Ever watched Ghostbusters and thought: PFFT fucking amateurs! I could a better job with my eyes closed. Then you play this game where you are ONLY observing ghostly stuff and you piss your pants throwing your headset out the window. Wait… Only me?
I don’t do well with horror games. Being an active part of a horror experience freaks me out to no extent. So, of course, I had to try to share the terror and I bought Phasmophobia. The goal is simple. You hunt hauntings, record, observe, and report back. If you survive of course. The ghosts are plenty and varied in mechanics and more often than not you feel utterly left out and terrified even though you are in a group.
When it works it’s an absolute blast. The blinder you are going in, the more fun it gets. If you play with other people that are total chickenshits as well it further feeds the ensuing panic. A round usually takes around 20 minutes so it’s easy to pick up and put down kind of game. But there is one big ghastly elephant in the room. THE BUUUUUUUUGS!
This game is extremely buggy and very much in early access. Sprites popping out of doors, mechanics only working half the time, and server instability due to its sudden increase in popularity. But bugs are forgivable when getting an early access title. But damn do the bugs tend to pull you out of the mood real quick at times.
It’s pretty cheap at around 12 EUR and despite bugs, it’s still hella atmospheric and creepy. Just remember the limited team sizes of 2-4 players when playing. If you have friends to play with then Phasmophobia is probably one of the more enjoyable experiences you can share this Covid socially distanced Halloween.
