Ghostrunner (PS5) – Review

Last year, Ghostrunner released on all platforms except for the next-gen consoles. With great reviews coming from all directions, including our own, we could only wait for the next-gen version of this game, with improved image quality, ray-tracing, and more. Sure, in gameplay, the game wouldn’t have changed a lot, but for those who were waiting for this version, the time has finally come to enjoy the game on their next-gen consoles.

Story

Ghostrunner is set in a post-apocalyptic future where the world has pretty much ended already. Only a handful of humans are alive after an unspecified global calamity known as the Burst, and they have taken refuge in the Dharma Tower. The tyrannical Keymaster, or Mara as she is referred to by the Architect, pulls the strings from the top of this tower. You are a Ghostrunner, an agile cyber-warrior capable of fighting in both the physical world and in cyberspace. After freeing the Architect, whose mind has been imprisoned in Cyberspace for over twenty years, you make your way up to the peak of the Dharma Tower to defeat the Keymaster. As you progress through the action-filled sequences, the story progresses mostly through conversations with the Architect and an ally, who talk to you via wireless communications.

Graphics

We already mentioned in our review of the PlayStation 4 version that this game looks stunning, but on the PS5 the graphics are even more mind-blowing than before. The post-apocalyptic cyberpunk theme is seen in every single detail and this perfectly fits the game. Dharma Tower also feels like the perfect setting, where you constantly need to get higher to reach the peak. A lot of bright colors have been used to create a perfect contrast between the dark and light areas. The game design is so great that you can instantly spot several ways to reach your destination instead of one single path, making you choose which path you want to try. When killing the last enemy of a group, time slows down for a moment so you can perfectly see how you mutilated this last opponent, which gives you a tremendous sense of joy.

Sound

Throughout the whole game, you’ll be accompanied by a cyberpunk synth-wave soundtrack that never really gets boring and fits the game perfectly. The game is fully voiced, and they’ve done quite a good job with it. The game does suffer from a glitch where in a few levels, the sound will get bugged after dying frequently, causing all sounds to be muted, music getting bugged, and a controller that will start to vibrate harder and harder non-stop. Luckily, we only noticed this problem in two levels early on, and after we got past those, we didn’t experience this bug anymore.

Gameplay

Ghostrunner is a ridiculously fast-paced FPP slasher that perfectly combines fast combat with platforming and puzzling. As the Ghostrunner, you need to reach the top of the Dharma Tower by dashing, sliding, wall running, grappling, and slashing your opponents. Parkour is the way to go in this game and the Ghostrunner has the perfect skills to do it.

For those who love speed running in games, this one could be the Holy Grail. You need to keep moving in this game, constantly going faster and faster to get past all the obstacles, while trying to survive against all the deadly enemies that are in your way. For both you and your enemies, one hit is enough to die. Only equipped with a razor-sharp blade, you’ll need to move fast and kill your enemies before they hit you with their ranged weapons. If you hesitate for a moment, you’ve already died. When trying to be as fast as you can, you’ll also make a lot of mistakes, leading to a lot of deaths, but you can respawn instantly to make up for your mistakes.

At the end of each level, you’ll get a nice screen that shows you how many times you’ve died in that level. For those who seek an even bigger challenge, you can hunt for all the collectibles hidden in each level and with the level select option, you can always try to beat a level with a faster time or with fewer deaths. We definitely noticed that we sucked at the game when we started out, but as we kept on playing more, we got the hang of the controls and got better at it. The better you get at this game, the more satisfying and addictive it gets.

As a Ghostrunner, you are very agile and with your sword, you can kill your enemies quickly while sprinting through each level. New enemies will be introduced constantly and it will get harder and harder to kill them all. To make this somewhat easier, you possess lightning-fast abilities to make it a bit easier to beat all those new enemies. At first, you’ll obtain Blink, an ability that slows time and lets you select an enemy to swiftly slice a path to, killing all enemies in the way. Next, you’ll obtain Tempest, which allows you to emit a blast that kills enemies and deflects all projectiles coming at you when timed correctly. You’ll then obtain Surge, a ranged slice attack that will kill all enemies it touches. Lastly, you’ll get Overlord, which lets you take control of enemies to make them attack their own allies. After usage, these abilities will need to be replenished by killing enemies, so we suggest using them wisely.

There are a lot of upgrades that will unlock as you get further into the game. These upgrades come in the form of tetromino-shaped blocks that you slot in a field of blocks, which gets expanded as you progress through the game. These upgrades vary from ability improvements and longer-lasting temporary boosts that are found on the ground, to perks that will allow you to see enemies through walls, etc.

Conclusion

Ghostrunner is definitely the dream of every speedrunner around. With an awesome cyberpunk setting, extremely fast-paced gameplay, and instant deaths, this game definitely delivers on its promises. The various enemies will give you a hard time and the abilities you unlock fit the game like a glove. The fast pace of the game definitely makes it a title that is not suitable for everyone, but it’s also the game’s biggest strength. If you can withstand the huge amount of deaths and the frustration of starting a sequence over and over again, then this surely is a must-buy.

Nickskuh

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Administration is my job but gaming is my passion!

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