PHASMOPHOBIA
Terrifying co-op ghost hunting proves hell is other people
Developer/publisher Kinetic Games
Format PC
Origin UK
Release 2021
Horror videogames, with few exceptions, have always had a problem with interaction: what agency do players have, and how can that be used to scare them? The default answer, exemplified by Resident Evil, is to tool the player character up and make the monsters bleed. More ingenious ideas, however, have come from the likes of Fatal Frame, or even more recently PT, where engagement is focused on the environment - opening a door slowly, or exploring repeated rooms with minor variations.
With a few caveats, Phasmophobia sets a new bar for the latter category. This is a spook-’em-up where the ghosts are for the most part ineffable, where the beating heart of the experience is both environmental and human interaction, and the scares come out of nowhere. As one of up to four ghost hunters, you have to investigate a location and identify what kind of ghost is haunting it, then get out. There’s no ‘busting’ here.