PLATFORM: PC, PS4, XBOX ONE (REVIEWED) | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
After a disastrous event wipes out the majority of the world’s population, the surviving humans settle in Dharma Tower, a gigantic skyscraper ruled by a brutal and unforgiving leader known as the Keymaster. Thrown from the top of the building at the start of the game, you are a Ghostrunner, a cybernetic soldier tasked by Dharma Tower’s former leader, the Architect, to climb back to the top and assassinate the Keymaster… There’s a chance that this might be as much of the story as you’ll get to hear, as the rest of the plot is told through voiceovers that play while you’re working your way around the building. But Ghostrunner is one of the most relentlessly difficult games of the year and navigating its many obstacles and enemies demands total concentration, making it difficult to pay attention to most of the Architect’s messages…
Taking the first-person parkour platforming of Mirror’s Edge and combining it with the trial and error gameplay of Hotline Miami proves to be both fantastic and frustrating in equal measure. Very much a game for hardcore players, Ghostrunner‘s opening moments provide only the briefest of tutorials before throwing you right into the action. It might have one of the steepest learning curves imaginable, but the rewards for mastering the game’s mechanics are immense – each area is littered with handily-placed structures to run, jump and swing around, as well as a variety of enemies that won’t think twice about taking you down with a single hit. You’ll die a lot, but instant restarts mean you’ll be back into it before you can blink, putting what you’ve just learned about the level’s layout into practise as you eventually master the hazards, hurtle through the scenery and wipe out all of the enemies on each floor in an adrenaline-pumping blur of acrobatic movement and katana-slashing fury.
Adding increasingly tricky enemies, new mechanics and a host of upgrades almost right up to the end of the game, Ghostrunner does an excellent job of keeping players engaged. Dharma Tower is as eye-catching as the gameplay is addictive, and the electro / synthwave soundtrack – which fades out during platforming sections then kicks back in when the enemies arrive – really enhances the chaos and tension. There’s no getting away from the fact that it’s a brutally difficult game, but those who accept Ghostrunner‘s challenge are sure to have their efforts rewarded.
