One of the most underrated co-op horror games – Forewarned – has officially launched on Steam from early access with its highly-anticipated 1.0 release. Developers have described the new update for the co-op ‘ghost-hunting’ game as the game’s “largest and most ambitious update yet”, and the update’s patch notes definitely back that statement up.
In Forewarned, players are tasked with exploring haunted Egyptian tombs to collect ancient treasure. You can find treasure hidden around inside the tomb, but the creme de la creme of booty that you’re after – the Sacred Relic – is locked inside the inner chamber.
To get inside, players have to discern what type of spirit – known as a Mejai – is haunting the tomb. The Mejai will leave unique evidence around the tomb that hints at their identity, such as slamming shut sarcophagi or disrupting your electronic equipment.
Once within the inner tomb, the players can find the Sacred Relic and escape the tomb, right? Well, as tends to happen to grave robbers in movies and games, the escaping part isn’t too easy. The Mejai physically manifests and chases you whilst you try to find the way out. Of course, the Mejai can jumpscare and attack you before this point, but once you take the treasure, the danger levels truly ramp up.
More ambitious players can even attempt an exorcism of the Mejai to reap better rewards – but they should be prepared for the extra challenge.
So far, I’ve played a few rounds of Forewarned and I’ve got to say, it is really fun. There’s lots of different unique equipment that you can use to figure out the type of Mejai, and the jumpscares and ambiance are pretty terrifying.
Playing with friends is an even more fun experience, especially as dead players can turn into spirits, and choose whether to help you or work with the Mejai. So hopefully you didn’t piss them off too much before their death…
Forewarned initially launched into Steam Early Access in 2021, and immediately drew comparisons to the behemoth (and originator) of the ghost-hunting genre, Phasmophobia. Even some of the biggest horror YouTubers refer to Forewarned as “Egyptian Phasmophobia”.
Aside from the surface-level similarities, I feel that Forewarned is certainly unique enough in its gameplay loop, setting, and procedurally generated maps to escape the Phasmophobia-clone allegations.
For those who might have dipped their toes into the game during early access, a lot has changed with this newest update. There’s a new Mejai known as Ptahmes the Resilient, two new map types, a new tool called the hierodox which lets you transcribe cryptic hieroglyphics, and much, much more. Check out the full patch notes to catch up on what’s new.
I’ve been having a blast playing the new 1.0 update of Forewarned, and it seems like everyone else is too – Forewarned is sitting at 91% positive reviews on Steam at the time of writing. If you’re looking for some Ancient Egyptian ghost-hunting fun, I’d highly recommend that players pick the game up during its launch sale (it’s 40% off)!