Ghostrunner, the newest title developed by One More Level and published by 505 Games and All In! Games, is a cyberpunk themed first person slasher set in a dystopian megastructure known as Dharma Tower. Players control the Ghostrunner, an advanced fighter with a knack for running on walls, dodging projectiles, bending the perception of time, and unmatched blade technique in one of the standout titles of not only 2020, but in recent memory.
The Ghostrunner, formerly a peacekeeper, encounters Architect A.I. after being rebuilt and awoken by Zoe, a survivor of a rebel cell, to learn about his past and the ongoing fight by citizens of Dharma Tower against Mara, the Keymaster. Mara has broken the laws of humanity in order to craft her vision of a perfect world. Directed and informed by the Architect and assisted by Zoe, the Ghostrunner must use his skills to overcome Mara’s forces and bring order back to the remnant before those that still survive are changed forever.
Ghostrunner is fast and full of kinetic action and mind-bending movement. Your protagonist wields a blade and is capable of destroying foes in a single slice. But beware, one strike against our hero and he will die as well. This, alongside the near instant reset of most stages, creates gameplay that is both frantic and balanced simultaneously. Players will die repeatedly, but dying creates opportunity for learning and experimentation through which they’ll discern the most conducive route to wiping out all enemies and clearing a stage.
Enemy types are varied and diverse, attacking or defending in a plethora of ways, creating the need for players to adjust their movements and attacks on a near constant basis. Of course, since the Ghostrunner has been modified through high end tech, players have many abilities to help them in their journey. Sensory Boost, an ability that the Ghostrunner appears to possess inherently, allows for a sudden burst of speed which is represented by the slowing of time. During a Sensory Boost everything and everyone around the character will appear to be slowed to nearly a halt, allowing players to easily dodge bullets and gain advantages over their enemies. This is the most basic of abilities, but also one of the most useful.
Along with the one-hit-kill attacks that mostly complete the combat cycle, players will find that the Ghostrunner also has impeccable movement skills and the ability to not only run along walls, power slide, jump large distances, and Sensory Boost around attacks from their enemies, but also grapple to designated points in the map. The extreme mobility that these skills give the player is unmatched and will make them feel like the embodiment of a super-powered being. Moving between surfaces and structures while fighting enemies is a huge component of the gameplay, and the variety of options to do so is a welcome addition. Add in some special limited time abilities that can be picked up in parts of each stage such as the throwable shuriken or the one time use power jump, and players have nearly everything they need to zoom around the beautiful and fully realized environments without much extra thought.
The abilities don’t end there though. Between many stages the Ghostrunner will be able to complete puzzles to gain new skills such as Blink, a skill resembling teleportation, Tempest, a short range blast able to take out enemies and reflect projectiles, Surge, a long-ranged attack in the form of a wave of energy, and Overlord, which allows players to turn enemies into allies for a period of time.
Simply possessing the aforementioned skills is a huge bonus. However, adjusting these skills through a series of upgrades makes them more powerful. Enter the Ghostrunner Subsystems Calibration Panel, an in-game upgrade system composed of thirty-six square slots. These slots can be filled with Booster Modules, obtained through game progression, in order to unlock more attributes of the Ghostrunner’s abilities. Booster Modules are different sizes and shapes and must be configured in the most efficient way possible to maximize their utility. Players must carefully discern which attributes will be most useful to their play style, sometimes on-the-fly, and choose which pieces can fit into the panel in a puzzle-like manner. The Subsystems Calibration Panel is perhaps one of the most understated and underemphasized features of the game, which is a shame because it is unlike any upgrade system we’ve seen in recent memory.
It’s almost impossible to succinctly talk about all the features that Ghostrunner throws at you throughout your gameplay – and the pacing at which it does so is incredibly balanced. We’ve yet to talk about movement on overhead rails, riding on drones and using them to destroy other enemies, the complex puzzle-like system that shield beacons have in order to protect enemies, or describe the nearly one dozen different types of enemies (not including bosses) that Ghostrunner has to offer. But hey, maybe it’s okay to have a few surprises while you’re playing a new game every now and then.
Ghostrunner has a standout soundtrack, top notch voice acting, and worlds that are not only structured well, but beautifully designed. In a time where nearly every game demands your full attention, Ghostrunner actually deserves it.
Ghostrunner will be available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG Tuesday, Oct. 27. The MSRP is $29.99.
This game was provided to this outlet by the publisher, but this fact had no influence on our opinion.
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