Introduction

Ghostrunner is a first-person platformer type game, where you are a cyber ninja parkouring through a futuristic Tokyo killing all enemies in your way. Ghostrunner is the type of game where you enjoy the core mechanics but you end up being angry at the game because of how challenging it can be. But with that it becomes an incredibly satisfying game, making every small accomplishment feel amazing. 

This game quite simply is a sweat. I get a similar feeling playing games like Doom. Both are incredibly designed games that are challenging and in my opinion, are made to be completed. The completion of these games is the main attraction. They aren't games to be savoured. They are games to be mastered and completed. Which makes them incredibly satisfying to complete because you feel like you’ve achieved something special. 

 

Story - 6/10

A mostly forgettable story that has almost no importance to the game at all. Somewhat interesting if you pay attention but to be honest I checked out almost immediately. The only thing it had going for it was that they came up with a cool world of cyberpunk ninjas. 

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Gameplay - 9/10

The bread and butter of the game. Amazing core mechanics and level design make this a near perfect game, gameplay wise. The game forces you to perfect each level before moving on because that’s the only way to beat the game. You will likely play each sector in each level multiple times, and will only complete the level when you fully understand it. The smallest mistake costs you the run. One shot deaths means you need to really know what you’re doing each time. Ghostrunner has a sort of roguelike feel to it, as each level is so challenging that the one shot sending you back to the beginning of the mission feels like a mountain to climb every time. You will not get lucky often in this game. 

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Graphics - 8/10

The game looks strong graphically. Nothing amazing. Nothing to complain about. Because they came up with an interesting idea for the world they were able to really lean into that with the design. It’s mostly skyscrapers and neon signs but it all looks really cool, especially when sprinting through at ninja speed.

 

Performance - 9/10

No issues. No crashes. Can only save after completion of each level which at times took too long. Some things happened out of the FOV even when you thought you were safe. 

 

Fun Factor - 7/10

A fun but stressful game ultimately. From beginning to end Ghostrunner is a total sweat. I couldn’t wait to complete it and never touch it again. This may sound harsh but for me, the fun in the game was being able to beat it, and beating it once was more than enough for me.

 

Overall Score - 8/10

 

Conclusion

To put it simply I enjoyed beating the game. I respect the core mechanics, the level design and the imagination that was put into this game. But I couldn’t help myself from just being excited to beat it and never play it again. Don't let that take anything away from the game itself. That in itself is a great game genre, and Ghostrunner is one of the best of its kind. It just made me realise that this genre probably isn’t for me. But once I beat it, it felt like a real achievement. To be honest, as sad as it may sound, I felt kinda smart being able to beat it.