Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed
Developer: Illfonic
Publisher: Illfonic
Platforms: Xbox One, Playstation 4 (Reviewed), PC, Playstation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Release Date: Available Now
Price: $39.99 – Available Here
Overview
IllFonic are known for dipping their feet into multiplayer titles, with Friday the 13th and Predator: Hunting Grounds being two of their past achievements. With the continuing boom of nostalgia, the developer is set to launch Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed onto consoles. This title has its own narrative within the universe, bringing you as the player into contact with some new and familiar faces from the franchise. Is this one to check out, or is it too ambitious for its own good? Let’s find out.
Story
This is one of those titles that really didn’t need a story but has one regardless. Inbetween playing the actual game, players are treated to cutscenes featuring Ernie Hudson and Dan Akroyd reprising their famed roles as new threats of the undead come to light. I respect the attempt at a solid narrative and the nostalgia is nice, but I think most will find themselves skipping cutscenes as the tale told here isn’t exactly anything too meaningful. That said, there is some entertaining moments and hardcore fans will certainly enjoy how Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed respects the lore of the films.
Gameplay
Light story aside, the gameplay is where Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed truly feels like Ghostbusters. Players must start each match by picking jobs and busting ghosts. Your squad will then utilize their tools to calm citizens, destroy portals, and clean up all the hauntings that are taking place in a specific area. The controls are rather basic and easy enough to understand, with the game played in a first-person perspective with a simple control scheme. Players have their handy proton pack which can shoot and tether ghosts, as well as a P.K.E. that scans for nearby activity. Once a ghost is found, you must then set a trap and attempt to wrangle it in as a team before it gets away.
The concept is very familiar, but the game is a lot of fun to play. The P.K.E. can scan and even stun ghosts, while the proton pack works well enough to pull the ghosts inward towards a set trap. If a stage gets completely haunted before you can do away with the menace, you will lose the round to the ghosts and must set out again. Ghosts can also slime players and disturb NPCs, which sets up an interesting dynamic of also focusing on keeping random people calm while trying to find portals and the ghosts themselves. As you progress in level, new packs and upgrades become available, allowing you and your friends to equip some more fluid equipment that makes your tasks feel far more effortless and efficient.
Single player is fine, as I never had issues with AI, as I would often depend on my non-controlled squad to calm residents while I hunted. That said, the true magic of this title comes from the multiplayer, which is a lot of fun to play with friends as players will have to rely on their communication skills and map navigation to succeed. Yes, a lot of mechanics from Friday the 13th have been polished up for this title, so fans (like myself) who enjoyed that romp should feel right at home here. After a short bit, players will unlock the ability to also play as ghosts, which are a ton of fun to play as. As a ghost, the objective is to keep your portals (which allow for respawns and teleporting) hidden, while attempting to haunt items in the stage until the map is completely haunted. Both styles are enjoyable enough, and your ghostly powers are also ungradable, adding a hefty amount of extra replay value.
The firehouse hub ties everything together, with the player able to explore, take new jobs, do upgrades, and see the rewards of their own adventures. The customization is also decent, with players able to dress up and unlock new styles as they progress. Even with that and the story (which is over rather quick), I do think that this title as it is doesn’t have a lot to keep players engaged for a hefty amount of time. Sure, Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed is a blast with friends, but within ten hours I found myself trickling off with general interest. I’m sure there will be new features and maps added in the future, but some creative modes are certainly needed as the core game doesn’t have a ton of life after everything is done, which is a bit of a shame.
Visuals
Overall, this title looks great. The player models are well designed and look polished and clean, while the maps are also interesting and full of things to interact with. Animations are also well done, with ghost slime sticking to players and visually panicked faces appearing on the NPCs as they wonder about. I did have a few minor issues with clipping and sometimes the chaos caused a bit of slowdown (mainly when dealing with equipment), but those are not a deal breaker, and the game still feels decent enough even with an occasional chug.
Audio
The audio is great for the most part. As mentioned, the voice acting is surprisingly well done as Akroyd and Hudson sounded really into their roles here and other new characters do great to give this title some needed charm. The music of course has the legendary song as well as some atmospheric beats to put you in a ghost hunting mood, but with that also comes a bit of stuttering with the audio, mainly found in the cutscenes. Again, not a huge issue now and hopefully a quick patch can fix that in the future.
Overall
Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed is one of those titles a group of friends can easily pick up and play for a night of silly fun. I do think there needs to be more content delivered to keep things fresh as the staleness may come to some quicker than others, but there is no doubt this title delivers a ton of entertainment and value for the entry price. Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed is one of the best experiences to date for the franchise on consoles and a must for any hardcore fan who simply want to strap on a proton pack and kill some time slaying slime.
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