Phasmophobia

My gaming career (or lack thereof) started with a Nintendo DS during Sunday church service while my parents fought the battle of keeping my sibling and me quiet but lost the one where we were meant to pay attention. Nintendogs and Animals Crossing New Leaf were the only games that would capture my attention for a long period of time; my sister soon became obsessed with longer storyline games, such as Zelda, Spyro, and the likes. As we grew older, I would stray farther away from gaming as a whole, and she would continue to venture further into open-explored worlds, new gaming consoles, and eventually streaming. Her love of the video game world is the only reason I met my newest pasttime, Phasmophobia.

Although my love for video games waned as I grew older, my love for the paranormal and macabre have stayed strong. My sister, aware of this, came home from work telling me that she had just the game for me and she could download it for me on her PC. Fair warning, this game is not for the faint of heart and it is not advised to be played alone. You are a ghost investigator, I suppose, as you are not hunting the paranormal but trying to identify what type of entity they may be. You are equipped with a handbook that will educate you on how one entity differs from the other (including how deadly they can be). You have to collect three hints/clues that will lead you to the true identity whatever ghost may reside in the dwelling you choose to explore. These hints include fingerprints, orbs, freezing temps, ghost writing, EMF reader reaching level 5, and the entity communicating via spirit box.

This game is best played with a headset, as the sound quality is far better and will aid you in surviving and finding the "ghost room". You may get lucky and find a oujie board, which can lead you directly to the room the entity resides in if you ask the right questions. You can carry three items at a time (I recommend always having the strong flashlight) and you explore every nook and cranny of the layouts the game has set for you. This game can be played with others or individually and as you earn money for successful missions, you can buy more high-tech equipment to enhance your detective skills.

This is not all about walking through a house, farmhouse, high school, prison, or asylum in the dark collecting clues. If your time runs out, this entity will begin to hunt you. My recommendation on always keeping your flashlight on is not because I'm afraid of the dark, but because it helps you stay alive. When a ghost starts a hunt, your flashlight will begin to flicker. If the ghost knows where you are and is nearby, you will be able to hear your own heartbeat in your headphones. It is advised that you hold the Shift button down and find another room to hide. Based on past mistakes, I would advise closing the door to your hiding place, crouching, and shutting your flashlight off. If you're caught and killed, all of the equipment that you brought with you for that investigation will be lost and you will be forced to purchase them again for your next mission.

This game is available through Steam and I play it when I borrow my sister's PC quite frequently. My advice before taking the plunge - watch others play the game on Twitch or YouTube. Unless you're an avid PC player, definitely plan to utilize the training mission, as it will help you learn the controls. If you're like me with a love of jump scares and the paranormal, you may love this game.