Phasmophobia: Ghost Stories

Phasmophobia:
Phasmophobia: Early Access Ghost Investigating

Phasmophobia: The Horror of a Hunt

Phasmophobia: Ghost Stories

Once I know the ghost's location, I return to the van. With the floor plan in sight, I plan my escape route. Since the hunt locks the front doors, the best escape is the furthest possible distance from the ghost. In the Grafton farmhouse, the ghost killed a friend in the attic off the master bedroom (the same room I mentioned in the previous article). When another friend and I aimed to snap a picture (my attempt was pathetic), the ghost chased us down the stairs into the central living room. I ducked into a bedroom, maybe waited a second for my friend, and then shut the door. I took refuge, hiding in the bathroom off that room. Afterwards my friend explained how the ghost caught them after they lost their way in the dark.

A third memorable hunt occurred in the Edgefield Street House. With twenty rooms, it's the roomiest of the suburban locations. The initial search left us uncertain of the ghost's location. We knew it resided in a long hallway shaped like a C on the second floor. We thought it was at the bottom of the C (the front of the house) in an alcove. Then it spawned in the middle of the C and killed a friend. I ducked into a bedroom as it approached. Three of us remained, and we needed a picture. One teammate waited on the first floor, looking up the stairs. The other player and I stood in different bedrooms at the top of the stairs. The hunt started, it turned the corner into the top of the C, and my friend and I snapped pictures. Immediately closing the door, I cowered like a possum to ward off death. Our friend on the first floor yelled up the stairs, “It's coming down.” I was scared, and suspicious. With twenty hours of play time I had avoided death. My friends had expressed a willingness to see me die (see next paragraph). In unjustified paranoia, I suspected a trap and curled into a tighter ball. The player in the neighboring room stepped out for a second attempt at a picture (we had both flubbed our initial shot) was snatched by the monster which had returned up the steps.

The singularly most frightening experience occurred in the newest map, the Prison. Large maps normally convey a feeling of safety, at least, as much a home for a murderous ghost can. This was our first time in it. We discovered the ghost living in the library, a central location. When it haunted, I fled back to the entrance, took the stairs to the second floor, and hid in the chief security office. Cowering in the corner, a friend and I waited for the hunt to end. Then, him in the lead, we ran for the exit. He walked through the front door, but three feet behind, the door closed in my face, as the hunt began again. I returned to the security office in a panic. I could hear through the window, outside, as my friends cheered on the ghost. When the hunt ended, again I ran for the door, again I was rebuffed with only feet to go. Again I hid in the security office. I had a nervous breakdown, hands shaking, as I waited for a third attempt. I honestly can't remember whether I succeeded on the next escape attempt, or the one after that. I did eventually escape. With an additional dozen hours of experience, I now believe the ghost never had a chance at catching me, but I was shaken by the experience. My friends expressed mild disappointment at my survival. I had played nearly two dozen hours at that point without a death, while I had seen them die around me. Frankly, I survived by teaspoon of skill, a cup of cowardice, and a heaping pile of luck. I plan an escape route, I flee at the first sign of trouble, and the ghost walks past the room I'm hiding in to find some other player.

I couldn't escape fate forever. It all came back to the smallest house, the one on Tanglewood St. For some reason, this hunt for the ghost's room required a more thorough search than usual, especially odd for such a small location. First we thought the ghost was in the kitchen, and then the utility room off the back of the kitchen. We employed temperature to determine the location. Standing in the utility room, I saw the horrific, ring-like ghost, wearing her white patterned pajamas, stalking in the garage. With that information we deployed our two crucifixes to opposite corners of the two-car garage. My friends hid in lockers in the same room. Thinking the utility room was safe, I stood there, looking into the garage. But when the hunt started, I knew I was wrong. I never saw the ghost, but ran for my prepared hiding spot near the front door. I never made it. Grotesque hands reached out, covered my eyes, and dragged me down into the ghost world.

That's me!

When the player dies they enter a shadowy netherworld. They still see everything, but it has a grayish, misty quality. They can't do much; walk around, pick up and throw objects. They can't impact the team objectives, nor help the ghost. It's thematic, but boring. I'd prefer to watch the game from the perspective of teammates.

One might wonder, once a player realizes death has no sting, are they still frightened? Though I experienced death only once, I am still scared of even seeing or hearing the ghost. Though my friends have died more, their shrieks, as it steps into corporal form, tell more than they'd like to admit.

The creepy quality of Phasmophobia is aided by the desynchronization between players. When a person is killed they are lifted into the air and their body is choked by invisible hands, before they are tossed to the ground. Different players see corpses in different positions. The same is true of pictures. Players see all the pictures in their journal. A picture taken by one player with the camera, looks different for other players in their journal.

Phasmophobia is still in Early Access, and the developer works regularly to improve it. His stated goal for the final version is later this year. My friends and I recently started playing the beta version. It's easy to switch. Recent updates (now in the main version), increased the difficulty. The power of the thermometer to locate the ghost is diminished. More effort, energy, time, and sanity is required to find the ghost's location. There is still plenty of room for improvement. I don't think the developer plans to update the subpar visuals. The characters look like plastic and the resolution is poor, but they efficiently communicate information. One common point my friends and I discuss is how the developer should design ghosts to act differently, uniquely. This would increase the danger, especially during hunts. Designing variability into the ghosts would increase the terror during a hunt. Currently every ghost seems to move at the same plodding speed. In professional, all hunts last exactly fifty seconds. Allowing the ghost to hunt for a variable amount of time, at a variable speed (not too fast) would tighten the tension. It also isn't clear what data ghosts use for searching. I don't need to know the formula, but if it only follows people it can see, that isn't sufficient. Hopefully it walks around and opens random doors even if it can't see anyone. Maybe it uses sound and lights to search. Even better, if it sees a person go through a door, it opens it. It's not clear it does any of these. Note: the developer patched Phasmophobia on March 6^th, 2021.  It now follows players around corners, listens for voices, looks in closets, opens doors, and searches the area where it last saw the player, all actions we assumed it was already doing.

In conclusion, Phasmophobia is of that new breed of Early Access games that release in a playable state. The developer earned accolades, racked up reviews, and they deserve it. Phasmophobia offers a simple but distinct investigative mechanic, matched with a terrifyingly tense atmosphere and seasoned with heart pounding hunts. The developers' use of sound to aid the player, and scare them witless, is perfect. Phasmophobia has weaknesses, like an ability to abuse the ghosts' vulnerabilities, content unnecessarily locked behind play hours, an easy core mechanic, and a ghastly visual quality. It's flaws aren't worth otherworldly apprehension.

With it's successful mechanics, Phasmophobia generates memorable moments and stories worth discussing around the campfire, or on the computer.

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