Ghostrunner 2
WHERE TO PLAY
Ghostrunner 2 is a perfectly executed cyberpunk slasher, providing an unmatched level of fluidity, engaging combat and a robust narrative.
I didn’t know quite what to expect when I got my hands on Ghostrunner 2. I didn’t play the first entry in this cyberpunk slasher series from developer One More Level, but I was excited to sink my teeth into its sequel. Thankfully, there is a convenient “catch-up” video available from the main menu which got me up to speed on the world.
Well, in I jumped, and look, I’m skating down some rails in a neon-lit nightscape with rhythmic synthwave blasting in the background. Yes, this is definitely cyberpunk. There’s a certain charm involved when creatives hone in on a specific aesthetic and bring it to life faithfully. In Ghostrunner 2, you can expect neon, synth, artificial intelligence and a healthy dose of existentialism. The moral and ethical questions posed by the game are exactly what you’d expect to be asked in a violent post-apocalyptic yet technologically rich society.
Like its predecessor, Ghostrunner 2 takes place in Dharma Tower, a haven intended to shield a sect of humanity from a cataclysm. Anything not Dharma is now referred to as “The Outside.” A Ghostrunner, meanwhile, is a cyborg designed by the tower’s founder Adam. With incomparable combat abilities, Ghostrunners are bodyguards and peacekeepers, exclusively serving Adam.
During the events of the first game, Adam was overthrown by his best friend and confidante Mara, who thenceforth became known as the Keymaster. Mara brought every Ghostrunner offline, which remained the case until a rebel faction known as The Climbers found and repaired Jack, the series’ protagonist. With Jack’s help, the tyrannical Keymaster was toppled, as was an AI version of Adam known as The Architect who arose as a secondary antagonist. Then, everyone lived happily ever after, right? Wrong.
READ MORE:Are Super Easy Modes Finally Losing Their Bad Reputation In Gaming?
At the beginning of Ghostrunner 2, we join Jack and the Climbers as they deal with an increasingly violent religious group known as the Church of the Architect. The plot snowballs from there, introducing new antagonists and new threats to the future of Dharma and its people.
While I don’t expect the plot or lore to be the main draw of such a tactile experience as Ghostrunner 2, I actually quite enjoyed the game’s narrative elements. While the circumstances of the apocalypse could be called generic, One More Level does a good job of spicing up the narrative, expanding pre-existing lore cleverly to add depth.
ALSO READ:Enchanted Arms Is FromSoftware’s Forgotten RPG, And For A Good Reason
So, while I was pleasantly surprised by Ghostrunner 2’s narrative strength, I was not at all surprised by how fantastic, fluid and fun it is to play. Every piece of every level just flows into the next so well; playing Ghostrunner 2 skillfully is like an entrancing dance. As you continuously fail a fight, you’ll gradually begin to figure out the optimal sequence for dealing with each enemy. Catapult onto a flying enemy, send him crashing down into a group of melees, explode a barrel across the gap, slide under a robot’s projectile, shuriken and pull yourself towards the last enemy. It can begin to feel quite hypnotic as you lose yourself in combat.
Crucially, encounters never feel unfair. You have all the tools available to you to succeed. When you fail, you acknowledge that you’ll simply just have to do better. Additionally, you get a checkpoint before fights, allowing you to jump right into your next attempt. Ghostrunner 2 adds new enemy variants fairly regularly, so you’ll always have new challenges to face. As you gradually upgrade Jack throughout the game, older enemy types will become less of a nuisance, though even they will be cropping in late parts of the game to both highlight your growing power and remind you not to take anyone lightly. It’s all pretty clever game design.
It’s not all combat, either. Throughout the game, you’ll also have sweeping parkour levels, especially in the alternate reality of the Cybervoid. These levels require skilful use of momentum and wall-running to advance, and the combination of combat and parkour will familiarise you with exactly what Jack is capable of by the time you finish.
My favourite addition to Ghostrunner 2 comes at about its halfway mark. The inclusion of the motorcycle was a stroke of genius on One More Level’s part. It’s a perfect complement to the game’s rapid gameplay loop while also serving as a way to differentiate and break things up a bit. You can also do some pretty cool things with the bike, such as grappling towards it while it’s moving, and sending it careening into enemies, only to grapple back to it immediately afterwards, never breaking momentum.
READ MORE:Red Dead Redemption Undead Nightmare Used To Be A Gold Standard For DLC
These sections take place in a different location to Dharma, showing off some environmental diversity and preventing the level design from going stale. Visually speaking, Ghostrunner 2 nails the cyberpunk aesthetic. There’s an intelligent use of backgrounds to convey an infinite neon cityscape, incomprehensible in its size. The levels themselves have minimal visual clutter, allowing you to pick out where you need to go next easily, which is important in a game where flow is so important.
The levels are dotted with little distractions that were dotted around levels; you can complete challenges to get memory shards (upgrades) and uncover hard-to-reach locations where you can nab some cosmetic items. Imagine how happy I was to find a time trial challenge where I could see just how fast I could get on my motorcycle. There’s also a simulator at the game’s hub location, where you can test yourself in various parkour and combat challenges to earn upgrades. These features add flavour, and I found myself investing a surprising amount of time in trying to achieve top scores in challenges.
Ghostrunner 2 is the continuation of a fantastic experience, unmatched by any other similar game that I’ve played, and bolstered by a surprisingly strong narrative and characters. Ghostrunner 2 achieved exactly what it set out to do, and I think it’s one that enthusiasts and speedrunners will enjoy for a long time, while staying accessible for casual players.
Blood will run in Ghostrunner 2, a hardcore FPP slasher set in a post-apocalyptic cyberpunk future. Become the ultimate cyber ninja and prepare for epic boss fights, improved skills, an interactive story, new game modes, and captivating synthwave soundtrack.
