okay i don't usually write detailed steam reviews but! this game really deserves one!
i absolutely love this game! a lot of people compare it to phasmophobia and i will say as someone with 300+ hours on phasmophobia (mostly from console), this game that i have less than a dozen hours in at the time of reviewing has already practically knocked phasmophobia out of the park for me! i'm gonna write a little list of reasons why:
- detailed, realistic, and very customizable character models, far more than phasmophobia
- great animations without being overwhelming, janky, or getting in the way of actually playing the game
- ghosts that feel far more realistic in their behavior and encourage you to actually walk around and explore the map to track them down and get your evidence
- really cool jumpscares and fun map interactions!
- actual lore written across the different maps that you get to explore as you're playing
- the phone feature is just incredible, i love having a handheld flashlight, camera, identifier, note-taker, stopwatch, etc. all written into one thing that i can access with a tap of my keyboard!
- super fun with friends!
- allows you to explore the game, different mechanics, and equipment without being too difficult to grasp nor holding your hand through it
- a different game mode, cleansing the ghost, that i personally haven't played yet outside of the tutorial (i prefer identifying the ghost lol) but that is super fun and incorporates evidences in a unique way
- a customizable home base/lobby and truck!
- something for dead players to do aside from just staying dead! you can play a minigame to come back to life, or if you stay dead, you can talk to living players through the spirit box. i also love that if you do come back to life, it is with a catch (makes for some really funny gameplay with friends who come back to life lol)
- fun ghosts with cool and unique behaviors and interactions!
- a great inventory system
- even more stuff to come, seeing as the game is in early access!
- and very importantly: a dev team that ACTUALLY wants to listen to the playerbase and make improvements!!!
with all that being said, here are my only complaints:
- while the ghost behaviors are unique, it is a little difficult to discern ghost speeds during hunts (which i'm pretty sure the devs said they're fixing in the next update!) additionally sometimes ghosts fail to actually Show their niche ability even after multiple opportunities to, to the point that no evidence gameplay seems like it'd be a looong nightmare haha
- sometimes it can take an annoyingly long time to get all your evidences, which i think is due to the evidence being a fixed chance of occurring?
- no cursed items like phasmophobia :(
anddd that's really it. i absolutely love this game, it has captured my heart and attention and time lol. definitely worth way more than $14!!! if you like ghost hunting games snag this one!!!!! there is still so much more to come and i'm so excited for it
