Ghostflippers

Developer: The Dev Leo

Publisher: Hunin Games

Platforms: PC

Review Key Provided: Yes

Release Date: Out Now

The TV schedules are full of them. You know, those programmes where somebody buys a dilapidated old house for £4.50, spends months doing it up (a quick segue in television terms) before selling it on for half a mil, grinning like a mad bastard in the final few minutes of the show.

Or something like that.

I thought these people were so cool. It looked like easy money, if you knew what you were doing, of course, and that’s the theme of Ghostflippers, a new multiplayer co-op horror. You’re part of a crew dedicated to purchasing rundown buildings, doing them up and pocketing the rocketed price. Only there’s a problem. These aren’t ordinary houses. These are haunted houses, each occupied by a vengeful demon that’s not exactly overjoyed at your presence.

Once you purchase the property via the computer in your office, it’s off to the local warehouse. This is haunted, too, and you can either lawfully purchase everything you need from the vending machine in the foyer (safe, but costly), or venture into the warehouse itself and swipe whatever you need. The latter comes with a risk of being chased by more spirits, but whatever method you use to procure the goods, it’s then off to the house to install and repair.

You do this through a series of simple mini-games—match the numbered cables to get the leccy going, wipe the floor by swiping the mouse, and so on—while hauling furniture and appliances from your van to the house. All the while, weird stuff happens, the rooms shift, objects take on a life of their own and, in one particularly unnerving sequence, the doer-upper finds themself in another dimension.

It’s a decent basis for a game, and Ghostflippers, as its flippant title suggests, mixes in a dash of humour for good effect. As a result, the vibe is somewhat uneven, an unexpected jump scare followed by a goofy toilet-related joke. The game also leans heavily on 2+ players, making solo play a chore, which seems like an unnecessary way to limit your market reach. If you’ve got some mates, however, it’s a fun, if uncomplicated, experience—just don’t expect any real chills.

CONCLUSION

A daft co-op game that’s heavy on toilet humour and random jump scares, but light on actual horror.