Previews
‘Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed’ Looks to Make Multiplayer Busting Feel Good [Preview]
We pick up a proton pack and throw out a trap to catch a glimpse of IllFonic’s ‘Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed’ in our preview of the new multiplayer experience.
In hindsight, it’s actually quite surprising we hadn’t seen an asymmetrical multiplayer Ghostbusters game before now. The format feels right for the license.
IllFonic has spent the past few years honing its multiplayer chops, learning from mistakes, and getting a better idea of what’s needed from a modern asymmetrical experience. In Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed, it now has perhaps the perfect template for it.
Having taken on cult two 80s icons in Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th: The Game) and The Predator (Predator: Hunting Grounds), where the lone aggressor is largely more powerful than the team of prey, IllFonic looks for something of a role reversal with Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed. The ghost has tricks up its nonexistent sleeves, but the Ghostbusters? Well, they have proton packs.
IllFonic’s Ghostbusters takes up the legendary mantle after the events of Ghostbusters Afterlife, and focuses on a brand new set of Busters, namely…you and your friends. Four player characters will enter one of several maps to deal with the local spectral pest, who can also be controlled by another player.
The footage I saw, both from the perspective of the Ghostbusters and the ghost, was set in a museum. IllFonic developers explained the way the game plays out as the footage played. The ghost’s aim is to cause enough havoc that the area gets increasingly haunted and panics the local populace. To that end, it can set up destructive rifts, possess objects to taunt the Ghostbusters (a bit of Prop Hunt effectively thrown into the mix), throw ectoplasm about to slow them down, and generally mess the place up. The bigger the ghost’s lead, the more the map changes. The Ghostbusters, meanwhile, must use their PKE meters to pursue the spirit, flushing it out with proton streams, and eventually, hopefully, trapping it.
Right out the gate, IlFonic was quick to note there will be a newfound flexibility to its latest game’s multiplayer setup. A more accessible asymmetrical experience in keeping with the more universal appeal of the Ghostbusters franchise. Not ready for online play? Bots will take over any roles you want. Not confident at a certain kind of playstyle? There are rewards for all kinds of actions. There’s even cross-gen and cross-platform play. The play is peppered with second chances that try to prevent a quick washout. The emphasis is clearly on fun, not elitism, and that’s pretty refreshing. It’s even aiming to be a cross-generation, cross-play game to ensure it has the widest possible pool of players united.
Before getting into the action though, Illfonic is out to make you feel the Ghostbusters experience. The game’s hub is the iconic fire station HQ, and you can wander around it with friends, practice your skills, and chat with the likes of Winston and Ray about the spooky goings-on around the world. When you’re ready to tool up, the loading screen sees Ecto-1 barreling towards your next destination. By handing the player their own unique Ghostbuster, IllFonic makes it a more personal experience than if it were just the usual faces again.
On the ghost side of things, there are various different types, so hopefully, there will be a type of ghost that suits everyone’s playstyle. Going into a match, players on the Ghostbusters side won’t know what kind of ghost they’ll be up against, so despite the odds being slightly against them, the ghost player does have some strategic advantage. At present, there are no plans to allow for a switch in ghost type mid-match if things aren’t working quite right, but IllFonic hasn’t ruled it out.
The elephant in the room, of course, is the various other multiplayer horror games currently, or soon to be, swimming in the pool. Aliens: Fireteam Elite, Evil Dead: The Game, Dead By Daylight, Back 4 Blood, World War Z. all bring their own ideas, but what can Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed bring to carve a sizable niche in the market?
I’d say, from what I’ve seen and heard, the two key factors are the license itself and the open and accessible all-ages approach. A horror-themed game you can play with your kids where no one gets killed and the spookiness is the fun kind. I’m sure some will scoff at a kid-focused horror game, but we really don’t have enough of them, let alone ones with a cooperative and competitive side.
If IllFonic can deliver on strong servers, a good gameplay balance, and the aforementioned accessibility, then the ceiling is very high indeed for Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed.
Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed is due to hit Q4 2022 on PC for Epic Games Store, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One.
Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed Preview impressions from an Alpha build.
Previews
‘Evil Dead: The Game’ Looks to Be Raising the Bar for Asymmetrical Horror [Hands-On Preview]
The idea of synthesizing all of the moving pieces of the Evil Dead series into one cohesive package is one vicious, behemoth Deadite in itself. But on top of that, transcending the medium of film and television and adapting it into a gaming genre as volatile as asymmetrical multiplayer? One would naturally question how Saber Interactive could possibly appease every possible audience with EVIL DEAD: THE GAME, from veteran film fans to savvy gamers who want a unique and engaging experience. But as someone who fits into both camps who recently spent an hour with the developers kicking Deadite ass (and kicking ass as Deadites), I can happily report that Saber Interactive has pulled it off. EVIL DEAD: THE GAME is asymmetrical multiplayer at its best.
For those unfamiliar, asymmetrical multiplayer is a gameplay paradigm that heavily skews the power dynamic between two opposing teams. In the case of EVIL DEAD: THE GAME, four players select a character from the roster of Ash Williams and his cohorts from across the Evil Dead franchise (the “Survivor” team) to face one player who controls the all-powerful Kandarian Demon (the “Killer” team).
The survivor team is packed with familiar faces, including multiple iterations of Ash Williams as he appears throughout the Evil Dead series, meaning if you want to play Avengers multiverse style as a team of four different Ashes, the choice is yours. Just expect to hear a lot of quips from Bruce Campbell, who returned to reprise his role along with almost all of the original cast members from the films and television series. If you’re feeling a bit more sadistic, you can opt to play as The Kandarian Demon, which gives you the ability to control and summon Deadites to hinder and destroy the survivor team before they have a chance to use the Necronomicon to open a portal and excise the evil.
One important question I had when going into the preview was “How is this game going to stand out from its peers in the asymmetrical multiplayer space?” The genre is already well-known for hits like Behaviour Interactive’s Dead By Daylight, and is becoming further saturated with upcoming titles like Gun Media’s Texas Chain Saw Massacre game. Walking out of the preview, I felt that Saber Interactive knocked it out of the park in multiple ways, but my biggest takeaway was the sense of agency that the gameplay provides on both the survivor and killer sides.
For starters, on the survivor side, you’re given the option to select a character that fits into one of four categories: Leader, Warrior, Hunter, or Support. Each character in their respective class holds certain abilities that fit their archetype–for example, Cheryl in Support has an ability that heals the team as they converge around her. This system immediately establishes an element of complexity to the gameplay: how do you build synergy based on these classes? Do you want to be in the fray battling it out, or would you rather scout out objectives and rally the team to success? Additionally, you have the option of upgrading your abilities via cans of Pink-F scattered throughout the map, and have access to an expansive list of weapons to choose from shotguns to Medieval swords.
On the other hand, as the Kandarian Demon, you’re given free rein to zip across the map and collect Infernal Energy, which is used for all sorts of offensive options from summoning Deadites, to conjuring up traps, and my favorite, possession. Think of it like the survivors are in one big haunted house, and you’re the one with the master switch that controls everything that happens, from jump-scare traps to possessed trees and cars. Survivors themselves can even become possessed once their fear meters max out, giving you the option to take control of their characters to lay the smackdown on their team members, waste all of their ammo or separate them from the group. It’s as chaotic as it is a genuinely unique and a fresh take on the genre that’s never been seen before.
These factors of complexity and agency are so important because it counteracts an issue that often presents itself in asymmetrical horror: redundancy. Continuously playing matches can grow stagnant quickly if the gameplay isn’t complex and the same objectives need to be completed over and over again. The one hour I played of EVIL DEAD: THE GAME left me hungry to explore more. How does the gameplay differ between survivors? What are the other weapons like? How can I best optimize my team? And more importantly, I was excited to try out playing as the killer again. Like many other folks who play asymmetrical multiplayer, I tend to favor playing as the survivor over the killer, but playing as the Kandarian Demon was such a blast that I could see myself defecting to the dark side with EVIL DEAD.
EVIL DEAD: THE GAME truly offers something for everyone. Those who have stuck with the franchise since Sam Raimi’s first film in 1981 will love the homages and faithful adaptations, and those new to the series will love the blend of action, horror, and humor. People familiar with asymmetrical multiplayer can expect a fresh and innovative take on the genre, and if you’re new to asymmetrical multiplayer? I can confidently say EVIL DEAD: THE GAME will set the bar high for you.
EVIL DEAD: THE GAME will release on PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Series X/S, and PC via the Epic Games Store on May 13th, 2022.
4 New Horror Movies Releasing This Week Including ‘Late Night with the Devil’ at Home
‘Ready or Not’: Radio Silence Filmmakers Tease the “Absolute Banger” of a Sequel That’s Taking Shape
‘Sting’ Review – Throwback Creature Feature Entertains With an Impressive Practical Monster
“We Built Every Creature” – ‘Alien: Romulus’ Goes Heavy on the Old School Practical Effects!
‘Terrifier 3’: Filming Has Wrapped on Damien Leone’s Christmas Slasher Sequel!
You must be logged in to post a comment.