Ghost Town Review – A Boo-tifully Crafted Horror Experience

In the 2012 film Red Lights, Cillian Murphy portrays a paranormal investigator, making it his life’s goal to debunk charlatans trying to scam gullible victims. As the mystery deepens, he finds out that, perhaps, there is more to our realm of the living. That, maybe, there are indeed unknowable forces that control our universe, and a trained eye might be able to perceive or even influence such otherworldly forces. Supernatural thrillers in general are nothing new, with even Agatha Christie toying around with some of Poirot’s cases being initially inexplicable until they were snuffed out by the legendary sleuth. Ghost Town tells such a story, but in this particular instance, the veil between the living and the dead is as thin as it gets.

What is striking about Ghost Town as a whole is how cohesive everything feels. A video game made for virtual reality, the way it unfolds is easy to follow: through a series of scenes in which the innate medium you embody, Edith Penrose, is frantically searching for her brother by any means necessary. In this gritty 1983 setting where the underworld is all but confirmed, this means chasing every possible lead, from warlocks to ghosts to demons. While the premise seems outlandish, what truly stands out is how grounded it all is laid out. Why, yes, of course there are secret societies invested in the paranormal, and they do not seem out of place because of how it is presented.

Edith herself is quite a no-nonsense character. She is haunted by her metaphysical abilities, witnesses ghostly activities “normal” people do not, and is able to perform exorcisms. But the way she goes about them instills a sense of presence for both her and you as the player. At this point, you would not be mistaken to start thinking, “Wait a minute, is this a horror game? In VR?” and my answer is a resounding no. It is eerie, but it walks a masterful line between thriller and horror, never veering too hard to either side. This means no jumpscares, which, for people like me who enjoy a gripping narrative without having to suffer through those, is refreshing.

Ghost Town is made by the extremely talented developers at Fireproof Games, best known for their work on The Room series. For those unaware, they cut their teeth creating mechanical puzzles in dark environments that appeal to a certain kind of thrillseeker. Not enough to be considered full-blown horror, but enough to keep you on edge at all times. It is not surprising, then, that this newest foray into VR works oh so well. Every puzzle on Ghost Town has just the right amount of complexity. Glyphs, math, and elaborate mechanisms all require at some point to take a step back and see how they work. Taking advantage of its virtual reality medium to the fullest, some changes in perspective and the fact that you “touch” everything with your hands honestly make it one of the best examples of the genre.

Another element that works in its favor is its genuine set design. In any video game it is important for the atmosphere to look lived-in, especially in what is a supernatural world. This is doubly true for VR, where from Edith’s apartment full of flyers and posters of the time lying on her foyer’s corkboard to a small museum filled with paranormal objects, it feels real. The spatial audio when a ghost is knocking through several directions or disembodied whispers achieve an uncanny emotion. And I do not mean this in the scary sense of a what if? Scenario, but of the exceptional worldbuilding that makes necromancy, apparitions, and occult rituals fully believable.

Verdict

Earlier this month I wrote in my top VR games of 2025 list that Ghost Town is “so deftly presented that it is one of those games flatscreen players feel jealous about.” I stand by those words. In my social media interactions, I have seen people reach out and wonder if they would ever convert this unique thriller into a flat version for more people to play, and the truth is that the immersion is part of the experience. You take it away, and you rip away part of its soul. So I am not endorsing going out and running for a headset in order to play this mystery triumph. No. But I am saying to consider it.

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