Brutalist architecture and lines of neon light receding in every direction? Check. Post-apocalyptic fragments of humanity just barely hanging on to existence? Check. It’s fairly typical cyberpunk fare, but really the narrative is not where Ghostrunner places its emphasis.Īs Christian Haines noted in his Impressions piece on Ghostrunner, the game checks all the necessary cyberpunk boxes with its narrative, style, and gameplay. Story is filled in through the conversations with Zoe and The Architect/Adam (they are never seen, but only heard). Guiding you along the way is an AI called “The Architect” (once a human named Adam who ruled alongside Mara), and a human named Zoe, one of the last of the Climbers, and maybe the last after the rebel group was wiped out by Mara’s forces. As you progress farther and farther up Dharma Tower, the last vestige of humanity after an unexplained global calamity called “The Burst,” you’re faced with an evolving cast of enemies working for Mara, also known as the Key Master, the Tower’s tyrannical leader. The trials and tribulations of being a cyberninja play out against a visually impressive urban wasteland of the future, with a narrative fitting for the environs. The difficulty is high, for sure, but the game is mostly well-balanced in this regard, and it doles out pain and pleasure in a fair manner. Frustration is definitely a part of the experience, don’t get me wrong! (More on that below.) But at its best, Ghostrunner creates a fun and deeply rewarding first-person platforming experience. And they both work beautifully because the rapid rhythms of play leave no time for frustration born of delay. But both offer similarly pleasing cycles of repetition-try, die, learn, try again. The two games have basically nothing in common with respect to mood, aesthetics, or design. The comparison that kept coming to mind as I played Ghostrunner was Super Meat Boy. Mercifully, the checkpoints are frequent and the load-times nearly imperceptible. Once you reach the more difficult levels, you may die hundreds of time in the course of completing them.
It tells a story of a world that has already ended and its inhabitants who fight to survive.Yes, you are going to die a lot. Ghostrunner offers a unique single-player experience of fast-paced, violent combat, and an original setting that blends science fiction with post-apocalyptic themes. One hit one kill mechanics make the combat fast and intense use your superior mobility (and frequent checkpoints!) toįearlessly engage in a never-ending dance with death. With a monomolecular katana, dodge bullets thanks to superhuman reflexes and employ a variety of specialized techniques to
The final attempt to set things right before mankind goes over the edge of extinction.Īs the most advanced blade fighter ever created, you re always outnumbered but never outclassed. Mara the Keymaster rules with an iron fist and little regard for human life.Īs resources grow thin, the strong prey on the weak and chaos threatens to consume what little order remains.
The streets of the tower city are full of violence. Make your way up from the very bottom to the top, confront the tyrannical Keymaster, and take your revenge. Climb Dharma Tower, humanity s last shelter after a world-ending cataclysm.
Ghostrunner is a hardcore FPP slasher packed with lightning-fast action, set in a grim, cyberpunk setting of a futuristic megastructure.