Phasmophobia is a brilliantly designed game that, as mentioned, relies on more than just cheap jump scares; it keeps you in suspense and dread, knowing that the ghost could show up at any moment to wreak havoc on your sanity and potentially hunt you down.

The game features many amazing tools to hunt down spirits, demons, yokais, and more; from D.O.T.S. Projectors to track the movements of ghosts from the video camera, to UV Lights and Glowsticks capable of picking up fingerprints all over doors and windows.

Almost no two hunts back to back are the same; the ghost you could be hunting could be a Demon, or it could be a Poltergeist. Each ghost requires you to collect different kinds of evidence (up to 3) to properly identify it and get paid. Once you've identified the ghost, you can collect Evidence and bonus objectives for an even bigger payout - just make sure the ghost doesn't catch you or you will get a reduced payout.

There are three different difficulties - Amateur (Easy), Intermediate, and Professional (Hard). Each difficulty gives you a timer for when the ghost can begin actively hunting you, as well as how much Sanity you can lose or how active the ghost is. They also include different pay-out modifiers.

On the ghosts themselves, they have a wide array of designs based on popular horror franchises; I know for a fact there's one resembling the Sugar Plum Fairy from Cabin in the Woods and there's also one resembling the crawling Onryo from the Grudge. There's even a few unique designs as well, and regardless of origins, they are all designed to scare you ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.

There are also different kinds of ghosts - Demons, Yokai, Mares, and Poltergeists to name a few! Each one has a unique strength and a unique weakness. For example, Demons are the most aggressive ghosts and will begin Hunts more often but asking a Demon successful questions on the Ouija Board won't lower the user's sanity. Mylings on the other hand are more quiet when hunting you, making them hard to escape due to their stealth, but make more paranormal noises than your average ghost, making them easier to find when they are not Hunting you.

Moving on, I have mentioned the ghosts actually will hunt you. To escape the ghosts, you must constantly break their line of sight, because the longer they can see you and move in a straight line, the faster they will become. Furthermore, any and all electrical devices - cameras, flashlights (sans the head-mounted flashlight), EMF Readers, and so forth - will constantly alert the ghost of your location. You must turn them off before hiding to avoid detection, otherwise, it's game over. These devices also glitch like crazy when the hunt is on, and the closer the ghost is, the darker your flashlight will get - until you can't even see it.

There's a plethora of maps, too - there's run-down homes on the street, the side of the road, and even out in the middle of farmland. But it doesn't stop there - you can even go to high schools and prisons! The larger maps are best enjoyed with a group of three or four, but the smaller ones can be done with two players and even done solo. Just make sure you NEVER underestimate the ghost and you'll be fine.

You can currently select from a list of 8 characters - 4 men and 4 women, each with a different ethnicity, allowing for varied appearances in-game. I hope they expand this and add more for both, but this game is in Early Access after all, so I am sure they will.

Overall, I give this game a 4 out of 5 - it'd be a perfect 5 if the game wasn't Early Access, but I highly recommend this game nonetheless!

Phasmophobia is a brilliantly designed game that, as mentioned, relies on more than just cheap jump scares; it keeps you in suspense and dread, knowing that the ghost could show up at any moment to wreak havoc on your sanity and potentially hunt you down. The game features many amazing tools to hunt down spirits, demons, yokais, and more; from D.O.T.S. Projectors to track the movements of ghosts from the video camera, to UV Lights and Glowsticks capable of picking up fingerprints all over doors and windows. Almost no two hunts back to back are the same; the ghost you could be hunting could be a Demon, or it could be a Poltergeist. Each ghost requires you to collect different kinds of evidence (up to 3) to properly identify it and get paid. Once you've identified the ghost, you can collect Evidence and bonus objectives for an even bigger payout - just make sure the ghost doesn't catch you or you will get a reduced payout. There are three different difficulties - Amateur (Easy), Intermediate, and Professional (Hard). Each difficulty gives you a timer for when the ghost can begin actively hunting you, as well as how much Sanity you can lose or how active the ghost is. They also include different pay-out modifiers. On the ghosts themselves, they have a wide array of designs based on popular horror franchises; I know for a fact there's one resembling the Sugar Plum Fairy from Cabin in the Woods and there's also one resembling the crawling Onryo from the Grudge. There's even a few unique designs as well, and regardless of origins, they are all designed to scare you ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. There are also different kinds of ghosts - Demons, Yokai, Mares, and Poltergeists to name a few! Each one has a unique strength and a unique weakness. For example, Demons are the most aggressive ghosts and will begin Hunts more often but asking a Demon successful questions on the Ouija Board won't lower the user's sanity. Mylings on the other hand are more quiet when hunting you, making them hard to escape due to their stealth, but make more paranormal noises than your average ghost, making them easier to find when they are not Hunting you. Moving on, I have mentioned the ghosts actually will hunt you. To escape the ghosts, you must constantly break their line of sight, because the longer they can see you and move in a straight line, the faster they will become. Furthermore, any and all electrical devices - cameras, flashlights (sans the head-mounted flashlight), EMF Readers, and so forth - will constantly alert the ghost of your location. You must turn them off before hiding to avoid detection, otherwise, it's game over. These devices also glitch like crazy when the hunt is on, and the closer the ghost is, the darker your flashlight will get - until you can't even see it. There's a plethora of maps, too - there's run-down homes on the street, the side of the road, and even out in the middle of farmland. But it doesn't stop there - you can even go to high schools and prisons! The larger maps are best enjoyed with a group of three or four, but the smaller ones can be done with two players and even done solo. Just make sure you NEVER underestimate the ghost and you'll be fine. You can currently select from a list of 8 characters - 4 men and 4 women, each with a different ethnicity, allowing for varied appearances in-game. I hope they expand this and add more for both, but this game is in Early Access after all, so I am sure they will. Overall, I give this game a 4 out of 5 - it'd be a perfect 5 if the game wasn't Early Access, but I highly recommend this game nonetheless!