Cyberpunk themed games are all the rage now. With the upcoming release of Cyberpunk 2077, now is a great time to play other titles that delve into the subgenre that has become immensely popular. Games such as Ruiner and Blade Runner are worth checking out, but there’s one game which has our attention. Ghostrunner hits the gaming scene within a couple of weeks and we have our thoughts and impressions from the Demo that is live on Steam right now
What is Ghostrunner?
Ghostrunner is a First-Person Cyberpunk themed slack that infuses parkour gameplay with intense and brutal melee combat. The goal is to climb a mighty megastructure known as the Dharma Tower, humanity’s last shelter, and carry out your revenge against the “Keymaster”.
Players will take on the role of the Ghostrunner, a masked warrior who has incredible skills allowing them to run along walls, make epic jumps and slice and dice anyone in their path to little chunks. But there is of course one little catch.
See the world of Ghostrunner is a ruthless one, with even one hit taking down the mightiest warriors who dare face against the system. And we do mean that quite literally.
So what makes Ghostrunner such a brutal game, giving it the honour of being called “Hardcore” by its developers and early players is the one hit kill feature. Yeah, you heard me right the first time. Get hit once and that’s it, game over! Players will have to make sure that every move and swing of the blade counts otherwise it’s going to be a short adventure.
One hit wonder
The concept of “One hit and your dead” in a video game sounds completely mad or absolutely genius. It all depends on the skill of the developer and the balancing of various elements. Thankfully One More Level have done a great job at making sure the pacing
As the Ghostrunner you will have a few skills and bits of equipment to help you out. The liberal traversal system will allow you to run along walls, make gravity defining jumps, slide your way through tight spots and even dash your way across massive gaps or out of the line of fire. There is plenty given to you from the get-go, including a leash that allows you to grab hard to reach places.
These skills will come in handy as the Dharma Tower is a complex and unforgiving beast to climb. Plus, there are plenty of foes who want you dead.
Absolute Cyberpunk!
Now Cyberpunk games are ramming the scene at full force, but we’ve seen plenty of Cyberpunk stuff before since the 1930s. So, you would think there would have to be something new to make this standout.
Ghostrunner manages to do a pretty great job at creating a vastly beautiful yet degraded world, that feels like it mashed up of millions of recycled components and it’s hanging on by a thread. It has that hand-made feel were various structures have been wielded together and massive components seems to defy the laws of physics. While the world does feel as though it’s decaying, there are beautiful neon lights, brightly coloured industrial areas and rain soaked city streets hundreds, even thousands of feet above ground the distract you.
Plus, there is a the Cyberspace, a virtual world where the environment becomes even more outlandish and lavish as the Ghostrunner will have to traverse it in order to proceed forward or obtain news gear/skills.
The world is compelling and eye melting at times, with Ray Tracing support being boosted for launch, which makes it even better!
Demo impressions
Ghostrunner is a slick and brutal game, that relies on lighting fast combat, quick thinking, and reflexes quicker than a bullet. But it’s forgiving, with plenty of checkpoints and multiple paths through many of the arenas in the demo.
There is usually never one right answer, but multiple possibilities for success. It is about trial and error, which is something that might turn away a few gamers, but those who want an enthralling challenge will surely find here.
As mention, quick thinking and reflexes are the main driving forces behind the gameplay, but Ghostrunner is about patience and experimentation. There are usually different ways to approach an enemy and once you get into the flow, Ghostrunner shines at making you feel like a total badass.
The world is a lot of fun to explore and move around, both Dharma Tower and the Cyberspace. Although Cyberspace has a few visual glares that can make some platforming a little tricky. And in Dharma Tower, I wish there would be more platforming with higher risks, such as movable platforms or even a mad chase. The demo was short and gave quite an insight to the gameplay, but I feel there is bound to be so much more.
While the demo only gave us basic enemy types, grunts within single fire weapons, there are plenty more interesting enemies offer later in the game. All revolving around the concept of “learn about your enemy and react as quickly as possible”. As I said, once you get into the flow of an arena and learn to dodge, jump and slice as quickly as possible, it becomes second nature and gives you such as rush once victorious.
Overall?Ghostrunner’s hardcore approach to melee combat is vastly interesting, making it feel like a brutal and intense game of chess. The traversal elements are fun and work well with the manic and lateral style of combat, making you feel powerful and equipped despite having one shot of success. The world is beautiful, the story interesting and the sense of empowerment enthralling yet the sense of challenge making it more compelling in the long run. Is it a game for everyone? No. But those who want something new, brutal, smart and overall Hardcore, will certain love this!
