As someone who was into paranormal stuff when I was young and who used to watch way too much ghost hunting TV slop, "ghost hunting simulation but ghosts are actually real" is a great concept. I just don't like how quickly it escalates from bumbling around in a boring suburban home with a thermometer or EMF detector in your hand to a glitchy Unity store asset snapping your neck while playing creepylaugh.wav
From the jump you know you're dealing with a violent supernatural monster that WILL kill you and you're basically on a timer to find out which one it is using a simple process of elimination before you all die. I get that it's a game so you need Things To Happen but I would probably enjoy a slower, more methodical game that more closely emulated a paranormal investigation. Like you show up to a house and have a list of the paranormal activity that's been reported in specific rooms, then you go and set up your equipment to try to document it for yourself.
There definitely should be a threat of physical harm but IMO it should be less overbearing. Investigators being killed on the job being a completely regular and expected occurrence feels a bit absurd
multiplayer horror games like Lethal Company (and presumably Phasmophobia idk, haven't played it) are actually comedy games, not horror. there's no isolation to really let the "good horror" dread sink in, so instead the fun comes from having a laugh at everyone getting spooked
nothing wrong with that, it just makes them hard to market properly
You say that, but when we were playing, we had a couple of moments where we'd tell each other we'd quickly go upstairs to fetch something, then come back down, calling out to them only to discover them dead on the floor. Perfect horror beat right there, and something that could only work in a multiplayer context. The proximity chat really makes the experience
I think bringing down the intensity levels would make moments like that even more effective
that does sound pretty good, I will say when it works it does work well
I'm sure my perspective is colored by my friend group too
I'll say this for Lethal Company, it feels like it's so much easier to get separated and it can get tense once that happens. It can go either way.
Content Warning had a good blend, too, in my opinion. Things could get tense/unsettling enough that even if you didn't get a good scare, you could get a good thrill.