Phasmophobia’s Newest Map Breathes Even More Life into the Game

This past week saw the release of Phasmophobia‘s newest map: Nell’s Diner. I was quite excited for this map to release, and after playing it for a little while, I definitely have some thoughts about it.

Nell’s Diner is a small map that features one floor and fourteen rooms. The diner feels like the right size in terms of navigation and finding everything. In terms of the size and detail, I find it the most reminiscent of Camp Woodwind. Mechanically, there is one detail or gimmick that really stands out: the freezer room. When you turn the power on, the freezer room will get very cold. It’s a good thing I discovered this during my first game, otherwise the freezer likely would’ve tripped up my friends and me whenever we played it because the freezer will easily get as cold as the ghost room, and you can see your breath much like when the weather is snowing. It’s a neat little mechanic that can make runs a bit more complex than normal, but once you know what to expect it’s really not too bad.

Aesthetically, Nell’s Diner is your classic retro diner you see in all sorts of media. It’s nicely detailed and feels like a lived-in (or in this case worked-in) space. The map can definitely be creepy, but it’s not the same as maps like Grafton Farmhouse or Sunny Meadows Sanitarium. Those maps are scary because they’re dilapidated, neglected buildings straight out of a horror movie. Nell’s Diner is creepy in the same way you may feel a little uneasy walking downstairs into the basement at night. It’s an unsettling map, but it isn’t one that really scares you like some of the others.

There is a hidden easter egg on the map that can reward you with a player badge, but I have yet to do the easter egg yet. Regardless, I’m glad they added in another easter egg for players to do. The only other map with an easter egg like this one is Point Hope, and I had a fun time doing that one with friends. I look forward to doing this new one and unlocking its unique cosmetics.

Overall, Nell’s Diner is a fun new map that I’ll be adding to my regular Phasmophobia map rotation whenever I’m playing with friends. It’s not crazy by any means, but it didn’t need to me. It adds a unique and aesthetically rich location that we haven’t seen before, and that’s really all I could ask for. I haven’t played enough to really evaluate the map’s difficulty in comparison to others, but difficulty can also be very subjective and luck-dependent (i.e. one match you get all evidence within thirty seconds of finding the ghost room, then the next you all get killed before you can even verify two pieces, all while playing on the same map for both matches). But from my experience, it doesn’t seem to be the hardest map, and I’m ok with that. The map is also completely free, so that’s awesome. Nell’s Diner is a great addition to Phasmophobia, and I really hope we see more maps added that follow its design philosophy.