Ghostrunner 2 [Game Review]
Image: One More Level / 505 Games
This week I dove into One More Level and 505 Games’ Ghostrunner 2. I missed out on the previous game, but after playing the sequel I’m itching to play the first.
Set one year after the events of the first game, Ghostrunner 2 thrusts players back into the cyberpunk dystopia of Dharma Tower. The characters must grapple with new dangers from competing gangs and a cult of zealots trying to fill the power vacuum left by the fall of the Keymaster, the first game’s villain. Soon, an even greater threat reveals itself that the hero and his team of rebels must face.
At first, the story was a little difficult to follow since I hadn’t played the first game. I caught on after a few levels, but being in the dark didn’t hurt the experience. Even without knowing them, the characters are likable and interesting and I quickly became invested. The game's narrative unfolds through a combination of home base visits, occasional cutscenes, and radio conversations. Although the home base elements add depth, it could have been just as effective to stick with radio chatter alone, as the base introduces some unnecessary downtime.
Image: One More Level / 505 Games
The player’s Ghostrunner is a cybernetic ninja. He can run on walls, dash in midair, use a grappling hook (or “gap-jammer,” which sounds much cooler), deflect projectiles, and kill enemies with a single katana slash. As the game progresses, the player earns new abilities, perks with a customizable loadout, and powerful special moves. Abilities help with navigation, combat, and puzzle solving. For example, shurikens are used to stun enemies, create grapple points, and hit switches. Gameplay is divided into levels that are made up of platforming obstacle courses and combat arenas that you must complete to advance. Later on, exciting, high-speed motorcycle sequences are thrown into the mix.
The player is essentially a glass cannon; you’re very powerful, killing every normal enemy in a single slash while doing superhuman feats, but a single hit means death for you as well. Falls and any hazards are equally deadly. The game demands constant momentum and precision. The difficulty can be steep.
This might sound like a recipe for frustration, but the game is very generous with its checkpoints, breaking levels down into a series of bite-sized challenges. Each segment plays out like a puzzle demanding trial and error to figure out: just how to time jumps and dashes, when to deflect lasers, and the most efficient order to eliminate enemies. I threw myself again and again at many of these challenges, dying over and over. Then, I’d finally nail it and feel like a badass, especially as I got more skilled. I just wish the game had an instant replay feature that let me see what I did again, but from a third person perspective.
Ghostrunner 2 pulls off first person parkour perfectly. The fluidity of movement is a joy, and pulling off those perfect runs through levels is immensely satisfying. Moving around, grappling, and pulling off wall-runs works just like you’d expect it to intuitively; there were only a handful of times when a grapple to a platform would unintentionally turn into a wall-run. The greatest tool the game gives you is the Sensory Boost ability, triggered by holding down the dash button; it slows down time and allows midair adjustments of trajectory. Mastering this is the key to mastering movement. I should also mention that getting around on the motorcycle is tons of fun. The bike levels are perfectly designed to go blazingly fast; riding on walls and clearing huge gaps is a blast.
Image: One More Level / 505 Games
Across its roughly 10-12 hour playtime, Ghostrunner 2 keeps things fresh. Just when you might think the game is in danger of starting to go stale, it drops in new mechanics, enemies, obstacles, challenges, environments, and level types to keep things interesting. The boss encounters in the game are particularly memorable and create fun twists on combat or level design. One in particular when outside Dharma Tower is a highlight that really got my blood pumping. My only gripe is the game slows down a bit in its last act after a series or particularly exciting fights and sequences. Still, this is a minor issue, as all of it is still fun.
There’s also a separate roguelike mode that opens up during the game called Roguerunner.exe. Its four levels feature a series of randomized arenas and limited retries, with remixed skills. I didn’t get a chance to try this mode since I focused on the story campaign, but it’s sure to provide hours of extra gameplay and challenge.
I played the game on an Xbox Series X. I started out playing in Quality graphics mode, but eventually switched to Performance. Framerate rarely dips in Quality mode, but I didn’t feel there was too much of a visual difference when playing in Performance. The real star of Ghostrunner 2 is its gameplay and action, so if you’re sensitive to frame rates below 60 fps, just play Performance to be safe.
Last but not least, I love the game’s synthwave soundtrack. It creates a great atmosphere, backs the action perfectly, and every song is an absolute banger. This will be part of my Spotify rotation for a while.
As you can probably tell, I really enjoyed Ghostrunner 2. If you’re into challenging action games, this is a must-play. I’m really kicking myself for not playing the first game sooner.
Ghostrunner 2 is available now on PC (Steam/Epic/GOG), Playstation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. There are 3 editions - Standard, Deluxe, and Brutal. Deluxe comes with extra cosmetics. Brutal includes even more cosmetics and also the Ghostrunner 2 Season Pass.
