesn't just give an instant connection, it gives it a HUMAN connection. That's they key piece that I think needs to be recognize. Having a connection is one thing, having a human connection with empathy and understanding that the ghost once was a human in some respect creates a whole new mental approach to the game.
You definitely spent some time thinking thru these games. Awesome vid my dude!
All valid points. While Phasmo has its flaws, the replayability is through the roof. Demonologist has great jump scares, but they get predictable and boring after a couple play throughs. I didn’t play Phasmophobia from the start, but I have watched others play the original game, and I agree with you… if it had stayed the way it was, most people wouldn’t be playing today. I love that the developers actually listen to feedback and try to make the game better with each update. Now that I have a great understanding of the ghosts and their behavior and abilities, I have fun playing the game. I’ve played several of the games you highlighted, and while some are better than others, Phasmo reigns supreme in the genre for me. Always great content, sir. Looking forward to your next stream. Potato, over and out. 🥔 ❤
True Psycho i would like to see some exploding cabinets while im in kitchen or somewhere and while in hunt mode i would love to see the ghost crawling in the ceiling or walls it'll definitely be creepy and floating furniture like sofa in the living room would add more to the game
i feel like phasmo kinda lost it's "horror" theme along developement, real horror games feels more like jumpscares, using humans fear and take them to another level, and things like that, phasmo doesn't do that, it feels more " chill" in the way horror is handled, feels more like a puzzle game to solve rather than a real horror game even tho sometimes it can scare u
While I agree that the ghosts not being able to kill the player in Conrad Stevenson's removes nearly all of the tension, it's also necessary to what the game is trying to achieve. Conrad is attempting to be a very realistic simulation of actual ghost hunting. Seeing as no one has ever been killed by a ghost during an investigation, it wouldn't be very realistic if the ghosts in Conrad tried to kill you.
However, there have been reports of investigators being scratched or bruised by ghosts or feeling ill in their presence. So perhaps as a compromise, Conrad could have some sort of stress system, maybe tracked by a heart rate monitor, where each type of ghost event added different amounts of stress. If Conrad's stress gets too high he passes out, ending the investigation early. Stress could be reduced by burning a particular incense or smudge stick as a limited resource. There could also be some risk versus reward interplay by making certain rare events or interactions only occur (or more likely to occur) at higher stress levels or other similar mechanics to make the stress system more fun and engaging to play around it, rather than it just being a burden on the player.
I think ghosts in phasmo are hunting way to soon, leaving no space for events or creepy things to do before the killing
What I hope for is more atmosphere similar 13:30 in generally people find it more scary/unsettling when the devs make you sit in your anxiety and the unknown of it (rather than a jump scare which is good in its own way but it's happening too often) and when watching analog horror it didnt need to be overly gory, understanding nothing of what it was saying but unconsciously picking up the red flags making you feel deeply unsettled. The environment doesn't need to be really dark either, similar to Midsommar where it was bright but people felt off about it. Thers a certain feeling of things clicking together when you explore during the day and miss the signs then when its night you realise how truly fucked you are. (Also partially the it strains my eyes to keep looking at the dark with crappy flashlights.)
I disagree about the jumpscares. Jumpscares are almost always a cheap medium, especially if they use sudden flashes and loud noises to trigger your fight or flighjt response.
Or what i call them instead: "Startles" instead of jumpscares. Because they are not scary, they are annoying like the one showed at 5:49
Totally agree. My partner always asks why I keep going back to Phas, he is a little too put off by the basic nature of events and ghost blinks so I'm hopeful to draw him back when 2.0 hits.
Its sad when people, especially game devs miss the point and complexity of the ideas. Phasmo may be missing a bit more flash but that's cause the focus has been on behaviours. I agree with some other points though where having a bit more to the journal where you can unlock the ghost abilities law the more you go up against or maybe even witness these abilities. So seeing a Poltie explosion 5x unlocks the knowledge that they can do that special ability.
Also I don't see this in any other ghost hunting game where you can have a nice chill game on professional difficulty, have the option of all 3 evidence. Then ramp it up to super crazy no evidence or no sanity and still been achievable to get the ghost and survive. Weekly challenge also gives a "safe" way for people to explore these modes too!
I think what I get from this and similar to what @insym mentions is that Phasmo and other games like This is a Ghost and MetaPhysical you can really feel the passion that the devs have for their own game. Seeing the Phasmo devs play regularly is so good to see them engage in that way.
Also a note to devs out there, having depth and passion wins out over super fast flashy updates. As long as you communicate and engage with your community we do hang on. Phas is a shining example of devs who put a lot into their new stuff and regularly pee the community off with us being so impatient hehe… hell even coined the term "soon tm". So don't feel rushed if you have good content to share we will always be there!
Zero fear in a "horror" game. Ghost Events in Phasmo are garbage. Players and ghosts models and their animations are even worse. Other than that, it's a pretty fun game.
I recently realized that these games just weren't for me as most often I felt barely anything was happening as I try to find clues. I liked the idea of multi-player horror rougelikes but the loop was always boring to me. Thankfully Lethal Company solved that for me by creating a constantly engaging gameplay loop and having both the most tense situations and most hilarious moments.
My main issue with most of the ghost hunting games is that the developers think "loud noise=scary," but that's not the case. It is startling, yes, but not scary.
It's obnoxious more than anything, especially when something is in your face, screaming, and sometimes you can see it coming from a mile away. It's like a laugh track in comedy. Sometimes, even in the Conrad Stevenson game, I completely miss the "jumpscare" because I wasn't even looking in the direction I was supposed to look. It was a loud noise and straight awkwardness. You don't need an extra sound effect to make this shit work.
Although Phasmophobia is pretty basic in the scare department, at least it doesn't scream in your face and still manages to get me from time to time, and I respect the hell out of it for it. I hope it will never scream. It needs a lot of improvement, but it gets most of the gameplay and atmosphere right. Most of it. Sometimes it's a chore, sometimes the RNG is a bitch, but it is what it is.
I do agree with you on all of the points except one. "Conrad Stevenson's Paranormal PI" is a more realistic view of ghost hunting. When you go on a ghost hunt you may get no paranormal activity or you may get some. Ghost appear not because you want them to but because they want to. I am sure as with any game improvements can be made.😊😊😊😊
Phasmophobia should be really complex at the beginning, with finding out the ghost identity through documents, finding keys for all locked rooms, animations to unlock these doors, exorcism after identifying the ghost like ghost watchers.
It didn't work properly (too many bugs), which is why it was removed before release, which is why you could still find keys for the garage, master bedroom etc. in the first versions.
But even phasmophobia gets really boring after a while, because it's still the same.
Enter a location, finding your evidences, leave the location, say to the owner:
You got a demon in your house. Help yourself, you're welcome 😅
Im enjoyig Demonologist way more then Phasmo. Phasmophobia is soboring after you figured out the strats to get evidence and find ghost rooms.
I really like the Difficult Puzzles you have to do in order to exorcise the ghosts in Demonologist and also: You CAN hide from almost all ghosts in Demonologist, only 1 Ghost does always know where you are!
AMEN!!!!!!! I had hopes for demonologist but it sucks after you play 3h
Psycho, I HOPE that CJ watch this video and see the points you commented, because you are absolutely right, an authentic ghost hunting game could be made that is really scary and not what we have today, I don't blame phasmo, because It is super fun, but it lacks that authentic TERROR factor, and the example you have given of a possible ghost event has driven me crazy, of opening doors and looking with their respective animations and creepy movements, it would be incredible, all Phasmo players want it to happen. be or become terrifying.
And finally, I hope that the phasmo devs comply and turn phasmo into a new game in Horror 2.0
5. you can make some crazy and funny things with your friends
I have some problems with Phasmo, but the main one is the emptyness i feel after getting the ghost type as an experienced player, if the ghost does something or leaves an evidence at the very beginning the game ends, there's nothing else i can do besides taking photos for a perfect game which is a lost of time for a few more bucks that i can get playing a new game…
But most of the time i'm mad at the fact that the new balance of items is disgusting, playing with t3 items makes the game insanely easy, quick and boring… While new players seems to be not welcome in this game because it's literally impossible to learn the game due to new t1 items that DOESN'T WORK at all, you can stay 40 whole minutes in the ghost room and they'll never write in the book, answer through the spirit box, t1 dots flashlights are completely missleading with the new breathing system moving the dots everywhere and forcing players to get their brightness to 5.0 because you can't see anything with t1 flashlight, don't even talk about the t1 video camera that looks not only horrible, distorted but also has a 2x2px little screen… Don't forget that you start with literally 0 money so you're forced to play with the base items (1 of each so it's unplayable for more than 2 players) until you do some daily/weekly tasks or correctly guess some ghosts…
Although for me the things that makes me enjoy Ghost Watchers more than Phasmo are the facts that i can defend myself with more options than just an inciense and hiding in lockers 24/7 after finding which ghost it is, while at the same time feeling defenseless before knowing which ghost i'm facing… Being able to buy items in the truck while losing them on higher difficulties allow me to play the whole game more carefully and wasting just the necessary… Ghost Watchers has a lot more gameplay and scary map interactions than Phasmo which is something i appreciate more because it is supposed to be a HORROR game, and being able to CATCH the ghost and not just get the ghost type makes the game feel more rewarding when completing it.
In the end i love both games, but i have more fun playing GW than Phasmo, feels like GW is a game made with love for the horror while Phasmo is just a task.
I appreciate you taking the time to make this 🤝 A lot of really good points about the scene and how it is right now.
As noted in the video, the game is a logic puzzle, and I would go a step further and say that it's only pretending to be a horror game. The horror aspect is what draws you in, the puzzle aspect is what keeps you coming back over and over again.
EDIT: I also wanted to say, commitment to improvement is another reason Phasmo stands above the rest. For example, the recent items and leveling system overhaul turned what felt like a placeholder level system into something actually meaningful and integral to the gameplay. Not to mention the continued improvement to more subtle mechanics, map reworks, bug fixes, seasonal events, unique weekly challenges, etc.