Embracing the Fear with Phasmophobia

I am a scaredy cat. There’s really no better way to put it, and I’ll happily admit it. When there’s a jumpscare in a movie (not even a horror movie, just any movie), I jump out of my seat, even on a rewatch. It took me becoming properly interested in movies in my 20s to even consider willingly watching a horror movie, and the thought of a horror game? Not a chance, I was too scared to play Call of Duty Zombies on my own. Then came my favorite game of all time, Control. Not really a horror game, a bit scary at times sure, but it was the world that brought me in and I was obsessed. So when Alan Wake 2 came out, an actual scary game, I was gradually won over by the Control connections until I had no choice but to turn the lights on as bright as they could go and quickly become even more obsessed with yet another favorite game of all time. So when a tie-in was announced with a game I’d barely heard of, Phasmophobia, and it was passed into the group chat, I was intrigued. A £15 game, 4 player co-op, it was exactly what we needed to give a break from the endless CoD and Fortnite, something new to break up the monotony. And so, the busting began.

For those that don’t know, Phasmaphobia is a 4 player co-op horror game made by Kinetic Games where players enter a series of haunted houses and have to use a series of tools to identify what kind of ghost it is before it begins its hunt and kills the players. There’s a series of cursed objects you can use to communicate with or summon the ghost to gather further clues, but overall it’s a game about paying close attention to everything the ghost does, moves, and interacts with, to work out what it is and gather evidence, photos, videos, and sound recordings. The Alan Wake event is over now but it was just a few easter eggs and cosmetics, and there’s plenty to love in the game without it.

When we first started on the lowest, easiest difficulty, my job quickly became clear. Someone needed to carry the video camera around to look for ghost orbs, and then when we found the room the ghost was living in I would set it up somewhere with a good view of the whole room, return to the safety of the van and watch for activity. There’s exactly one ghost that only shows up when no one is in the room so it was VERY important that I stayed in the van, where the ghost couldn’t get me. I was also our designated survivor in case everyone else died. It all made sense, and I definitely wasn’t a coward. Thankfully, while Phasmophobia is a very fun game, it’s not exactly what I’d call…stable. First it started with the bigger maps we’d occasionally play, the game crashing every time I opened the cameras in the van. Then it started happening after we’d played a few too many games. Eventually the choice became clear, grow a pair and video everything inside the house myself, or just stop playing the game. That’s when the real horror began.

By this point, we’d become confident enough to start putting the difficulty up a level. Still not high mind you, but high enough we were dying a little more often. I remember a few key games from this point, most notably the first time we played one of the huge maps, a haunted school, one of the first times we played with 4 players. We wandered around the massive building for what felt like ages, not a single sign of a ghost. Then Dan slips off on his own, off to try and turn the power on I believe, and all we hear from the van as we take a minute to regroup is some vague mumblings, static, and a distant next snap. We get ready to go back in, figuring we find the body and find the haunted room, with Ethan going first. As soon as he’s through the door it slams, more static, another neck snap. So we leave, because sometimes it isn’t worth dying for a haunted school.  

Time went on and we got braver, moving up difficulties.  We were exploring a normal house, when the ghost attacked, wiping out all three of my teammates pretty much instantly. I hide in the basement, door closed, in the dark while I listen to the ghost moan and wail as it walks around the house, looking for me. Eventually I hear a door open, the basement. With only one door between me and the ghost, I panic, lighting the incense that should repel the ghost and stop it from coming closer. That was my biggest, and last mistake. This ghost was a Kormos, blind, but has very good hearing. All it took was the noise of that lighter and I was dead. Sound is a key part of Phasmophobia, from the proximity based chat that can piss off ghosts if you talk too much, to capturing sounds to prove a ghost exists. They’re not all sound based, but several types can hear noises from different distances and come for you.

Probably my scariest Phasmophobia memory is the time we were in the attic of one of the largest houses, the room furthest from the front door. Getting out meant crossing the entire attic, the entire second floor, and then through the lobby of the first floor. Plenty of time for the ghost to find you. The first time the ghost hunted, it was just two of us in the room. I quickly ran into the nearby wardrobe to hide and my friend wasn’t so lucky. I was trapped in that wardrobe for about 2 minutes, too scared to make a sound while I heard the ghost wander around the large attic, singing the whole time. Eventually it stopped, I finally opened the door and before I could even leave the attic it started again and I’m right back in that wardrobe. Eventually it stops again, and I move as fast as I can, getting out of the attic and half way through the second floor before being forced into another, slightly larger wardrobe this time to hide once again. After at least 5 minutes of hiding and running, I finally make it out to my two friends waiting outside, no idea of the horrors I’ve been through in the past 5 minutes.

What I’m trying to show with these stories is that despite everything telling you that it shouldn’t be actually scary, and there’s no risk of anything actually happening, this game scares the shit out of me sometimes. You’ll find yourself hiding anywhere you can fit like your life depends on it, and afterwards you’ll realise you’ve had the time of your life. People talk a lot of shit about “friendslop” games these days, but there’s really nothing better than getting together with some friends and busting some ghosts, piecing together the clues, watching your friends die in hilarious ways, and, when it gets to the end of the night, maybe trying to kill them a little bit by daring the ghost to play a little game of “Hide and Seek”. If you’re looking for something to play with friends and a good way to get a little less scared of spooky games – or at least more willing to embrace that fear, Phasmophobia is the game for you.