Ghostrunner - POV Ruiner (Game Review)

over 3 years ago

Publisher: 505 Games
Developer: 3D Realms, Slipgate Ironworks, One More Level
Platform: PC, PS4, XB1, Switch
Genre: FPS Platformer

Just before Cyberpunk 2077 could show up, this game came under the radar recently thanks to its glitchy and neo-noir visual aesthetics. Playing as this guardian ninja cyborg on a quest to save denizens of people by killing the mad evil queen gone awry.

This was made by 3 European developers, one standout being Polish. So there's a lot of of visual flare. Playing this, I could tell this took numerous inspirations from multiple games such as Dishonored and Superhot while being a more mutilating counterpart of Mirror's Edge where the combat is actually pretty fun. Movements are fast and swift, requiring practice for precision meanwhile you use some dank abilities to outmaneuver your cybernetically enhanced foes. Cut your foes down in half or their limbs to neutralize and outclass them in each levels like a true cyberninja that you are.

While it has charm and pizzazz, problem is once you've tapped past the initial phase, the games issues start rearing their ugly heads. Inconsistencies when it comes to levels and some sections of the combat don't always work due to numeral inconsistencies.

< Campaign >

Set in Dharma Tower, you play as one of the last surviving Ghostrunner with an A.I known as the architect inside your head, based on your former master. Your job is to liberate him, and find and stop Mara, the keymaster who brutally betrayed your master. Leading to his terrible demise of being an A.I based on his subconsciousness and putting up with MCs antics. Humor aside, the game has a very serious tone about overcoming tyrants and saving people and stuff.

The story is just texture for the rest of the game, it doesn't have much of a riveting tale to give a lot of forward momentum because it's all just there to give you objectives and levels to clear. That's about it. Even with so much dialogue and exhibition, it only works for the game's purpose of you dashing and running over walls. It is acceptable but nothing much to glee about.

Though there are lot of neat ideas overflowing when it comes to aesthetics and themes, it's a pretty powerful setting to let loose a cyberninja wrecking havoc among thugs and other evildoers. Large citadels, cranes hanging walls, high rise lifts and such. Looking at it can be pretty overwhelming. And it does add to the feeling that you are fighting for the bigger picture and that to me is a great way to create a feel in narrative based games. Good job on this one.

Here's the whole schtick, you run over walls, you jump over, you hook yourself over to ledges and dash to get to areas further from you. Next thing you know, you're wall running Shadow Warrior without the sardonic and dry humor. Killing foes left and right while they stand in your way. No remorse since all they've done is heinous things to the denizens. You dash past enemies using this bullet time maneuever which allows you to deflect projectiles fires as well as using the time to pick where you land.

This game is purely trial & error based, meaning you'll die, a lot. Thanks to the checkpoint system, in each segment you get to try and kill enemies again and again till you've cleared it before the checkpoint kicks in. There are various enemies to fight, as you progress through the game, you fight normal thugs who shoot to one with shields, landing jump attacks to explosive drones scurrying towards you. Yeah enemy creep factor gets more intense as the game goes along.

Playing through the game, you unlock newer abilities by entering the cybervoids. These digital worldly recreations are puzzle sections for navigating through intricate and complex levels. You go through bizarre level of platforming thankfully with less foes to encounter in order to solve them. They require bit of thinking before actually going through but it's pretty intricate that you feel dazzled by its glitchy chasm.

Playing further, you unlock abilities like blink, which will let you kill 3 enemies in sight simultanously long as they're in sight and close to being parallel. Others like Tempest lets you force push enemies out of the way. Further you get into the game, more interesting abilities you unlock with upto 4 of them to pick for advancing towards the campaign.

You can slot in bonuses, extra slots or weapon abilities by slotting in your upgrades. Most of it placed like tetris so you'll have to use the allocated space available which becomes available progressing through the campaign. Some of them allows you to deflect projectiles back at enemies while you can also get extra dashes.

While all of this sounds nice and dandy, here's the thing. This game requires precision and you to instinctually follow up to its path as it wants you to. Sadly looking at the levels and playing this game, I felt as if there was some verticality to be found but that's not always present. Not only that, but your attacks and abilities don't register always and lot of input messes occurs like falling off wall running when you shouldn't. Plus the brutally punishing nature of its difficulty is already stress inducing enough, it can be anxiety feeling when you have to deal with all of this problems. Especially with how enemy A.I attacks are unpredictable.

Last not for least, is the ridiculous level save system where if you quit the game midway through the level even with checkpoint, you have to start it all over again. This puts me at odds with the whole game even though it'll take 6-7hrs to fully complete. There are some collectibles to find but they don't serve much interest other than concept art and story purposes. Ghostrunner is a really fun game which fun factor is stuck with its tendency to turn me into glutton for punishment.

< Presentation >

This is a stellar looking game, not only because it's a UE4 game, but there's so much going from huge city details, gusling light, neon colors, global illumination with features like FidelityFX and hardware Ray-Tracing. This game is a tour de force for visual presentation and it was running on highest settings on a 570. That's ridiculous.

Sound and music takes themselves much further. The sound design is succinct, clear yet varied in everything with metal and machines. The music is something to behold, all your favorite YouTube techno, electronic and glitch music all in one in this game. The voice acting is fine though, not that it needed to be more noteworthy.

< Verdict >

Am sure the game's best way towards popularity is obviously the benchmarks for being eye-candy. Funny enough, this game is easy-going on PC hardware. Despite that, it's a fun game albeit with quite a few flaws. Even with its cost, it's a short package.

Don't think even Devolver wanted to touch this, maybe because 3 developers and this game didn't hit that mark, it seems obviously ridiculous. Had this game had those issues fixed, would have been easy recommend. There's a reason why Dark Soul games are often compared to things like this, it was a staple for tough but fair games.