I played the demo for Ghostrunner

Robot and Katana; tell me a more iconic pairing.

I wasn't joking around when I said that I was consuming demos last blog, friends, and in fact today I want to talk about my time playing the demo for a game that I actually discovered and discussed on my blog! (What are the chances of that, right?) So of course the very moment that I saw there was a playable demo for a game that so tickled my fancy I immediately queued it to play and also plugged in my controller which is the reason why all of the proceeding demo's I'm going to talk about will be addressing controller control schemes and PC titles. (I really thought about going back and trying them on keyboard to be ultimately fair but then I thought, nah. I've been surprisingly busy I'm sure it'll be fine.) But enough of that, today I want to take you all into a cybernetic dystopia as we discuss the neon drenched world of Ghostrunner.

First I want to hearken on a point I made in my original blog; yes, the game does indeed focus itself on a live-die-repeat model. In the way that the game moves (effortlessly fluidly) the combat plays out (You die from a single hit) and the speed of the reloads, (instant) it's clear that this is the sort of title that thrives on the ol' trial-and-error routine. Thus it may not exactly be the robot samurai cyberpunk title of my dreams, but it does promote a degree of self-competitiveness as, due to how quickly you get back into the action, you cannot help but stop and postulate on the quickest and most efficient routes through each scenario. (Something which the world design helpfully supports with subtly divergent pathways.) This very vibe of game, in fact, struck me hard with memories of another speed-based parkour game with heavy replay value and a sub-culture of self improvement; Mirror's Edge.

To call this the 'Mirror's Edge' sequel we never got is- factually incorrect as in 2016 there was a sequel under the subtitle 'Catalyst' - but spiritually dead on the money! Whereas 'Mirror's Edge: Catalyst' felt more like remake/modernisation rather than an actual step forward for the concept and what you could do with it, 'Ghostrunner' feels like it actually picked up that old baton and started leaping rooftops with it. (Just, you know, with a different character, thematic signature and world. Maybe this 'sequel' analogy isn't quite as one-to-one as I thought...) The simple movement scheme that make freerunning as easy as holding one button is there, the flashy eccentric presentation is there (albeit, with an almost polar opposite gradient) and so is that empowering aura of embodying an agility god. Before getting promptly shot in the face and dying, that is. (I'd imagine an actual god to be a tad tougher than that.)

Of course, the game itself is actually a lot more gory than Mirror's Edge actually was, as here we take control of a katana wielding cyborg who looks like he's late for the 'Warframe' dress rehearsals. Armed thusly, the player is tasked with navigating industrial looking areas (so far) and dancing around active fire zones so that they can close the distance for that satisfyingly meaty slash. Just like 'Metal Gear Rising: Revengence' before it, Ghostrunner features a dismemberment system wherein the runner's blade cuts through skin like butter, even going to far as to cinematically slowdown the final opponent of each area to emphasise that final cut. Of course, that doesn't quite make it a patch on the gruesome action of 'Revengence', not even remotely, but it's pleasing to the eye nonetheless.

This sort of split-second, death-at-any-moment, action is only as prevailing as the variety of the gameplay, however, and for that I'm afraid I haven't much experience to share. The demo only appeared to be the very beginning of the game and that only featured the standard onehanded pistol-slinger enemy who seemed to never have heard of leading your shots. That isn't to say this archetype didn't prove a challenge, the very nature of the game lends it's self to such, but I feel this game will need a little more variety than, say, 'Mirror's Edge' had to feel complete. (Huh, I keep bringing that game up, don't I?) Luckily, there have been some trailers released teasing some of the later chapters of Ghostrunner and from that I have seen at least one Gekko-looking weapons-platform firing vertical laser bolts that the player had to slide under. Gently hinting that we may see some truly incredible/excruciatingly tough enemy rooms in the late game. (Exactly what I want for a game like this.)

In terms of the movement, a very important aspect of a freerunning-based game like this, I'm pleased to report that everything feels ergonomic and natural to perform. You have your sprint, wall run, slide, leap, and even a grappling hook later on; as well as the ability to dash both on the ground and midair. This really comes into play in the bigger fights as, due to your inhuman robot agility, the player is capable of freezing time for a short amount of time and changing their flight trajectory mid-air; making for surreal and pleasing moments of stillness amid the incessant action. I don't know if there are plans for anything else in the player's movement repertoire later down the line, but even if there isn't this is all fine by me. It all serves as a great and powerful toolset that allows players to feel in control of every stunt they pull off, something which I resonated with greatly during my short time with the title.

As for the story, Ghostrunner remain this curious enigma that has me intrigued but not exactly foaming at the mouth to see it out. (And I get the sense that's not the point anyway.) As you've likely caught on, you play as a cyborg robot that has a slight murderous edge to him, and a package-deal Katana for some reason. (Maybe that's standard issue for future robots, I don't know.) Some entity known as Whisper has contacted you, however, and set you 'free' under the stipulation that you then free him from his 'prison'. I don't think I'm really spoiling much by revealing how, at the end of all this demo, you discover that your mysterious benefactor is some sort of corporeal entity, I assume and AI, who's set you loose presumably in order to exploit to his own ends. So yeah, there's nothing that truly takes advantage of the genre and it's ramifications on the human condition, but it doesn't need to be. (We're getting Cyberpunk this winter, I think that'll cover it.)

Ghostrunner is one of those titles that I cannot fully file away in the annals of my memory, under the dozens of other games I learn about on the daily. There's a special spark of life emanating from this game that I find appeals to my morbid lust for death-fuelled action titles. Getting to actually play this title hasn't really changed my mind on it but more reinforced what I already knew, that this is the sort of game I want to get my hands on as soon as possible. In conclusion; I love the concept, love the direction, love how it's shaping up, could do with some optimisation (though that could just as easily be on my end) and the game looks great. Look out for this one.

GhostRunner

Live, die repeat

Part of this blog is about coming across cool things that I want to share with the ether, and sometimes that the sort of stuff that doesn't get the main stream attention that it perhaps deserves, so in that vein, I've came across a pretty cool looking upcoming game. 3D Realms' 'GhostRunner'. Details are pretty sparse thusfar, with the game having only been announced a few months back, but I feel the need to give this game a lookie lou purely due to the fact that it threatens to cover a genre which I'm always happy to pursue; Cyberpunk.

Somehow, despite the fame of the company in question and how cool the game itself looks, this project has yet to pick up mainstream attraction. I mean, you'll find the odd article covering it don't get me wrong, but the trailer posted by the official YouTube channel only has about 15,000 views. (And YouTube seems to automatically mislabel the game as being Cyberpunk 2077. Whoops.) It is for that reason that I was initially shocked when I first discovered the game and then realized that I'd somehow gone several months in ignorance of it's existence despite how promising it all looked. What is wrong with me? How were my eyes so firmly closed? Well they're open now and I'm starting my hype train by going over all we've seen so far regarding this game who's title and subject matter seems dangerously close to receiving a lawsuit from Ridley Scott.

First, some history. Anyone who knows their gaming has heard of 3D Realms. Chances are that even if you are just passing the video game scene you will have heard of them in passing and are just trying to put your finger on it, so let me refresh your memory. 3D Realms are the pioneers behind such influential and legendary shooters like 'Wolfenstien 3D',  the 'Duke Nukem' games, 'Rise of the Triad', both 'Shadow Warrior' games, and they even helped with the original 'Prey'. With all that in mind, you can imagine how legendary these guys are. Most of those games that I just mentioned are considered direct influences for many tried and true FPS tropes of today, with Wolfenstein 3D often considered the grandfather of the genre. Recently, however, they have not been quite at the forefront of the industry anymore and you won't find their label plastered on the front of every best seller like you used to. However they haven't stopped making games, and exciting looking ones at that; point in case, GhostRunner.

On Nov 18th the official 3D realms YouTube channel put out the Reveal trailer for a brand new game that pundits are already calling a mix between 'Dishonored' and 'Mirror's Edge'. (Not the most imaginative comparison in the world but give these guys some slack, it's not like they write about video games for a living...) From what we have been presented with so far, it would seem that this game intends to bring to life the gritty, dirty edge of the Cyberpunk genre that people usually expect when they think of the genre. We've seen heavily industrial areas, faded out colour palettes and the oh-so-indicative mixture of Asian culture and characters in the environment. This lends well with the gameplay from the trailer (which is what inspires those aforementioned comparisons) in which we see the player wielding a futuristic-ally minimalist katana and parkouring over heavily vast spaces and wall running over chasms. (Every basement dwellers dream, right?)

This first look at the game was very vague and understated, with little given in the way of story or themes and everything seemingly thrown into invoking the correct visual flair that this genre demands, similar to Cyberpunk 2077's first trailer. (Although in that CDPR were trying to prove that the genre's palette could withstand a lot more variety then is typically depicted. An exact contrast to this trailer.) But we can pick out the way in which this game seems to focus around movement and assassination, based on the way we see an abundance of both in the gameplay sections. Dropping down on enemies and skewing them with you blade seems to indicate that your character is perhaps not the 'shoot'em up' powerhouse that we usually expect in 3D Realms games, as his moves seem tailored to avoid bullets rather than withstand them. In this way, I suppose that 'Dishonored' and 'Mirror's Edge' are apt comparisons as the same could be said for both titles.

If the assumption I, and others, have made is true then that could mean this game will end up being a stealth action game. (And if you've read any of my previous posts on similar games, you'll know how much of a nut I am for stealth action games.) Although the plethora of movement options that I have seen available (dashing, bullet blocking, and using a whip to pull yourself around) seem to hint at a more 'trail and error' gameplay that you would see in games like 'Ruiner', 'Hyper Light Drifter', 'Hotline Miami' and 'Enter the Gungeon'. All those games feature a fragile, but agile, protagonist flying their way through bullet-rich environments. These games are built around the concept of forcing the player to use their skills to avoid projectiles and expecting them to die often, throughout your playthrough you are expected to learn the quirks to all your movement powers and enemy attacks and use them against increasingly insane odds. A genre that is very 'skill based' in contrast to stealth games which are more 'patience-based'.

That trailer is not, however, the only piece of content that we have to view regarding this game. As I hinted at earlier, there has existed some gameplay for this game as far back as August, (which is odd considering the 'Reveal trailer' was this month) through which we can get a greater idea of what to expect from the full release. In this gameplay we see that the gameplay, at the time of that video, was much more in the wheelhouse of the 'fragile protagonist' with alert but stationary enemies, slow firing energy weapons, instant deaths and instant respawns. Once can also hear the droning techie beat accompanying everything bringing a sense of continuity to gameplay similar to how those other games that I mention do.

GhostRunner proposes a fun Cyberpunk take on the first person shooter that I find myself curious to check out for myself at some point. The gameplay doesn't feel like it'll go up against 2077, making the '2020' prospective release date fine, and the rhythmic bounce of the movement and music makes me feel like this will become one of those staple 'relaxation games' that people come back to time and time again. (Albeit, with considerably more blood than 'Clustertruck'.) I'm eager to put this one on my 'must watch' list and slowly transform next year into my personal 'year of technological dystopias'. All I need now is another ShadowRun game and I'll be set!