Ghostrunner

Genre: First-Person Action-Platformer

Players: 1

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Review:

Ghostrunner, released on multiple platforms in 2020, including the Nintendo Switch, is a First-Person Action-Platformer that casts you in the role of a cybernetically-enhanced ninja in a cyberpunk future, performing feats of acrobatics and slicing through enemies.

Graphically, it’s clear that this game took a massive hit in the transition to the Nintendo Switch. There’s a lot of aliasing here, the lighting is nowhere near as good as on other platforms, framerate and resolution both seem lower, and while this game still overall looks decent, these sacrifices to the visuals are pretty bad, and I would argue that given the extremely fast-paced nature of this game, they even affect the gameplay. Heck, even the pre-rendered cutscenes plat at an atrociously choppy low framerate. I’ll just say it right now, if you want to get this game and you have another modern gaming platform, get it on the other platform – the Nintendo Switch version is not the version you want unless you absolutely need to play this game on a portable device.

At the very least, I can credit this game for giving players a good atmosphere with its cyberpunk look and atmosphere, although of course the hit to the graphics also affects these. In part this is due to some decent sound effects and voicework, but the real star of the presentation here has to be this game’s phenomenal soundtrack, which seems to start from the usual cyberpunk inspiration of Blade Runner’s soundtrack, but adds in a killer beat with an edge that highlight’s this game’s rough, fast-paced, and violent nature. In particular, I want to highlight tracks like Infiltrator and The Orb as being just perfect for the kind of tone this game is going for.

As for the gameplay, in the simplest terms this is basically Mirror’s Edge with a lot more killing. Players will be running, jumping, dashing, sliding, wall-running, and grappling hook-ing their way through the game’s environments, evading enemy gunfire and slicing through bodies in fast-paced bloody, gory combat. When it works well, it does a very good job of making you feel like a super-fast, unstoppable killing machine. When it doesn’t, though…

So here’s the thing – both the combat and platforming in this game are extremely unforgiving. Miss one jump or take one hit, and you’re dead, tossed back to the last checkpoint. And much of your success in both will come down to how you plot out your course through each area as you slice through it. Unfortunately, it’s not always clear just which way you’re supposed to go thanks in part to at times cluttered level design that doesn’t properly convey to the player where they can and can’t go. And even if you know the path you want to take, executing it with perfect precision can be difficult, since one moment’s hesitation or a step in the wrong direction is all it takes to take a bullet or eat pavement. It’s extremely frustrating, and even seasoned Action game fans will likely find it to be challenging.

There’s a lot that Ghostrunner does right, and like I said, when it’s good, it’s amazing. But far too often it’s just frustrating, and there are so many flaws here that I have trouble recommending it to anyone but the most hardcore of Action gamers looking for a challenge… and even then, I wouldn’t recommend the Nintendo Switch version of the game.

tl;dr – Ghostrunner is a fast-paced First-Person Action-Platformer that has you slicing through enemies as a cyberpunk ninja. The presentation here is good, with a killer soundtrack, but the graphics have suffered noticeably in the transition to Nintendo Switch, to the point they affect the gameplay. And that’s on top of an extremely difficult and unforgiving game. Unless you absolutely need a super-challenging Action game fix, and you absolutely need to play it on the go, this is not a game you should get on the Nintendo Switch.

Grade: C

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2020 Game Awards:

Runner-Up: Worst Port/Remake, Most Disappointing

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