Developer: Quest Craft
Publisher: Gaming Factory, Quest Craft
Platform: PC
Tested on: PC
Ghost Keeper – Preview
If you were already actively playing PC games back in 2003, chances are you might have heard of Ghost Master, a classic title in which you had to haunt unsuspecting humans in a variety of different buildings. The game charmed many players with its Sims-like visuals and cool ghost and monster designs. While the game never received a proper sequel, a reimagined and updated version has actually recently been released for PC and all major consoles. Today, however, we’ll be taking a closer look at the Early Access version of Ghost Keeper, which is somewhat of a spiritual successor to the 2003 classic. The game is not made by the same developer as Ghost Master, but it offers a somewhat similar experience.
The offset of Ghost Keeper is quite simple. You’ll command different ghosts and demons in different 19th-century locations, where you’ll have to scare off (or scare to death) humans, having them vacate the property. You’ll have regular civilians, but also Brotherhood members who are better equipped at dealing with ghouls and goblins. You can give orders to your different ghastly minions, and it’s often a matter of timing your actions right, retreating on time, and combining the skills of different ghosts. It did take us a while to get used to some of the game’s mechanics, and the controls can be a bit clunky at times too. Even so, most of the game is intuitive, but longer play sessions did get a bit repetitive over time. It was fun to discover what each of the ghosts does, however, and there is some variety in terms of skills. It was also rather satisfying to see how a good plan comes together. The controls are mainly done via mouse, but there are keyboard shortcuts too. We found ourselves mainly working with the keyboard for navigation and the mouse to issue commands or place our ghosts when summoning them.
As you progress through the game, you’ll unlock more minions, all having their own unique skills. It’s interesting to find combos that work best, and it’s fun to try out new things. Humans don’t always react like you would want them to, so it’s sometimes a bit tricky to find what works. The 19th-century Victorian backdrop gives the game a lot of charm, and there is quite a bit of variety when it comes to ghost designs, human character models, and locations. The environments have been designed with care, while at the same time, the game isn’t overly taxing for your gaming setup. We always found ourselves just checking out the different environments first, not just to plan out our next moves, but simply to view all the little details. The game had somewhat Sims-like visuals, just like Ghost Master did back in 2003, albeit more polished and detailed. The sound design is also great, with decent sound effects, fun voice acting, and a soundtrack that manages to entertain. It’s a well-designed whole.
At the time of writing this preview, Ghost Keeper already feels quite polished. The controls may feel a bit clunky, and there are perhaps a few gameplay design choices that aren’t the best here and there, but the game itself was already highly entertaining. We loved messing around with the different ghosts, and there was already a decent variety in the game when it came to possibilities of how to tackle levels. For its current asking price, and with the bundles the publisher tends to offer, the game will set you back roughly ten bucks, which isn’t too bad for the content you’re getting.
Conclusion
Ghost Keeper is already a very promising experience that just needs to iron out the kinks before its full release. As it currently stands, you’ll be treated to a fun and somewhat strategic haunting simulator that offers fun visuals, decent sound design, and an enjoyable gameplay loop. If you do play for longer periods of time, you’ll notice that it can get a bit repetitive, but given the concept of the game, that’s fairly normal. It does take some time to get to grips with the controls and to figure out some of the finer mechanics, but as a whole, you can’t really go wrong with this one, especially if you’re a fan of Ghost Master.
No Comments