‘Phasmaphobia’ Celebrated Its One-Year Anniversary With A Party In The Waiting Lobby

When Phasmaphobia first came out it surprisingly took the gaming world by storm. Despite being a game still very early in its development life cycle, people clung to its very simple concept. That house is haunted, use these ghost hunting tools at your disposal to try and figure out what kind of ghost it is, fulfill objectives to earn money, and don’t die.

While haunted houses are nothing new in video games, Phasmaphobia had a few very cool ideas that made it unique and fun to play. For starters, the game is best experienced with an active microphone and a group of friends, because the game actually listens to you while you talk. The ghost can respond to what you are saying and the player can even anger it if they start using a few choice words. It also creates tense moments during hunts where the radio cuts out and the players are forced to hide while the ghost looks for a new victim.

That was one year ago, and thanks to Phasmaphobia’s popularity it’s been receiving steady development throughout the year such as patches, bug fixes, and the occasional quality of life update. A recent one actually made the ghosts more challenging, more aggressive, and forces the player to shut off any electronic devices. That update made the game more terrifying, but one particular update to celebrate the anniversary of the game made it a whole lot more fun. Party hats anyone?

Over the weekend, players logging on to Phasmaphobia were greeted with the waiting lobby being full of party balloons and music to celebrate the game being one year old. Also all the players will wear party hats into haunted houses which is hilarious. A stark contrast to the usual setting which is eerily quiet and lends itself to the spooky atmosphere that makes Phasmaphobia so interesting.

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Is Phasmaphobia a good game? That depends on who you ask. Some people find the game too janky and buggy to enjoy, but the horror aspects of it can be very spooky. The best way to play it is with a group because it becomes a mix of social bonding and ghost hunting. The best part is that clearly this is a game that developers are committed to improving so getting in early is an opportunity to watch it grow and improve. It also means party hats sometimes. An essential ghost hunting tool.