Info about Phasmophobia:

Official game description:
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About the Game
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Phasmophobia is a 4-player, online co-op, psychological horror game. You and your team of paranormal investigators will enter haunted locations filled with paranormal activity and try to gather as much evidence as you can. Use your ghost-hunting equipment to find and record evidence to sell on to a ghost removal team.
*   **Immersive Experience:** Realistic graphics and sounds as well as a minimal user interface ensure a totally immersive experience that will keep you on your toes.
*   **Unique Ghosts:** Identify over 20 different ghost types, each with unique traits, personalities, and abilities to make each investigation feel different from the last.
*   **Equipment:** Use well-known ghost-hunting equipment such as EMF Readers, Spirit Boxes, Thermometers, and Night Vision Cameras to find clues and gather as much paranormal evidence as you can. Find Cursed Possessions that grant information or abilities in exchange for your sanity.
*   **Full Voice Recognition:** The Ghosts are listening! Use your actual voice to interact with the Ghosts through Ouija Boards and EVP Sessions using a Spirit Box.
*   **Locations:** Choose from over 10 different haunted locations, each with unique twists, hiding spots, and layouts.
*   **Game Modes:** With 5 default difficulties and hand crafted weekly challenges, there are plenty of ways to test your skills.
*   **Teamwork:** Dive in head first, get your hands dirty searching for evidence while fighting for your life. If you're not feeling up to the task, play it safe and support your team from the truck by monitoring the investigation with CCTV and motion sensors.
*   **Custom Difficulty:** Create your own games to tailor the difficulty to your or your group's needs, with proportional rewards and come up with crazy game modes of your own!
*   **Co-operate:** Play alongside your friends with up to 4 players in this co-op horror where teamwork is key to your success.
*   **Play together:** Phasmophobia supports all players together, play with your friends with any combination of input types.

Release date: Sep 18, 2020

Categories: Cooperative Multiplayer, Action Horror, Exploration, Puzzle Solving, Atmospheric Horror, Investigative Gameplay, Deductive Reasoning Puzzle, First-Person Perspective


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Strong co-op and social experience (weight 0.89): Multiplayer is a standout feature, fostering teamwork, chaotic fun, and memorable moments with friends. Proximity chat and cooperative mechanics (e.g., spirit box, cursed items) enhance immersion and replayability.
- Regular updates and developer support (weight 0.8): Frequent content updates (new maps, ghosts, equipment) and responsive bug fixes demonstrate active developer engagement. The community appreciates ongoing improvements and seasonal events.
- Immersive ghost mechanics and variety (weight 0.52): The game features 24+ unique ghost types with distinct behaviors, evidence, and unpredictable interactions (e.g., voice reactivity). This variety keeps investigations fresh and encourages mastery of identification mechanics.
- Atmospheric horror and tension (weight 0.43): The game excels in building psychological tension through sound design, lighting, and ghost behaviors rather than relying on jump scares. The atmosphere is consistently praised as immersive and effective for horror.
- Innovative voice recognition (weight 0.33): Voice recognition (e.g., ghosts reacting to player speech) and proximity chat deepen immersion. This feature is frequently cited as a unique and engaging mechanic that enhances strategy and horror.
- Well-designed maps and progression (weight 0.26): Maps range from small houses to large asylums, catering to different playstyles. The progression system (unlockable gear, levels) and tiered equipment add depth and motivation for long-term play.
- Unique detective-style gameplay (weight 0.2): The blend of horror, investigation, and puzzle-solving (e.g., ghost identification, evidence gathering) creates a distinct experience. Players enjoy the methodical yet tense gameplay loop.

Common complaints:
- Technical Issues and Poor Optimization (weight 0.19): Frequent bugs, FPS drops, and poor optimization hinder gameplay. Visual glitches, texture bugs, and performance issues (e.g., black screens, infinite hunts) disrupt immersion.
- Frustrating Ghost AI and Mechanics (weight 0.19): Ghost behaviors are inconsistent, unpredictable, and often unfair (e.g., instant hunts, spawning in walls). Players report one-touch deaths and poorly tuned hitboxes, making encounters frustrating rather than challenging.
- Poor Tutorial and Onboarding (weight 0.17): The game lacks a comprehensive tutorial, leaving new players confused about mechanics and progression. Many report needing external guides to understand basic gameplay, leading to frustration and a steep learning curve.
- Overwhelming Large Maps (weight 0.15): Large maps are criticized for being tedious to navigate, especially with fewer players. Some maps feel empty or poorly designed, lacking adequate rewards for exploration.
- Unrewarding Progression System (weight 0.15): Players feel the grind for unlocks and rewards is tedious and unrewarding, with repetitive tasks and underwhelming equipment. Prestige systems and events offer little motivation, making long-term engagement difficult.
- Repetitive Gameplay Loop (weight 0.14): The game becomes repetitive over time, with limited maps, ghosts, and mechanics leading to monotony. Players report losing interest after prolonged play, especially in solo mode.
- Stale Early Access Development (weight 0.13): After 5 years in Early Access, the game lacks meaningful updates, with slow content releases and minimal improvements. Players feel the game has stagnated or worsened over time.
- Unpolished Visuals and Animations (weight 0.11): Character models, animations, and movement feel clunky and unpolished, though these issues rarely affect core gameplay. Some players note stiff animations and awkward hitboxes, detracting from immersion.
- Solo Play is Tedious and Unbalanced (weight 0.1): Solo gameplay is criticized for being overly difficult, repetitive, and stressful due to the complexity of managing tools alone. Players report boredom and frustration, especially with new mechanics.
- Confusing Ghost Identification (weight 0.1): Ghost traits and evidence systems are unclear, making identification either too easy or nearly impossible. RNG and inconsistent behaviors frustrate players, especially beginners.
- Diminished Horror and Atmosphere (weight 0.08): The game loses its horror factor over time due to predictability and lack of unique scares. Players note the absence of jump scares and repetitive ghost interactions, reducing tension.
- Voice Chat and Audio Bugs (weight 0.06): Voice chat is plagued by bugs, including audio drop-off, volume issues, and microphone failures. These issues disrupt co-op communication and immersion.

Gameplay feedback:
- Ghost identification mechanics (weight 0.75): Players must identify 24 unique ghost types using evidence like EMF signals, spirit box responses, and temperature changes. Each ghost has three distinct traits and behaviors, requiring strategic tool use and deduction.
- Investigative tools and equipment (weight 0.54): Essential tools include EMF readers, spirit boxes, thermometers, UV flashlights, and Ouija boards. Equipment tiers and voice recognition add depth to evidence collection and ghost communication.
- Evidence collection system (weight 0.34): Core gameplay revolves around gathering tangible (e.g., fingerprints, ghost writing) and behavioral evidence (e.g., interactions, hunt patterns) to deduce ghost types. Tools and teamwork are critical.
- Cooperative multiplayer gameplay (weight 0.3): The game supports solo or cooperative play for up to 4 players, emphasizing teamwork for evidence gathering, role assignment, and ghost hunting. Private/public lobbies and proximity chat enhance interaction.
- Cursed items and chaos mechanics (weight 0.29): Cursed objects (e.g., tarot cards, mirrors) introduce unique effects, both positive and negative, altering ghost behaviors and gameplay difficulty. These add variety and challenge to investigations.
- Progression and unlockable gear (weight 0.21): Players earn XP and money to unlock equipment tiers, maps, and challenges. Prestige systems (up to level 20) and grind mechanics extend replayability, with higher difficulties offering better rewards.
- Adjustable difficulty settings (weight 0.2): Customizable difficulties (e.g., Nightmare, Insanity) scale evidence availability, ghost aggression, and rewards. Challenge modes and cursed objects further tailor the experience to player skill.
- Achievements and rewards (weight 0.08): Achievements (e.g., 

Performance notes:
- Poor mid-range PC optimization (weight 0.11): Players report inconsistent performance on mid-range PCs, including FPS drops (10-25 FPS), stuttering, and frame rate instability. While the game runs well on low-end and high-end systems, optimization for mid-range hardware is lacking.
- Visual and texture bugs (weight 0.08): Players encounter visual glitches, such as texture loading errors, blurry object tracking, and lighting flickering. Some bugs (e.g., texture softlocks) disrupt gameplay, while others affect immersion.
- Frequent disconnections and lag (weight 0.08): Players experience random disconnections, server timeouts, and lag, particularly affecting multiplayer sessions. Russian players report additional connectivity issues, suggesting regional server instability.
- Audio and microphone malfunctions (weight 0.07): Microphone volume issues, voice chat disruptions, and audio cutting out (e.g., during hunts) are common. Some players report no in-game solutions for low microphone output, affecting co-op communication.
- Performance issues in specific areas (weight 0.07): Performance degrades in certain locations (e.g., Blesdale Farmhouse) or after updates, causing lag, stuttering, and FPS drops. Some issues are fixed over time, but new maps often introduce temporary problems.
- Update and map-related bugs (weight 0.04): New updates and maps introduce bugs, such as settings resetting, lobby issues, and performance degradation. While some are fixed quickly, others persist and disrupt gameplay.
- Hardware-specific performance issues (weight 0.02): Weaker hardware (e.g., integrated GPUs, mechanical drives) struggles with specific features like car sirens or night vision, causing performance drops or discomfort (e.g., headaches).
- Hitbox and ghost interaction bugs (weight 0.02): During ghost hunts, hitbox issues and ghost photo registration bugs (e.g., photos not registering) disrupt gameplay and progression.
- VR and overlay compatibility issues (weight 0.02): Players using SteamVR or VirtualMotionCapture report crashes or input conflicts, limiting accessibility for VR users.

Recommendations:
- Ideal for horror and co-op fans (weight 0.42): The game is repeatedly recommended for fans of horror, cooperative gameplay, and immersive experiences. It appeals to both veterans and newcomers in the genre, emphasizing teamwork and atmospheric tension.
- Immersive horror experience (weight 0.3): Players recommend using headphones and dim lighting for full immersion. The game is designed to deliver a satisfying and atmospheric horror experience, particularly in co-op mode.
- Best played with friends (weight 0.2): Players consistently highlight that the game is more enjoyable and less intimidating when played with friends rather than solo or with random groups. This enhances the cooperative and chaotic fun aspects.
- Needs more content variety (weight 0.1): Feedback suggests adding more ghost types, maps, environmental scares, and mod support to enhance variety and long-term engagement. Players also request access to old map versions.
- Value for money (weight 0.04): Players feel the game offers good value for its price, especially when purchased on sale. It is considered worth the investment for the experience it provides.
- Suitable for low-end PCs (weight 0.03): The game is noted for its low FPS consumption, making it accessible to players with less powerful hardware without sacrificing the experience.
- Solo play limitations (weight 0.03): While the game can be played solo, it is described as less engaging and fun compared to multiplayer. It is not ideal for serious solo gamers.
- Active community and multiplayer (weight 0.02): The game has an active community, and players recommend finding decent multiplayer groups via forums or Discord. This helps mitigate issues with random players.

Other player notes:
- Long-term player engagement (weight 0.01): Players report investing significant time (e.g., 200+ hours) into the game, indicating strong long-term engagement and replayability. This suggests the game offers substantial content or depth.
- Accessibility gaps for deaf players (weight 0.01): Deaf players report missing accessibility features like text chat alternatives or Subpac support, highlighting areas for improvement to ensure inclusivity.
- Unique achievement challenges (weight 0.01): The 'Three Skulls of Apocalypse' achievement is highlighted as a notable or difficult milestone, reflecting the game's design for challenging or memorable accomplishments.
- Modding policy concerns (weight 0.01): Players express interest or concerns about developer policies on modding, which could impact creativity, community contributions, and long-term game customization.
- Extreme immersion humor (weight 0.01): A humorous recommendation to wear diapers during intense gameplay moments suggests the game delivers highly immersive or adrenaline-fueled experiences.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.22): Players experience frustration primarily due to technical issues like frequent disconnections, audio bugs, and poor optimization, which disrupt gameplay. Additionally, repetitive and unclear mechanics, such as inconsistent ghost behavior, unreliable evidence systems, and a steep learning curve, exacerbate the frustration, especially for beginners.
- Excitement (weight 0.18): The game's engaging and replayable horror experience, particularly its immersive atmosphere, unique ghost behaviors, and co-op dynamics, generates excitement. Players enjoy the thrill of solving puzzles, mastering ghost mechanics, and the unpredictable chaos of multiplayer sessions with friends.
- Fear (weight 0.14): Fear is driven by the game's intense atmosphere, including sudden ghost hunts, dark environments, and immersive sound design like whispers and footsteps. Unpredictable ghost behaviors, such as doors closing unexpectedly or ghosts reacting to voice commands, amplify the tension, especially during solo play.
- Disappointment (weight 0.07): Players feel disappointed due to the game's perceived decline in quality, including lack of meaningful updates, unaddressed bugs, and a shift away from its original horror focus. The progression system, repetitive gameplay, and poor developer communication further contribute to this sentiment.
- Amusement (weight 0.07): Amusement arises from chaotic and humorous multiplayer interactions, such as friends panicking, trolling with cursed items, or dying in absurd ways. Ghost AI behaviors, like throwing books or hunting in unexpected patterns, also add unintended comedic moments.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.05): Players enjoy the game's unique horror mechanics, cooperative gameplay, and the satisfaction of learning and mastering ghost identification. The ability to play with friends and the game's replayability contribute significantly to this positive experience.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.05): Satisfaction stems from the game's depth, including its variety of ghosts, maps, and challenges, as well as the rewarding progression system. Long-term engagement, regular updates, and the sense of mastery over ghost behaviors enhance this feeling.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.02): Nostalgia is tied to memories of the game's early days, such as playing since its 2020 release or missing older mechanics and maps. Players reflect on the game's evolution and their personal growth within the community over time.
- Joy (weight 0.02): Joy is derived from shared experiences with friends, such as laughing during chaotic hunts, screaming in terror, or creating memorable moments together. The social aspect of the game amplifies the fun and emotional highs.
- Appreciation (weight 0.02): Players appreciate the game's immersive atmosphere, regular updates, and the developers' efforts to improve it over time. The active community and unique horror mechanics also contribute to this positive sentiment.
- Anger (weight 0.01): Anger is directed at severe bugs, such as unplayable maps or lost progress, as well as the developers' perceived neglect of player feedback. Toxic community behavior and dismissive attitudes toward criticism further fuel this emotion.
- Addiction (weight 0.01): The game's compelling and tense horror loop, combined with its immersive atmosphere and satisfying progression, creates an addictive experience. Players feel driven to return to learn more, improve, or experience the thrill again.
- Anticipation (weight 0.01): Players anticipate future updates, new maps, and content, which keeps them engaged and hopeful for fresh experiences. The promise of major updates or new mechanics generates excitement for what's next.
- Hope (weight 0.01): Hope is tied to the potential for future improvements, such as new mechanics like exorcism or adjustments based on player feedback. Players desire a return to the game's original charm or the introduction of features that refresh the experience.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): Surprise comes from unexpected moments, such as sudden ghost hunts, jump scares, or discovering new scares after extensive playtime. These moments defy player expectations and add to the game's thrill.
- Curiosity (weight 0.01): Curiosity is sparked by the game's depth, including its ghost mechanics, lore, and mysteries. Players invest time in learning and understanding the game's systems to avoid misidentification or uncover hidden details.
- Gratitude (weight 0.01): Players express gratitude for positive experiences, such as friendships formed through the game, developer support, or educational aspects like teamwork and problem-solving. Community and developer efforts are particularly appreciated.
- Boredom (weight 0.01): Boredom arises from repetitive gameplay, especially after extensive playtime or during solo sessions. Longer investigation times due to new mechanics or lack of variety can also contribute to this feeling.
- Humor (weight 0.01): Humor is found in chaotic team dynamics, such as friends abandoning each other, co-op pranks, or unintended bugs that create funny moments. These interactions add levity to the horror experience.
- Recommendation (weight 0): Players recommend the game based on their satisfaction with its gameplay, unique mechanics, or specific features like the Deogen ghost. They may also share tips to help others avoid beginner mistakes.}