Phasmophobia: Early version preview

Playing horror games is a fairly intimate activity that does not tolerate fuss and requires suitable conditions: no extraneous stimuli, darkness and complete loneliness. Is it possible to be successfully scared together when there are several, albeit virtual, but still living comrades next to you??

It is clear that the very existence of the cooperative horror genre means a positive answer to this question, however, such “co-ops” have always had problems with popularity. All the more surprising is the sudden rise of an unknown Phasmophobia from Kinetic Games: in the month since its release on Steam Early Access, this indie horror game has now boasted tens of thousands of online players and deservedly claims to be one of the best horror games of this fall, or even the year.

An important measure of popularity in modern times is the number of streamers and viewers of live broadcasts. Judging by Twitch, this is ok, but is it worth playing? Phasmophobia himself?

Ghostbusters

Indie horror games, given the relative ease of their creation, have long become a separate meme from among those dedicated to the dark side of Steam – the very one because of which, for hundreds and hundreds of crooked debut crafts, there are only a few worthy games. At first glance Phasmophobia not far behind its peers: the ubiquitous Unity, low-quality textures, “wooden” animations, minimal work on the usability of the interface… Go through it in a couple of hours and forget if you’ve already managed to purchase something like this? Take your time – if you follow some simple rules, horror will reveal itself at its best.

If you have a VR headset, be sure to use it. This will smooth out the wretchedness of the graphics and will only have a positive effect on the atmosphere. The advice is, of course, good, but for obvious reasons it is not suitable for everyone. No problem – you can play without virtual reality devices.

The next condition for good roleplaying is simpler, and it is also the most important: forget about playing alone. Strictly speaking, Phasmophobia – not a purely cooperative horror film. Single passage on the spot, but the sensations in such a case are unlikely to be vivid. It’s better to find at least one comrade (ideally, get a full quartet) and with this friendly company go hunting for ghosts.

Competent work with lighting allows the game to look decent, despite the technical backwardness of the graphics.

Yes, in this game, https://klirrcasino.co.uk/ which many compare to famous "Ghostbusters", the main characters are not random victims of otherworldly mystical forces, but specialists doing their job. Their task is to arrive at a location (as a rule, this is some kind of abandoned building), determine the type of ghost based on indirect evidence and, if possible, escape unharmed. There are also additional tasks that are given randomly, for example, take a photograph of a ghost or find a specific sign of its presence, such as blackened water in a sink.

If the hunters succeeded, then a small monetary reward awaits them. Money here is not just an indicator of the success of the team, but primarily a way to acquire useful equipment that is necessary to get the job done. The range of equipment is wide: from a banal flashlight to the most complex devices, such as sound and motion sensors.

Finding out the type of ghost is not difficult – each representative of otherworldly forces has three key signs. But the search for these clues occurs each time according to a new scenario – this, apparently, has become the main reason for the popularity of the horror film.

Call him quietly by name

The first five minutes after leaving the special van in which the team arrives at the mission site and which serves as a base and equipment warehouse at the same time, you can rest easy on your own skin – during this period the ghost behaves relatively quietly, allowing four daredevils to climb into the jungle of the level in search of evidence. Since each player’s inventory is limited to only three items, one of which is usually a flashlight (you’re not crazy to go into the frightening darkness without one?), we have to split up and set specific tasks for ourselves: one takes a thermometer, the second takes an EMF sensor, the third carries cameras with them, and the fourth looks for prints using a UV flashlight.

Usually this quiet five minutes is enough to find one type of evidence and localize the ghost’s habitat, after which the fun begins. As a rule, in order to further identify and perform additional tasks, the ghost needs to be stirred up: for example, to drive it crazy by shouting into the microphone, calling the evil spirits by name. Yes, the game can recognize speech, so some kind of conversation with a ghost is possible.

In general, serious attention is paid to sound here: there is voice positioning, talking on a walkie-talkie, fairly honest modeling of the reflection of sound waves from walls in rooms – all this has the best effect on immersing yourself in the atmosphere of a nightmare.

I’m not a good photographer, but this shot is a great success: I managed to capture a ghost and survive.

When the type of ghost is finally determined, it’s time to run away – if possible, of course. Every ghost enters the so-called hunting phase: if the flashlight in your hands suddenly begins to blink convulsively, this means only one thing – it’s better to hide quickly, otherwise you’ll be in trouble. Due to the fact that a real horror movie can start at any moment, you don’t want to walk alone at all, but it is joint actions in seconds of panic that give those unforgettable sensations, thanks to which Phasmophobia stands out among other horror films.

Entertain yourself

There are plenty of frightening and at the same time funny situations: send a friend to the basement and listen to his wild screams into the walkie-talkie when a ghost finally overtakes him; participate in a mass race wherever your eyes look at the slightest hint of otherworldly activity – believe me, it’s very funny when a seemingly well-coordinated team suddenly turns into a crowd rushing about in horror. Sipping tea in a trailer, watching with a grin as your comrades’ markers fade out one by one on the interactive map, and suddenly realize that now you have to go to an abandoned house without friends.

In a single playthrough, the player is deprived of such luxury, just as the viewer of a horror film, contemplating it in splendid isolation, is deprived of the opportunity to observe the reactions of his comrades. Not in vain Phasmophobia so popular among viewers of live broadcasts – watching a streamer screaming in horror can sometimes be quite fun.

In the trailer you can take a breath, change equipment and look at what is happening in the level through cameras. An island of calm in a kingdom of fear!

The last important rule that must be followed to get maximum pleasure is not to take tasks seriously, trying to win at any cost. The missions are actually not difficult at all – once you get used to it and understand the rules, it’s quite easy to determine the type of ghost in a matter of minutes, especially at low levels.

You have to come up with tests for yourself – for example, try to take a picture of a ghost, which understandably affects the survivability of the team, but allows you to be completely scared. It’s better to discard dry calculations and careful planning – oddly enough, the more idiots and newcomers there are in a team, the more interesting the round.

After all, if you look at the game with a sober look, the cat is crying for content here. Yes, the developers were able to find a formula for success, but for some reason the surface-level ways to improve gameplay are almost never used. There are not enough screamers, there are not enough random events (for example, there is an unexpected phone call, but you quickly get used to it), you want more unpredictable behavior of otherworldly forces. All the horror is in the unknown, and when you know exactly how a ghost works, being scared is no longer so fun.

The first few hours in Phasmophobia gave me some of the strongest gaming experiences of the year. But then there comes a sharp decline – horror is not able to constantly surprise, and instead of fear, you talk more about how cool it would be to add this or that “feature”: the ability to play as a ghost, other levels, new ghosts, tasks, evidence and equipment. There is not a trace of the former horror, of the funny – except perhaps watching the first steps of newcomers who do not yet know the basic principles of gameplay.

If you like streaming on Phasmophobia, Now is the time to take a short break from watching them: the game provides a good way to test the nerves of an entire company – even though the thrill is unlikely to last longer than a couple of evenings.