Phasmophobia may not have completed early access yet, but it has inspired many similar games.
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When listing the biggest indie games of the years from 2020 so far, we certainly cannot fail to mention Phasmophobia. The co-op indie horror title from Kinetic Games exploded into a hit in September 2020 via early acces on Steam, delivering a thrilling game for horror fans around the world. The world plays together during the COVID-19 pandemic. Phasmophobia is still packed with tense and horror-filled demonic encounters, especially as Kinetic Games continues to add new types of ghosts, newer maps to explore, and other features that make Phasmophobia quality. more quantity. However, Phasmophobia’s impact on the horror game genre is as remarkable as the game itself.
Any popular game is likely to spawn many imitators. For example, since Nintendo released The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in 2017, fans and critics alike have regularly seen the launch of other open-world games featuring full maps. the same color as BotW. Phasmophobia also affects the indie horror genre in a similar way. Since the game became a hit, a bunch of other developers have released their own horror projects that clearly borrow from the group ghost hunting simulation game Phasmophobia though in this way. or otherwise. At this rate, it seems like it’s only a matter of time before a few AAA games try their hand at some of the ideas of Phasmophobia.
Recent Phasmophobia-like games
Many games have been launched that aim to provide a very similar experience to Phasmophobia. One of the most famous examples is Ghost Exorcism INC., a mid-2021 release game by StudioGoupil. Ghost Exorcism INC. borrowed a lot of ideas from Phasmophobia from ghost hunting tips, the process of identifying ghosts to using voice recognition to encourage players to talk to ghosts. The game mainly differs from Phasmophobia in having its own gear list and additional exorcism steps, but beyond these ideas is Ghost Exorcism INC. is a game that any fan of Phasmophobia can quickly become interested in and familiar with.
However, some games not only borrowed but were more distinctly different from Phasmophobia and produced some interesting ideas. Forewarned, for example, puts players in the role of a team of archaeologists who delve into the ruins of ancient Egypt to collect artifacts and identify and avoid buried ancient undead warriors. inside. Egyptian elements and treasures make Forewarned unique, even if its co-op system, gear, and identification process are a lot like Phasmophobia. Conrad Stevenson’s Paranormal PI is another great example. Released in early 2022, Paranormal PI features a voiced protagonist and a more focused ghost hunting storyline. The single-player experience and narrative elements make Paranormal PI very different from Phasmophobia, but its ghost hunting feature still owes a lot to Kinetic Games for starting this trend.
Phasmophobia has left a legacy
While Phasmophobia hasn’t ended early access, it’s clearly become a prominent force in the gaming community and indie horror industry. Aside from the many new ghost hunting games, Phasmophobia may be partly responsible for the overall increase in popularity of the multiplayer horror genre, with games like 2019’s Pacify gaining traction. some new attention in the past few years. Regardless of what changes Kinetic Games makes to Phasmophobia in the future, their work has worked well for the indie horror genre, and this is something to be proud of for such a small studio.
Surely many people will wonder if in the future there will still be games that imitate Phasmophobia on a larger scale. It would certainly be great to see popular AAA horror developers like Resident Evil’s Capcom try their hand at a new multiplayer ghost hunting game that could develop a powerful story mode alongside multiplayer. player. Koei Tecmo’s Fatal Frame can also be a great IP to turn into multiplayer. For now it remains to be seen how Phasmophobia will affect AAA developers, if at all. Meanwhile, new indie titles like Ghost Watchers will continue to prove that Phasmophobia is a historic release in the indie horror genre.