After playing the demo released in May 2020, I was drawn to the cyberpunk world and fast-paced parkour experience offered by Ghostrunner, so I added it to my wishlist. The game was released on October 27, 2020. After its release, I played and completed Ghostrunner within a few days. Does it provide enough gameplay variety in its fast-paced parkour experience? Can the game’s story captivate players? Without wasting any time, let’s move on to our review of Ghostrunner to find the answers to these questions.
Story
The game takes place in the city of Dharma. A person named Architect designed, developed, and built the city, and their friend Mara, also known as the Keymaster, eventually rebels against them and tries to take control. The Ghostrunners, responsible for maintaining law and order in the city, attempt to thwart Mara’s uprising. However, 99 Ghostrunners lose their lives in the process, and only the Ghostrunner identified as number 74 miraculously survives.
After coming back to life as ghostrunner number 74, on this journey to kill Mara, we try to remember what happened in the past, get to know ourselves and regain our lost abilities, but it’s not as simple as it seems. We have to face Mara’s henchmen, known as the Keys, and overcome challenging parkour obstacles that come our way.
This was all I was going to say without giving spoilers about the story of the game, but I can say that the Ghostrunner has a very simple story. We also see cinematic scenes in scenes that can be called very important. Apart from that, 99% of the game proceeds with text-based narration.
Graphics
Ghostrunner, developed using the Unreal Engine 4 game engine, may not be a high-budget AAA game, but it boasts impressive graphics that rival AAA titles. It also supports Nvidia’s RTX technology. If you have a system capable of running the game smoothly, you can expect a visually satisfying experience.
Since I played the game on the PC platform, I cannot come to a definitive conclusion about how the game looks on the Xbox One and PS4 platforms. However, based on tests and reviews, there were reported optimization issues, especially on the PS4 platform. However, it is noted that the developer team listened to the complaints and released several updates to improve the game.
Gameplay
The gameplay is where Ghostrunner shines the most. With its fast-paced parkour mechanics and solid gameplay mechanics, it promises an enjoyable experience for players. However, I must say that it’s not as easy as it may seem. You need to act swiftly and utilize your abilities effectively. I can guarantee that you’ll face moments where you’ll die repeatedly and perhaps even experience moments of frustration. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing, as the game’s levels are designed to have a certain level of difficulty and provide a sense of satisfaction for the player.
In the game, as I mentioned before, we acquire new abilities as we progress through the story. If you’re wondering how we obtain these abilities, the answer is quite simple. We discover and learn new abilities by engaging in combat with our enemies in a virtual area called Cybervoid. You can think of Cybervoid as a place where new abilities are learned and tested. It serves as a space where we explore different ways to fight and unlock new skills.
Besides acquiring abilities through Cybervoid, there is also a section in the game where we can upgrade and improve our existing abilities. This particular section might be appealing to you, as it gives you a sense of playing Tetris. By strategically placing upgrades in available spaces, you can enhance your abilities further. It adds an interesting layer to the gameplay experience, allowing you to customize and fine-tune your character’s skills.
Indeed, Ghostrunner offers several gameplay mechanics that add variety and depth to the gameplay experience. Wall-running, grappling, time manipulation, quick dashes, and deflecting incoming projectiles are just a few examples of these mechanics. These elements enhance the overall gameplay and provide players with different ways to approach challenges and combat situations. They add a layer of creativity and strategy to the game, allowing players to experiment with different tactics and find their preferred playstyle.
Sound and Music
Ghostrunner has done a very good job with sound. Whether it is environmental sounds or the sounds of guns and swords, it offers a very satisfying experience. I can say the same thing about the soundtrack of the game, but although the game’s soundtrack has managed to reflect the cyberpunk theme, it fails in terms of retention.
Final Word
If I were to summarize my Ghostrunner review article with the few final sentences, I would say that the game falls short in terms of its story, but offers good graphics and a challenging parkour experience in terms of gameplay. However, the fact that your character dies from a single hit and the game’s demanding parkour elements may not appeal to every player. Additionally, the gameplay duration can vary between 5-8 hours depending on your playstyle. Personally, I completed the game in 6.5 hours, dying multiple times in some areas. Therefore, it’s important to consider the gameplay duration and price offered by the game.