SEVERANCE

Paranormal investigation becomes a nerve-racking contest of observation, communication, and survival in this tactical co-op horror experience for one to five players. Small teams enter haunted locations armed with professional ghost-hunting equipment, trying to identify the entity before its hostility turns into a full hunt. The central twist is that the threat is not always AI-controlled: in the asymmetrical mode, one player takes the role of the ghost and turns the investigation into a battle of wits against friends. Its tone sits close to Phasmophobia’s slow-burn dread, but with a stronger emphasis on giving the monster a human mind behind it.

Investigators search rooms, monitor disturbances, compare readings, and use evidence to narrow down more than 20 possible ghost types. EMF meters, video cameras, thermometers, and possession dolls help reveal activity, while each entity’s habits and reactions offer behavioral clues that matter as much as raw data. Staying calm is part of the challenge, since the ghost can see and hear the team, manipulate the environment, damage sanity, and exploit careless communication. AI matches focus on an adaptive entity that observes players and escalates pressure, whereas Ghost Player Mode lets the haunting player lock doors, throw objects, create scares, manage the timing of hunts, and set traps around the map.

Minimal interface design, environmental sound, flickering lights, and realistic-looking locations aim to make every noise feel potentially important rather than merely decorative. The player-controlled ghost option is the standout feature, adding the kind of replayable social tension associated with games such as Dead by Daylight while retaining the evidence-driven deduction of paranormal simulators. Matches work best with a regular group willing to communicate, bluff, and learn the tells of different entities, though AI mode gives smaller teams a more traditional co-op investigation. Horror fans who enjoy deliberate, clue-based gameplay over constant action should find its mix of deduction and asymmetric mind games especially appealing.