Thankfully, the quick restart allows you to get straight back into the action and try again instantly. Much like the fantastic Celeste, you can end up dying dozens of times in the space of only a few minutes. This game is brutally difficult, and any mistake that you make will be punished by death. To say Ghostrunner is a tough game is an understatement. Usually, these are used in platforming sections but you can also find them scattered in the occasional enemy encounter. You can find upgrades that allow you throw shurikens, jump higher or slow down time for a short time, and more. That’s not to mention the additional mechanics that are introduced every couple of missions that add that little bit extra oomph to make the game more fun. It’s brilliant level design that really allows you to use your favorite playstyle. When you enter a new area you typically have a handful of paths to chose from, each of which leading you to different enemies that you will need to take out in different order. These abilities recharge slowly, so you really need to pick when and where to use them but if used properly can help you wipe out the most difficult encounters with ease. They are: Blink, that allows the runner to dash through a number of enemies killing them instantly Tempest, that deflects shots and push enemies back Surge sends out a shockwave to kill enemies and Overload, which temporarily turns enemies onto one another. Throughout the course of the game, the Ghostrunner will gain access to four special abilities that can devastate enemies. You die in one hit, so it’s critical you use your advanced wall running, grappling hook and quick movement techniques to survive. As a Ghostrunner, you are only equipped with a sword and a dash ability which slows you down whilst in mid-air to help you get around enemies for a quick kill. The core gameplay of Ghostrunner is really easy to pick up, but difficult to master. If all you want is an action game, the story is really easy to tune out.

The few cutscenes that do exist are brief. Dialogue is played over quieter platforming sections rather than during combat heavy moments. Best of all, the story is usually presented in a way that doesn’t slow down the gameplay at all. I quite enjoyed the story, as it featured some decent characters and a couple of interesting plot points. For the most part the story of Ghostrunner is your basic sci-fi trope filled adventure with a lot of similarities between movies like Karl Urban’s amazing Dredd portrayal.

Ghostrunner abilities