Horror jank at its finest.
As Phasmophobia has finally brought its spooks and scares to console, it has done so under the Game Preview/Early Access banner. While over 20 Million PC players have been enjoying this game for over 4 years now, its addition to consoles means it will reach a whole new audience. Phasmophobia is also the first title we have reviewed at Analog Stick Gaming that is still in early access, so keep in mind that until the game enters its 1.0 release, there will be no score attached to our review, but rather a recommendation on whether to jump in now, avoid it altogether, or to wait for some additional patches. And, as of the morning I have started to write this review, a patch has been implemented that has made the game considerably more playable, but more on that later.
Phasmophobia is quite simply put; a ghost hunting game. You are not there to vanquish or do battle with it, your job is merely to use a series of tools to understand what sort of ghost is haunting one of over a dozen locations. From your typical residential neighbourhoods, farms out in the middle of nowhere, to even prisons, schools, and a lighthouse, you’ll have your work cut out for you to not only identify the ghost, but to ensure you make it out alive. Phasmophobia is also a game meant to be played with friends. While you could tackle this simply on your own, it's the equivalent of attempting to play any sort of competitive or cooperative sport by yourself. Possible, but ultimately not that satisfying.
I had the chance to play Phasmophobia with a good friend of mine who was eager to test out this early access look at the game running on Xbox Series X. While I have dipped my toes into these supernatural waters for about 10-15 hours or so on PC already, some two or so years ago, my co-op partner personally has hundreds of hours played across nearly four years, an expertise that made them the perfect candidate to assist me in my ghost hunting shenanigans. Not only did they help me in making sense of what certain tricks were being played by specific ghosts and other supernatural forces, they provided a lot of know-how on the sights and sounds of what can kill you and what is meant to simply frighten you.
Phasmophobia has a group of players enter the house, determine what ghost is haunting the residence, and then leave, hopefully with the proper evaluation of said spook. At the start, you’ll have a tiny assortment of equipment that will get the job done, but it is a far cry from where you’ll end up some 20-40 hours in, let alone mastering everything the game has to offer. The more you level up, the more locations you’ll unlock, the more advanced gear you’ll have at your disposal, and the trophies you’ll gather, all sorted quite nicely in a series of glass cabinets to help you show off your progress to your friends. From bones, cursed possessions, voodoo dolls, and tarot cards, there is a lot to track down while you tend to your objectives. It causes you to be more aware of your surroundings and provides something else to achieve while you sort out the supernatural elements all around you.
Each outing has you purchasing equipment that you feel will be well suited to the task. The more players you have with you, the more equipment you’ll need. making some outings a costly affair. However, you can usually get by with a minimalistic approach to some equipment, such as a single Spirit Box or a Notebook, and instead ensure everyone has a flashlight or camera, for example. Equipment isn’t just for identifying the ghost, it will also play a role in optional objectives which is how you’ll get more experience. While you’ll have a baseline offering of equipment that is free of charge, you’ll use the money you have earned to buy more select items or add some of the more intricate items such as the Parabolic Microphone or a set of tripods for your remote cameras. However, while spending a fortune on all this equipment is one thing, should you die during the outing, you’ll lose it all.
Thankfully, the starter equipment you have freely available can get a lot of the job done, it just requires a bit more work to rely solely on it. You’ll always start with the Dots Projector, Flashlight, Ghost Writing Book, EMF Reader, Spirit Box, Thermometer, UV Light, and Video Camera. The optional equipment consists of the Crucifix, Firelight, Headgear, Ignitor, Incense, Motion Sensor, Parabolic Microphone, Photo Camera, Salt, Sanity Medication, Sound Sensor, and the Tripod for the Video Recorder. You’ll also have a series of Truck-based equipment as well; Objective Board, Site Map, Sanity Reader, Site Activity Monitor, Computer, Sound Monitor, and Clipboards, the latter of which shows your daily and weekly tasks.
While most of these items are fairly self-explanatory, there are a few that certainly require a bit of explanation. The Dots projector, for example, casts out a field of green dots, which if a ghost wanders through, you’ll be able to make out their figure, making you aware of their presence. A Spirit Box is a bit more active as you’ll ask it a series of questions and then await an answer, should they be talkative at least. The Crucifix and Insense do share in preventing the ghost from hunting, but do vary in their approach. For example, the Crucifix prevents a ghost from hunting in a certain location, whereas the Insence does this for a short duration, and can be used to temporarily blind the ghost.
One of the most useful tools in your arsenal is the Objective Board. This conveys the ghost’s name and the objectives that will net you a good amount of experience should you tackle them all. Alongside the ghost’s name is the social focus of the ghost, letting you know if they are an introvert or an extrovert. Some ghosts will haunt those who venture off on their own while others prefer large groups. Objectives sadly stay mostly stale for a while as you’ll look to survive a hunt, witness a haunting, take a picture of the ghost, or some other sort of paranormal reading. Still, the more experience you earn, the faster you’ll gain new equipment, and venture into new spooky places.
Other ways to identify the ghost or generally just have a bit of fun, are through cursed possessions. These objects spawn in random locations, albeit only one of these objects will be present during your outing. The Ouija board, for example, allows you to ask where the ghost is, how they died, how old they are, or where one of the collectible bones is. You'll also want to say goodbye or a cursed hunt may begin. The Monkey's Paw, however, grants wishes. You can ask such things as sanity, to be safe, or to bring a dead player back to life. However, there is a catch to all these wishes. If you wish to see the ghost, an event will occur and then a hunt will ensue. If you wish for more sanity, you’ll be granted it, but at the cost of your sanity drain being considerably increased. Wishing for a dead player to return has a 50% chance of killing the player who made the wish, so be cautious with using this particular item.
Exploring each house also allows you to speak to the ghost. Sometimes this will result in some sort of interaction or event, but you'll often enter into the house, and find books and other things being thrown about, lights being turned on, the breaker being blown, to the taps left on in one of the location's several bathrooms. These moments convey a true sense of dread, especially when you hear the heartbeat and are caught in a hunt. You'll attempt to find a closet to hide in, a stack of totes to cower behind or lock yourself in the bathroom, hoping it ends with everyone still alive. These moments can be nerve-racking, and provide some genuine chills, especially if the ghost appears directly in front of you.
To keep track of your findings, you’ll have a journal available in the menu. The journal will contain pictures you have taken as well as being able to cross out ghosts that don’t fit the pattern of the clues you have collected. This will then shortlist what ghost needs to be determined. You’ll gather evidence such as EMF Level 5, Ultraviolet, Ghost Writing, Freezing Temperatures, Dots Projector, Ghost Orb, and Spirt Box, as providing those will add to short-listing the ghost. The journal also allows you to understand the weaknesses or strengths of each ghost, making you more alert to what could be haunting you and how to deal with it.
Each ghost has its own personality and how it aims to mess with players. Phantoms, for example, will disappear when their photo is taken, whereas Hantu’s will frequently blow the breaker. Banshee’s will often sing during ghost events, while Myling’s will often make unique noises with the Parabolic Microphone. Learning what each ghost does or doesn’t do helps with determining just what is present. Most ghosts will share in certain traits such as Phantoms and Banshee’s often trailing close to the player or the Goryo often not travelling too far from its haunted room. Knowing the traits each ghost has is something that will come with time or relying on guides made by experienced players.
While you can use Xbox Party chat to engage with your friends, you'll be better pressed to play with the game's built-in proximity chat and walkie-talkies. This causes a significant increase in the immersion that you might be the last one left alive, only to have someone come around the corner screaming and startling you. This approach to the game is the true intent behind what it offers. While other games have attempted to use this type of system, Phasmophobia, which did not by any means create it, is still the benchmark of its use being a highlight of the experience.
While you can die due to the ghost wrapping their hands around you and draining you of your life, you can still serve a purpose to those left behind. While the Monkey’s Paw or the High Priestess Tarot card can revive you, being a ghost does have its perks. First, you can see the ghost roaming around. You can interact with objects such as books and plates, and even trigger motion sensor lights to warn players the ghost is nearby. The world itself is foggy and oozing atmosphere as you move around the house interacting with other dead players.
Even during my time on PC, Phasmophobia has a large degree of jank to it. Oddly enough, it contributes to the charm. Tilting back and giving the appearance your back is broken while crouch walking around is hysterical, especially when playing with friends. I honestly can't imagine a Phasmophobia that was polished and AAA without its janky quirks. While many may see this as a lack of polish, or an “unfinished” game, it feels so ingrained into its DNA at this point. Even other games that have borrowed the mechanics of what Phasmophobia has offered and yet have those same quirks and jank, so there's got to be something there.
Prior to the current patch, the Xbox version I was able to test had some issues. Stairs wouldn’t work, lockers were unavailable to be used, and other minor issues would present themselves from time to time. Thankfully, the launch version you’ll have access to when the game launches has been patched to address all these issues. This issue; however, did prevent me from playing many of the game’s locations. As of this writing, stairs thankfully work, and I can now cower in a locker in hopes the scary lady goes away.
Phasmophobia offers a truly remarkable co-op experience that can often be as scary as it is hilarious. Despite the laughs, the jank, and its clunky nature, Phasmophobia is an incredible horror experience that constantly offers up terrifying moments with its cast of supernatural threats. While the title is currently under the Game Preview program on Xbox Series X and Early Access via PlayStation 5, our current verdict is that Phasmophobia is certainly worth checking out and many of the issues I experienced in my first few days are thankfully gone and feel more inline with what PC players have had for some time. While additional patches will certainly improve the game, this is one experience I highly recommend to play with some friends.
Developer - Kinetic Games.
Publisher - Kinetic Games. Released - October 29th, 2024 (PS5/Xbox), September 18th, 2020 (PC). Available On - PS5, PSVR 2, Xbox Series X/S, PC. Rated - (T) - Blood, Use of Drugs, Violence Platform Reviewed - Xbox Series X. Review Access - A review code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
Jeff is the original founder of Analog Stick Gaming. His favorite games include The Witcher III, the Mass Effect Trilogy, Hi-Fi Rush, Stellar Blade, Hellbade: Senua’s Sacrifice, and the Legend of Heroes series, especially Trails of Cold Steel III & IV.