The first Ghostrunner reminded the general public that first-person platforms are a living genre and one in which there is still a lot of room for innovation. Ghostrunner 2 has a first part in which everything good from the first chapter is perfected and then opens, in the second half, to a new game structure.
Developed by One More Level and published by 505 Games, Ghostrunner 2 will be very familiar to fans of the first chapter who will be happy to rediscover its precise and ultra-fast platform. Everything (or almost everything) changes once the seven hours have passed, that is, when you pass the doors of the Dharma, the tower in which humanity took refuge after the apocalypse. New enemies and new questions await you in this chapter, which takes its time to teach newbies all its mechanics and then opens up like a flower.
What's left of the Ghostrunners
Ghostrunner 2 begins a year after the first chapter with a revived Jack who survived the death of the Architect, the artificial intelligence that had guided him after his awakening during the first adventure. Now Jack is free and in the service of the Climbers, the rebel faction that led the coup against what remained of the original Dharma builders and is now trying to establish itself as a semi-democratic government. However, in the chaos of the collapse of the old leaders, a dormant faction called Asura has resurfaced and Jack is forced to deal with his past.
Formed by members of the first generation of Ghostrunners, the Asura cult seems to want to stand between the tower of Dharma and the period of hard-earned peace it has achieved. His plans, however, affect not only the last bastion of civilization, but also all of humanity, and lead Jack to explore the wastelands of the outside world. After a great traumatic event, the protagonist goes in search of one of the leaders of the Asuras, steals a complete motorcycle with turbo and soon he finds himself outside the safety of the tower, in the blazing light of the sun and surrounded, once again, by enemies and platforms to jump on.
A motorcycle and a bunch of mutants.
Once you have passed this point, Ghostrunner 2 radically changes its setting, becoming an exploration game (always linear) in which you will travel through the desolate lands outside the tower aboard a super-powerful motorcycle. Here the puzzles to overcome take the form of Huge stretches of highway to drive at full speed, climbing the side walls and firing the motorcycle's cannons. From time to time an obstacle will block your path, so you will have to get out of the vehicle and face sections that are very reminiscent of the previous ones, but that are full of new enemies: strange hybrids between men and machines designed to survive in the outside world. poisoned by the apocalypse.
Unfortunately, its design does not change radically in terms of mechanics, and this is the only really painful point if you come from the first chapter: the enemy units have some new features, but it is actually too little compared to the first Ghostrunner. Once outside, then, even on a narrative level, things will begin to change: other figures will emerge to shed new light on this universe's past and its future, inside and outside the tower. In the outdoor sections, the difficulty level of both combat and platforming increases, as well as in the Cyber Void sections, the missions that accompany you throughout the adventure in which Jack connects to a world virtual where you can fight. he jumps and explores like outdoors, but with an even more psychedelic atmosphere.
Just when you think you've seen it all in the new sections outside the tower, this game will surprise you once again. We stop here to avoid spoilers, but you should know that the entire Ghostrunner 2 experience It is a crescendo of narrative tension, platforms and first-person combat full of adrenaline that you must experience over and over again to become the ultimate killing machine. The motorcycle sections, then, are a nice mix of early 2000s nostalgia and gameplay innovation, all with stellar graphics that occasionally drop a few frames when the action gets more intense.
We return to the slums
The charm of Ghostrunner also lies in its post-apocalyptic setting with neon lights and full of cyberpunk elements, including the protagonist himself and his katana. The immense tower of Dharma returns with even more improbable lights and platforms in which to demonstrate our skills in cyber parkour. If the first Ghostrunner was difficult and fast, this chapter provides a little more help to those who play, but shows no signs of slowing down; On the contrary, thanks to a balanced combination of platforming and combat, the potential to witness even more epic speed races. Is everything there?
Anyone expecting a complete remake of all the content will be disappointed, at least in the first part of the adventure. Many little things are taken liberally from the first chapter but, since the adventure takes place in practically the same places already visited before, it is a choice that we understand and did not bother us at all. Thanks to the updated tool system (including invisibility and the very useful shuriken) and the return of the button to slow down time and change the trajectory in the air, the jumping and combat sections never get boring and always present that variation and increase in difficulty necessary to maintain the constant challenge.
They also add to your arsenal three final movements with very slow reload, essential to eliminate an unexpected enemy or survive a boss attack. These are unlocked over time and can be selected through an intuitive menu with few items. To keep them company, there is the system of improvements that can be purchased with an in-game currency that is obtained by completing each level and whose amount depends on the performance of each one. Divided into seven categories, these passive upgrades influence agility, combos, tools, parries and sword, creating a highly customizable puzzle with which to adapt the gameplay to your needs.
L'increasing the RAM memory of the Ghostrunner (i.e. the slots available to equip modifications) is dictated by collecting a purple collectible. After a few upgrades, you will be able to use multiple upgrades at the same time and create the perfect assassin for every situation. These upgrades can be redeemed at any time, but can only be purchased from a kiosk in Jack's base of operations. Tying such a key aspect of progression to a collectible that you have to remember to search for (there's no backtracking, so those left behind are lost) didn't appeal much to us, but each level is sufficiently filled with these power-ups to not transform the mechanics on an obstacle.
Jump, cut, die, repeat
En Ghostrunner 2 we die a lot. This is because it only takes one hit to kill you and take you back to the last checkpoint. The loads, however, are so fast that the flow of the game is a continuous, adrenaline-filled challenge where you can never sit still. In fact, your incredible parkour skills are designed to create the ultimate killing machine, and by practicing over and over again, you'll make it through each level unscathed.
This is where the magic of the experience lies. Checkpoints are very frequent (one every two to three minutes), but hitting your head against a particular section, which requires perfect timing and skill management to complete, also provides enormous satisfaction once completed.
Conclusions
Tested version PC with Windows digital delivery Steam, epic games store, playstation store, Xbox Store Price 39,99 € Holygamerz.com 8.0 Readers (9) 7.5 your voteGhostrunner 2 (except for its repetitive enemies) is a masterclass in creating a sequel. First we give fans an improved and expanded version of everything that made the previous chapter great and then we focus on innovation, both in terms of gameplay and narrative. The first-person platforming is tight and fast, the graphics are detailed and eye-catching, and the combat is fast-paced and requires unholy precision. There is frustration, you die a lot and in certain sections you almost run the risk of throwing the controller against the monitor. However, the satisfaction of completing the perfect segment between jumps, stops and katana blows is immense and pushes us to always want more. It is not necessary to know the previous chapter, but those who have done so gain an experience enriched by citations and references. With a careful and refined atmosphere, Ghostrunner 2 is an adventure that will be remembered by those who love fast-paced games and a good story to tell.
PRO
- Well-kept environments
- Fast-paced, adrenaline-filled parkour
- Satisfying, high-risk fights
- Introduction of the medium adventure motorcycle.
AGAINST
- Enemies not very varied and similar to the first chapter.
- Some frame drops in denser situations
