SEVERANCE

I jumped into SEVERANCE expecting a tense, awkwardly brilliant ghost game — and mostly got exactly that. The core idea is deliciously simple: a 1–5 player online co-op where you investigate haunted locations with real-ish equipment, or flip the script and play as the ghost. If you like games that reward teamwork, loud screams and sudden betrayal, this scratches that itch. It's raw, it's early, and it already creates moments that had me laughing and swearing in equal measure.

Hunting and Investigating in Tight Spaces

The bread-and-butter of SEVERANCE is the investigation loop: you and your team enter a map, split tasks, set up cameras, check EMF meters and thermometers, and slowly build a case to identify one of 20+ ghost types. It’s tactile in a way I enjoyed — dropping a camera, swapping evidence on a tablet, or watching a teammate panic when the lights flicker feels satisfyingly analog. Rounds are tense and rarely polite; mistakes cost you sanity and sometimes your life, which can be frustrating but also makes every successful extraction feel earned. The game nudges you to communicate (and swear) into your mic: callouts matter and coordination turns shallow chaos into methodical sleuthing. Compared to Phasmophobia, SEVERANCE leans a touch more tactical: equipment has clearer uses and the evidence types feel more thematically varied.

Playing the Phantom: Ghost Player Mode

Where SEVERANCE shines is when one player becomes the ghost. This asymmetrical mode flips the power curve — suddenly you’re not looking out for shadows, you are the shadow. As the ghost you can interact with the map in interesting ways: lock doors, throw objects, manipulate lights and use possession dolls to bait investigators. Timing a hunt around a teammate’s low sanity or luring a group into a corner is deliciously satisfying, especially when you pull off a coordinated scare that makes the whole squad scatter. The ghost mechanics encourage creativity: you can be subtle, patient, or outright theatrical depending on your playstyle. Playing both sides (investigator and ghost) in a single session made me appreciate how the systems feed each other and create memorable player-driven stories.

Sound, Scares and Visuals

SEVERANCE is at its best when the audio and presentation conspire to make you doubt a squeaky floorboard. Environmental audio — distant knocks, muffled breathing, the odd scream — does heavy lifting for tension, and the minimal UI helps maintain immersion. Graphically it’s realistic without trying to be photoreal: interiors feel lived-in and the occasional uncanny shadow is enough to trick your brain. Performance is a mixed bag on my rig: load times and frame drops popped up for some players in community reports, so expect optimization patches. Accessibility is decent but could use clearer tutorials; several players (and I) wished for a short onboarding to avoid the steep learning-on-death curve. All told, the presentation does the spooky job well, even if it still needs polish to match its ambition.

SEVERANCE already delivers memorable horror moments and a genuinely fun asymmetrical twist, especially with friends. It’s clearly an ambitious indie project that needs polish — expect bugs, occasional performance quirks and a steeper learning curve without a tutorial. If you value player-driven scares and cooperative deduction, I’d recommend jumping in on sale or with a group; otherwise wait a few updates for smoother play.