For my money, Phasmophobia is one of the best horror games to play with friends, but I've always felt the relatively rough graphics are a detriment to the immersion. That's just one of many reasons I'm excited about Demonologist, a brand new entry in the growing Phasmophobia-like category that's built in Unreal Engine 5 and even claims to have "the best graphics in the co-op horror genre you'll ever play."
Just looking at the trailer, it's clear the visuals are a massive step up from Phasmophobia and the like, but there are also some neat features that make Demonologist stand out from the crowd. For one, I love the customizable safe house. The room starts out fairly bare, but you can add things like rugs, furniture, a fireplace, and more to really make it your own. Alternatively, you can use the currency you've earned from playing the game to buy a whole new safe house, or even better, buy a pet to pal around with when you aren't out on the job.
That said, this isn't Animal Crossing. The core game is about investigating haunted locations and trying to identify the type of spirit that's terrorizing you. You can play with up to four friends or ride solo, but where's the fun in that? There are multiple maps and a bunch of different equipment you can play around with to track down your phantom friend, and developer Clock Wizard Games keeps things fresh with daily and weekly tasks as well as special events and missions on certain dates.
Another thing I'm excited about in Demonologist is its ability to interact with your real-life voice. This isn't a new thing by any means, but I'm interested to see how it's implemented. The developer says you'll want to "be careful what you speak" as "cursed places will react accordingly" and "one word you say can open a secret door."
At the time of writing, Demonologist is one of Steam's most popular new releases across all categories, and it currently holds a 'mostly positive' rating. If you're interested in giving it a go, there's a free demo you can check out before shelling out the $15 for the full game.
Phasmophobia just got its "biggest update ever" last month, and it pretty much changed everything.
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