https://youtu.be/fFsmor2jXsc?si=l9xOz-IgoDhIAESG
https://youtu.be/tETHbGmjQfg?si=6UMk_eXiSPWF99pf
https://youtu.be/6NOZqMg9IyA?si=NDBmWNICHKuvITwD

After numerous trailers and gameplay demo of Ghostrunner released in Steam, there was no doubt - it will be a fast, brutal parkour action. We got what we expected, but with some nuances, which we will tell you about in the review.

Developer: One More Level, 3D Realms, Slipgate Ironworks
Publisher: 505 Games, All in! Games
Release date: October 27, 2020

The protagonist Ghostrunner has been brought back to life by a certain Architect who wishes to regain control of a skyscraper city with his help. All that is required of the ghost is to reach the upper floors and overthrow the cruel ruler. Along the way, the protagonist also meets a member of the resistance Zoe: both interlocutors will help him recover his memory and make sense of what's going on.

I can't say that the game's plot is captivating or surprising with unexpected twists and turns; the writers didn't prepare any revelations for us, and you can not follow the story - you won't lose much. Moreover, the dynamic gameplay is not very conducive to thoughtful reading of subtitles: Ghostrunner has no Russian-language voice-over, and if you don't understand English speech, many plot twists will slip past your attention.

It's much more interesting to enjoy the gameplay here. The parkour in Ghostrunner is hardly more exciting than in Mirror's Edge, and the runner has a slightly larger set of abilities compared to Faith. He has cybernetically enhanced limbs that allow him to run along the wall for as long as he wants, a hook that can be used to cling to certain points, implants that grant active and passive skills, and finally, a katana that cuts enemies with a single blow.

The protagonist himself also dies from a single hit, and the enemies are armed with firearms and do not hesitate to attack simultaneously, without waiting for their turn. That's why every skirmish turns into a deadly dance, where you, alternating between running along walls, jumping, slowing down time and jerks, try to dodge bullets, shorten the distance to the target and kill it.

And if in the beginning the hero is opposed by weak bots, which are not very dangerous, then with each new location the battles become more and more complicated: there are shield-armed fighters, who can be approached only from the back, fast ninjas, generators of protective fields and other units that complicate life. On the one hand, it adds excitement, but on the other hand, it forces you to return to the checkpoint again and again and try other methods of passing the arena.

The aforementioned arsenal of possibilities allows you to experiment. Thus, with the help of active skills you can get rid of a group of soldiers or push your opponent into the abyss. And passive skills can, for example, make the protagonist a bit faster or make katana projectiles fly straight into the enemies. You can't take all the “passives” with you at once: you have to place them in a special interface, like in “Tetris”.

Platforming in Ghostrunner isn't much easier than combat. In episodes where you don't need to alternate between jumping and attacking, it doesn't get any easier. Most of the time you have to run over a precipice, and one awkward move will lead to death (fortunately, the checkpoints are placed quite close).

Many tests force you to perform several actions, for example, run, jumping from wall to wall, hook onto a ledge, land on an inclined surface, slide on it, jump over an obstacle, slow down time, shift to the side, jerk to fly to the ledge. It is desirable to have a good reaction, and some runs have to restart more than once, and even ten times.

Despite the fact that the game is linear, and the elements of the environment usually “lead” the protagonist in the right direction, in large locations you have to stop and look around in search of the right route. This takes you out of the “flow” and reduces the pace of the game. When the hero is thrown into virtual reality and forced to solve puzzles, it becomes even more boring. However, this is the only way to acquire new active skills, and you can't skip this part of the game.

Nevertheless, the cool setting brightens up the minor flaws. Ghostrunner looks exactly the way many of us imagine cyberpunk to look - stylish, technological and a bit “dirty”. You want to stay here, but, unfortunately, the game passes very quickly - about 5-6 hours, if you don't get stuck on difficult trials for a long time. However, the developers have already announced the upcoming additions, so we'll have a reason to return to the neon-drenched Tower.

Pros:
- Great parkour
- Beautiful picture
- Tense fights with opponents
- Moderately hardcore gameplay

Cons:
- Difficulty navigating
- Some episodes are quite boring