Who would have thought that the dark horse of the indie game “Ghost Phobia”, which exploded in 2020, would be able to blow up the player circle with a new map five years later! This 4-player cooperative horror game developed by Kinetic Games swept Steam as soon as it was launched, and even rushed to the sixth place in Twitch live broadcast popularity. Just recently, as soon as the new map “Nell’s Diner” was updated, old players teamed up overnight to open the black, and new ones also gathered into the pit – this “small but fine” map directly welded the “life extension code” of the horror game to death!
Don’t rush to shout “it’s a minimap again”! Officially, it is about the same size as the classic “13 Willow Street” and “6 Donwood”, but if you play it, you will know: this is basically a “condensed version of the horror universe”! As soon as I entered the map, I was shocked by the details – the police car lights outside the door were still flashing, the overturned stools in the restaurant, the pots on the stove that were not turned off, and the half cup of cold coffee on the bar were all “just accidental”. What’s even more amazing is the customized scene: the retro jukebox can cut songs, the arcade can also be started by coins, and even the leaflets posted on the wall are exclusively designed, which is directly doubled from the texture of the early general material map. Where did the player come to catch ghosts, he was clearly a “supernatural detective”, and he made up for it while collecting evidence: “What happened just now?” ”
There are 11 “ghost dens” hidden in 13 rooms, which directly fills up the replay rate! The map seems simple, but in fact it is divided into three core areas: the dining area is an “open trap”, the booths are densely blocked from the view, and the lifting doors on both sides of the counter are new easter eggs, which can suddenly close the door to continue life when hiding from ghosts; The kitchen can be called an “interactive paradise”, but the key clues of the freezer are likely to encounter ghosts, and the cluttered storage room is dizzy; The staff area connected to the corridor is even more surprising, the lounge drawer can turn over props, and the bathroom mirror will float. Compact but not crowded layout, dizzy when first playing, after proficiency, it is full of “anti-kill routines”.
The best understanding of players is “gameplay details killing”! Seven cursed items are fixed in place, and hardcore bosses can plan “zero-mistake collection routes”; But the power box and hiding point are randomly refreshed, and Mengxin can also survive by “blind cat touching dead mice”. What’s even more amazing is the exclusive interactive props: the cream can will lead to the appearance of ghosts after spraying, and the jukebox may trigger supernatural sound effects when changing songs. The event design also hits the nail on the head: the permanent “Nell Restaurant Discovery Challenge” requires completing 50 contracts, rewarding limited ID cards and badges to meet the sense of accomplishment of the boss; The weekly “in business” challenge gives $5,000 for clearing the level 3 times with preset equipment, and the new ones can also make quick money.
In fact, the secret of “Ghost Phobia” has been hidden in this map for four years: do not stack up the picture, but only play the core of “cooperative spirit exploration” to the extreme. The minimap means faster encounters, and it tests the “tacit understanding between teammates” – you guard the instrument and report data, I touch the props to avoid the ghosts, and shout “There is a problem with the freezer” and immediately huddle together, this tense and tacit experience is 10,000 times more frightening than simple Jump Scare.
Now open the game, and the screen is full of team information of “Nell Restaurant is missing one person”. After all, who can refuse this kind of pleasure: blacking with friends, screaming collectively when the jukebox suddenly changes tune, touting each other when discovering the trick of attracting ghosts from a cream can, and buying new equipment with rewards after clearing the level. That’s the magic of Ghost Phobia – four years later, it still has players screaming and laughing willingly, “One more, one last!” ”