Entertainment

The Paranormal

Martha Dabrowski, Staff Reporter • December 4, 2025

Introduction

Hey, all! Today I’ll talk about a popular game called Phasmophobia. This game was created by Kinetic Games, which is a British Indie Horror game making studio. The initial creator, however, is Daniel Knight, who is a British Game creator. He claims that the main reason why he created the game was to bring awareness to the fear of ghosts, which is called Phasmophobia. The game was released to the public on September 4th, 2020, and has been played on many different platforms, including the PC, Playstation 5, PS VR2, and the X-Box series XS. This game became very popular rapidly as YouTubers all over the world quickly became obsessed with it and started streaming their playthroughs on YouTube and twitch. Since the start of the release for this game, there have been many new updates, like the new 2024 update with a new location being released (Nell’s Diner).

This is one of the original pictures depicting the game, with the player’s van being visible along with the name of the game. The van is the symbol of the escape and the starting point of the game.

Context: Phasmophobia is an intriguing paranormal game where the player (you) is a paranormal investigator placed in a house and given ghost hunting tools throughout the game to hunt a ghost (random type). The player also needs to get out of the house alive. When you first enter the game, you are placed in the lobby. You may then select what house you want to explore and are given starter items. As the game progresses, however, per each investigation that you complete, you will be given money, which then can allow you to buy new items and upgrade them as needed. The evidence you are given (such as a Spirit Box, Ghost Writing, Ultraviolet, etc.) and the cursed item (given at random) might help you locate the ghost, figure out what type of ghost it is, or get you killed.

Controls: Within the game itself, there are many controls that can be edited and switched to match the player’s gaming console or gaming setup. I will list the controls for the more popular setup, which would be the computer/gaming setup. Let us take a look at some of the controls. The basic controls for movement are WASD (W- Forward, A- Left, S- Backward, and D- Right). You can sprint by using the Left Shift key on your keyboard. You can also crouch, which is the C key on your keyboard. You can look around and aim with your mouse pad or physical keyboard mouse. To interact with the doors/turn on lights, the Left mouse button (LMB) is used. However, in order to hold your first hand-held item (primary), you would use the Right mouse button (RMB). There are many other controls for this keyboard setup. (You can view the rest of the controls in the picture below.)

This is the main picture of the keyboard controls for the computer setup of Phasmophobia. All of the controls are listed in this picture, including the main counterparts.

Hunts – Ghosts can hunt the player when sanity for the player is lower than 90%. Players must be very cautious, and, when the hunt is triggered, they must find a hiding spot away from the line of sight of the ghost. If caught in the line of sight of the ghost, then the player has a 70/30 chance of dying.

Cursed hunts – Caused when the player uses or damages a cursed item. This then causes the ghost to hunt for a longer period of time and chase after the player relentlessly. The same aspect goes for the line of sight, as in if you are not seen, the ghost won’t find you.

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Ghosts and their types: In each game/round that you play, a random ghost will be selected for you to try to figure out. Below are the top 5 ghosts that are listed in the player’s journal. There are about 25-30 ghosts within the game itself, and each of the ghosts has their own characteristics and special ability.

1.Spirit – The ghost that appears most common and is the easiest to find. Their evidence is EMF 5, Ghost Writing, and Spirit Box. The most common cursed item that comes with this ghost is tarot cards.

2.Wraith – A ghost that has special flying abilities and will not touch salt. Their evidence is EMF 5, Spirit Box, and D.O.T.S Projector. This ghost’s main cursed item is the monkey paw.

3.Phantom – This ghost is the ghost of invisibility and will not show itself unless threatened. Their evidence is Spirit Box, Ultraviolet, and D.O.T.S Projector. The most common cursed item to be found with this ghost is the Ouija Board.

4.Poltergeist – This ghost is the master of evasive maneuvers and can manipulate objects at ease. Their evidence is Spirit Box, Ghost Writing, and Ultraviolet. Their favorite and most common cursed item is the music box.

5.Banshee – The ghost that sings their target to their trap, then ends in the killing blow. Their evidence is Ultraviolet, Ghost Orbs, and the D.O.T.S Projector. Their favorite cursed item is the cursed mirror.

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Cursed Items: Within the game of Phasmophobia, there are 7 main cursed items, but only one will appear on each map. Those 7 items include the Music Box, Ouija Board, Cursed Mirror, Summoning Circle, Monkey Paw, Tarot Cards, and the Voodoo Doll. For context, let us list the top 3.

In-game picture of the music box. It can be found in any home, but it is displayed in the lobby on the stand.

Music Box – The cursed music box is the most powerful item. It plays a tune (Adrift) which the ghost then sings along to. This can help the player locate the ghost but caution should be advised, as when the ghost gets too close to the player or the music box stops playing, it will cause a cursed hunt to happen.

Ouija Board – The most popular of cursed items that allows the player to find the ghost’s location, ask it for its year and time of death, the cause of death, and, most importantly, the ghost’s age. If you use the board too much, you will trigger a cursed hunt.

Cursed Mirror – The cursed mirror is used to determine mainly the location of the ghost. They are found on the walls of whatever location you go to. If you look at the mirror for too long or the mirror breaks, then a cursed hunt will initiate immediately.

In conclusion, Phasmophobia is a very popular, super cool game where you can challenge yourself to fight your fears and gain more insight on ghosts…or just to play to have fun. Many YouTubers are people who want to bring something fun to society, and I think that this game brings plenty of it to this modern world. I encourage you to look around and find this game on whatever gaming setup you think is right for you. Go out there and challenge yourselves to a fun game. ENJOY.

Works cited:

Warped. (2024, September 17). How to Play Phasmophobia as a Beginner! YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd5wlH4Tkik –

Lil_P66. (2023, June 1). EVERYTHING YOU Need to Know about Cursed Items in Phasmophobia. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55dhia4j9aI

2025-2026 Issue #2

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About the Contributor

Martha Dabrowski, Staff Reporter

Hello, everyone. My name is Martha Dabrowski. I am a sophomore at EPHS. Some of my main interests include horror games (mainly FNAF), animated shows and series (like TADC and Scooby Doo), and currently I am on the Girls Tennis Junior Varsity Team. When I finish high school, I hope to become a pharmacist and also major in criminal justice. Hopefully, I will be able to lead therapeutic sessions for criminals and/or victims.