Outstanding
Terror Tale
While performing a routine spiritual maintenance check at an abandoned Detroit school, Lazarus hits the wrong shiny red button, and all hell (literally) breaks loose. Well, some of Hell, at least. As it happens, this school was the site of some particularly nasty murders, and the force behind the chaos had trapped a host of ghosts in a containment array in the basement. Once free, Hawkmoor (he's the ghost with the most, babe) flies off with our hero's partner Anna, leaving him to hunt the apparitions.
A Checkered Past
Ghosthunter comes from the offices of Sony Europe, previously responsible for the flawed, but engaging Primal. That game was long on atmosphere and short on just about everything else. Here, a better balance is struck, but only barely. It's begins well, though, and the establishing sequences show off Ghosthunter's stellar voice work. It's a pleasure seeing actors working with a script that doesn't send audiences into convulsions of embarrassment at every line, and the performances really work.
From creepy effects to music and performance, this is a great sounding game. And the audio tracks are just one aspect of an inspired design sense. Creepy one minute and engagingly funny the next, the game effortlessly builds atmosphere many movie producers would kill for.
What quickly becomes apparent is that Ghosthunter is cut from the survival horror mode, despite the cheeky humor and a few action trappings. Character movement is a big tip-off, though Lazarus is more fluidly controlled than are many horror heroes. Moving with the left stick and managing the camera with the right, it's possible to explore environments with only the occasional feeling of moving through mud. Running demonstrates a clunky bit of animation, but otherwise all the characters are very competently brought to life.
Ecto-plasma Rifle
Then there's the combat. See, since ghosts are insubstantial, Lazarus has to use a device to give them a semblance of form; the same gizmo also traps the spirits in a flashy display of particle effects. This essential piece of gear is handed over by a holographic AI improbably residing in the school basement that also serves as the game's hub. The ghost grenade, for all its copyright infringement, is really just another weapon that must be hurled at the ghosts. Coupled with the ghost grenade is a special rifle, which fires a beam to restrain and weaken specters enough to be trapped. We'd advise against crossing the streams, but our lawyers have advised against that advisory.
So far, so good
True, there's a deep bow to that Bill Murray film franchise, but the game really does have its own personality and sense of style. What it doesn't have is enjoyable combat. To fire, Lazarus has to enter a gun-drawn aiming mode wherein control suddenly becomes very unwieldy. Simultaneously running from a fast adversary, aiming and managing the camera just isn't fun. We'd be more forgiving if this weren't the same problem that plagued Primal. Like all too many horror games combat is essential to the story, but the execution feels last minute.
Existential Exploration
Thankfully, combat isn't a huge part of the game. Exploration is much more important, and players spend a lot of time traveling from the school basement to the original haunt of each ghost. There are warped set pieces with disorienting camera effects and environments that boast better layouts than in most horror titles. While simply poking around each level, enjoying the terrific sound effects, Ghosthunter seems like a pretty great game.
Then the puzzles start. Child's play is too good a term for these tasks, and in this context, is probably an insult to children everywhere. Some of the puzzles involve a spirit called Astral, who took refuge in Lazarus at the game's opening. At certain points, control can be passed to her, opening up special moves, such as the ability to unblock otherwise un-traversable paths. But whether playing as Astral or Lazarus, each puzzle is terribly linear, terrible simple, and well, just terrible.
Grim and Bear It
At such points, it's best simply to soldier on, reveling in the fact that Ghosthunter's graphics engine is rock solid. We're not talking about Doom 3 quality, but the visuals are quietly impressive, giving everything a real sense of weight. Hanging chains and realistic cloth physics are among the touches that add to the overall atmosphere, and lighting and weapon effects are often spectacular.
Selective Perception
We walked away from this one wishing that there had been a lot more gameplay to complement the cool graphics and atmosphere, but sometimes you just can't have everything. Outwardly, it may seem like a knockoff of Luigi's Mansion, but the gameplay never comes close to achieving that level of ingenuity. For what it's worth, Ghosthunter is fun despite the flaws. A little selective perception goes a long way.