I was turned onto Ghostrunner, but a buddy of mine who said it was kind of like Mirror’s Edge. Comparing Ghostrunner to Mirrors Edge is a great way to start. However, while it does have some things in common, like being a first-person platformer. This game has more than a few tricks up its robotic sleeve that will make you say wow!
How to Download Ghostrunner
You can download the game for a platform of your choice by clicking the Download button at the end of the review. Ghostrunner has also a free demo.
The Game Review
The plot of the game has a real cyberpunk/dystopian feel to it. You play as a Ghostrunner who has awoken with no memory. In this world after a disaster, humanity lives in a massive skyscraper. This skyscraper is ruled with a deadly and iron fist by someone called The Keymaster.
An entity called The Architect has called upon you to help liberate the skyscraper and save the day. There are a few twists and turns along the way, but I found the story to be pretty damn awesome. I think if you are into sci-fi that you will get pretty invested in what is going on. Even if you can see the major twist coming a mile off.
The game is very fast-paced and the videos you see online do not really prepare you for just how fast-paced the platforming in this game is. You are a cyber ninja who can move very fast, the “gimmick” here is that it is all about one-hit kills making combat a very quick-paced experience.
You mainly will be using your sword to kill enemies. The way you can move in the air when you jump and can grapple/flash-forward is what you will be mostly using. I liked how each time you started an area; you were free to tackle it any way you saw fit. There is a great progression here that teaches you how to play.
For example, the first enemies have a shotgun type of gun. Just as you master dealing with these it will throw new enemies such as machine gun ones and some with shields. Figuring out the best way to get past them is a lot of fun and makes you feel pretty badass as you go about doing it. Using a slowing down ability that you have is an absolute blast.
The platforming feels very solid and there are times when you will have to do some light puzzle-solving as you go. My only complaint with the platforming is that sometimes when you pull yourself up on a ledge, you go jumping straight off it. The platforming feels very skill-based so it is ultra-rewarding when you do master it.
As you are a cyber ninja it goes without saying that you can get upgrades as you progress through the game. These upgrades are really clever in that the way you use them is with a Tetris like grid system. Each upgrade is a certain number of blocks and in a certain shape and it is up to you to get it all to fit properly. It is a nice touch and makes you feel like a real cyber ninja trying to upgrade yourself.
I had a fantastic time playing through Ghostrunner on the Xbox One. As well as Xbox One, it is also available on PS4, PC, and Switch with PS5 and Xbox Series X/S ports coming next year. This is an awesome first-person action platformer that feels fun to play and makes you feel like a total badass as you slice and dice your way up the skyscraper.
