
The developers are true to their name, because I kept playing “One More Level” every time. It can be brutally difficult at times, but overall I found that with enough practice I could become that ninja at the end of every encounter. However, once you get this route down, it’s the most satisfying feeling I’ve encountered in a video game for a long time. Jack can only take one hit before having to restart, so careful planning of your route and replaying levels is par for the course.

You can jump from wall to wall, drop down on enemies to slice them open, dash away from an opposing shot, or slow down time by dashing in mid-air and taking out the final opponent in an instant. It also makes you feel unstoppable in the process. What makes the gameplay of Ghostrunner so addicting is that every type of traversal, attack, and enhancement can be strung together to take out groups of enemies. Stages can be divided into three different segments: platforming challenges where you make your way through the tower the aforementioned puzzle rooms in the Cybervoid and finally the combat challenges where you have to defeat a group of enemies before being able to proceed. It’s really neat, and there are a ton of upgrades to experiment with. You can rotate and replace pieces at any time for your own optimized experience. This setup is similar to the Keyblade management system in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 days, where you have blocks of a certain size that can be used to fill up a grid.
Ghostrunner switch upgrade#
Interestingly there is also an upgrade system that enhances the capabilities of the Ghostrunner, and this can be swapped at any time. You also unlock a grappling hook, which enables you to quickly tether to walls and objects. One of them is the blink ability, which slows down time and allows the Ghostrunner to slice through a line of enemies. In these puzzle rooms, the goal is to use your abilities to reactivate old parts of your body and unlock new attacks and moves. The Ghostrunner can regain his old abilities by accessing the Cybervoid. Opposing shots can also be deflected by swinging your sword at the right time. You run across walls, jump over gaps, slide underneath obstacles, and can even dash mid-air to slow down time and dodge incoming attacks. The gameplay can best be described as Mirror’s Edge on steroids with a combat system that almost reminded me of Superhot. These ideas are communicated through Ghostrunner’s gameplay. While I do think that the story isn’t spectacular or mind blowing, it feels good that at least one cyberpunk game this year emphasizes what the genre was originally intended to critique. Many “cyberpunk” titles over the last couple of years have been pretty restrained by only lifting the visual design of other media like Blade Runner, while not really engaging with the themes that are prevalent in cyberpunk as a genre. Everything in the humongous Dharma tower feels like it’s part of an never ending conglomerate, and your goal is to stop anything that stands in your way. I cannot stress enough how good it feels to actually play a game that has a cyberpunk aesthetic that emphasizes that you are in fact playing as a punk, fighting an oppressed system. With the aid of a resistance member named Zoe, you unlock new cybernetic enhancements to jump, dash, and slash your way around and through Mara’s many henchmen. It instructs you to reclimb the tower and destroy Mara. After falling to your doom from the top of Dharma Tower during a confrontation with the Keymaster of said tower, Mara, you are awoken by an artificial intelligence known as the Architect. You control the Ghostrunner nicknamed Jack (as I’m pretty sure in reference to another cybernetic ninja warrior). Combining first-person platforming with fast paced melee combat, Ghostrunner has sharp game design that never becomes blunt and keeps me coming back for more. Ghostrunner sets itself apart by transporting the player into the first-person perspective of a cyberpunk Ninja battling against an authoritarian regime. Whether it’s as Ryu Hayabusa in Ninja Gaiden, Raiden in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance or as Sheik in Hyrule Warriors.

You probably have dabbled as playing a Ninja in many video games. 35, and Carrion have shown me that even if an idea has been well trod, changing a core aspect of the genre can go a long way. Recent titles like Disc Room, Super Mario Bros. There are times when I come across titles that are so obvious in their design and ideas, that it’s hard to imagine that it hasn’t been done before.
