Meet Phasmophobia, the game of the moment on Twitch

Throughout 2020, we’ve seen the landscape of Twitch, the most popular video game streaming platform, change dramatically from moment to moment. Before the middle of the year, VALORANT it aimed to be the king of the moment with hundreds of thousands of people playing, watching games and hoping to win codes to test the beta. A few months later the addiction arrived Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout and we all turned to see how our favorite “streamers” fought unsuccessfully for a crown. That reign only lasted a few weeks because of the fun Between us He was reborn from the ashes to make us suspect our comrades. Now, a game called “from nothing” Fasmophobia the platform’s first public place is often stolen.

On September 18, 2020, the British independent studio Kinetic Games released on Steam – through the Early Access Program – a preliminary version of its ‘first film’: Fasmophobia. This is a four-player cooperative horror game in which participants take on the role of investigators of the paranormal. It is similar to what is seen in “reality shows” such as the popular Ghost hunters, from Syfy Channel or the movie Serious Encounters. The goal is not to “fight” ghosts, but to discover their nature.

Anyone who has tried the game or decided to stream it on Twitch would likely have had a disappointing first impression. Fasmophobia not a “nice” game. The character models are outdated, their movements are clunky, and the settings seem generic. As if that were not enough, it is full of “bugs”. How is it possible that such a game has become a phenomenon? Are they playing it as a joke?

It is true that Fasmophobia It is not polished at all and needs a lot of work to reach the quality levels we are used to today. However, there are sincere reasons why it is worth playing and / or watching in its current state.

For starters, we have the always reliable “jump fears”. Although “sophisticated” horror fans tend to hate them, there is no question how effective they are in attracting audiences who want to see streamers scream or laugh. The funny thing is that many fears do not come from ghosts, but from the nerves of those who play.

In this sense, Fasmophobia remember how viral phenomena were created Amnesia: The Dark Descent Y Five nights at Freddy’s. But it’s not just this. This title also attracts a lot thanks to its concept and game systems.

In this title we accept several “works” that investigate supernatural events in environments such as haunted houses, schools and abandoned asylums. Each player has a limited inventory and must decide which important items in the Ghostbuster trade to bring with them: flashlights, cameras, motion detectors, temperature sensors, rooms, crucifixes, and other accessories. We can also stay in the truck and be aware of the video captured by the companions.

With this team at our disposal, our task in Fasmophobia It consists of finding out what kind of threat we are dealing with. Are you a poltergeist? A shadow “? A ghost? A banshee? We must use the clues we found in our investigation to determine it according to our ghost guide. Some beings leave footprints, some don’t. Some only attack lone players, others only appear if we use a Ouija board. Once this work is done, we have to leave the place. The entity will not be calm while we invade their domains. If possible, it will haunt us and scare us to death. game and use it against us.

Did we mention that the game is compatible with various virtual reality systems? This is the best way to “dive” further into the game and make the fears even more real.

We cannot lie. “Real” ghost stories are very engaging and many of us are drawn to cases of “white noise” captured on an audio cassette. We want to believe that that white spot we see in a video recorded in a cemetery is a being from beyond and, even if the idea terrifies us, we fantasize ourselves about the idea of ​​”hunting” a ghost. Fasmophobia It is the closest we have to making it happen.