Ghostrunner 2 – Analysis | OtakuPT

Ghostrunner was a game that since it was presented by the Poles of One More Level received everyone’s attention due to its incredibly precise gameplay, unsuitable for those with a heart attack, and a cyberpunk aesthetic that is increasingly present today. Taking these values ​​into account and more than two and a half million copies, the One More Level re-joins the 505 Games for a truly intense second episode… on all levels.

Like its predecessor, Ghostrunner 2 is a first-person action platformer. The story unfolds through a series of levels where players face enemies and obstacles while using their cybernetic ninja skills. The main method of attack continues to be the katana, which is capable of cutting enemies in half with a single blow, but they can also block (and return) shots or use a shuriken to attack from a distance. Just like a self-respecting Ghostrunner of the name, players can run along walls, glide and use a grappling hook to reach remote locations. One of the most useful and important movements in Ghostrunner’s gameplay is the “dash”, which is executed by pressing the right trigger of the DualSenseif of course they are using this command in PRAÇA. This movement is not only used to reach greater distances, but is also an indispensable tool in combat as it can and should be used for players to dodge enemy attacks. However, this action consumes energy from the resistance bar, which is also used to block attacks, so it will be necessary to consider its use very carefully and choose carefully when it is used.

These are the features inherited from the first episode, but as Ghostrunner 2 expands all the elements of its predecessor and also includes a host of new features. Most of these are unlocked as you progress through the levels, so the game One More Level It has a great progression. For example, we have a skill tree that has been vastly improved that allows players to enable/favor a play style. In the lair, the place we visit between levels, players can invest the experience points they have collected so far to buy chips that grant new abilities. However, to equip these chips, you must have sufficient RAM memory on your ninja. Therefore, first of all, you will need to acquire purple chips scattered throughout the levels. This is a very clever way for the player to feel rewarded because in addition to their cybernetic ninja becoming more powerful, it also allows advanced techniques to be mastered, given that most of the purple chips are in areas that are difficult to access and it will be necessary to resort, pair and dismember several enemies. It should be noted that the exploration of the levels in Ghostrunner 2 It is much more vertical, which also gives rise to incredible and extremely rewarding moments for the player.

Within these skills we also find the so-called “Ultimate” skills, which are powerful techniques that grant abilities when moments of greater pressure arise because they take some time to recharge. These are extremely modeling and can be in the form of a very powerful laser beam from the palms of the hands or slowing down time for a few seconds. Another new feature in Ghostrunner 2 is the “Roguerunner.exe” mode, which literally turns the game into a roguelike with players having to select different paths and skills to reach the final mission. The gameplay also provides players with very varied moments that go beyond the usual combat and parkour, such as, for example, having to hit a series of objects in a level in the indicated time, segments on board a motorbike and hacking systems. These options, as a whole, managed to not only make Ghostrunner 2 a great action game as well as a fantastic first-person platformer. It is truly satisfying to complete the routes using all our abilities and without failing. However, the higher quality of Ghostrunner 2 it is also its biggest weakness and it all depends on the profile and expectations of each player.

Ghostrunner 2 It’s not a difficult game, it’s an extremely difficult game, given that one bullet can literally condition the progress of an entire level! If we add to this the ease with which you fall into the platform stages, you will understand why this is a game that evokes most of the philosophy of games from the 80s/90s, that is, try, try and try until you achieve the so-called desired mastery. I’m going further to baptize Ghostrunner 2 like “Speedrunner 2”, because essentially that’s what each level is, a misstep and players will have to start over from scratch. I think it was with this audience in mind that Ghostrunner 2 was designed because this is a game that requires skill and a lot of patience. We die so many times that we lose count and it’s easy for players to feel frustrated, but I bet that when they conquer a section or a level, the satisfaction will be so immense that few games can convey it. That is why this element differs for each of us and consequently the time to complete Ghostrunner 2 also, as it can take around 20 hours as never before, it all depends on skill in the controls and lots and lots of muscle memory.

Contrary to expectations Ghostrunner 2 is a game of PRAÇA which, even though it is very beautiful, does not have a wide range of graphic options. In addition to resolutions up to 4K at 30, 60, 120 or 144 frames (unlocked), the game has no “presets” but has post-processing quality options, in shadows, textures and effects. It also gives players the choice to disable Motion Blur, blood effects, dismembered bodies, and reduce or increase the field of view. In my build, that is, a PRAÇA composed of a processor AMD Ryzen 9 5950Xgraphics card NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 MSI Suprim64 GB RAM at 3600 MHz and a drive Samsung 990 PRO NVMe M.2 SSD I managed to execute Ghostrunner 2 in 4K resolutions between 80 and 120 frames per second with all visual effects raised to maximum, that is, all visual elements raised to “Epic” even with ray tracing active. However, I had to resort to technology NVIDIA DLSS 2.4unfortunately for now the game does not natively support the technologies NVIDIA DLSS 3but with file manipulation it is possible.

The philosophy of Ghostrunner 2 at Steam Deck It’s a bit like the game itself, that is, it’s difficult to play, but with some adjustments and a lot of patience it’s possible to enjoy it in most areas. This is a game where I think it is vital to resort to AMD FSR 2.0 in Performance mode and reduce some graphic elements to a minimum for a good experience on your laptop. Valve. By using these two elements I was able to enjoy almost the entire game at 30 fixed frames, the only exceptions were the cutscenes and some areas more crowded with enemies where it dropped to almost half. This is also a game with the portable market in mind, as it allows you to modify the “UI” and increase the size of the subtitles so that everything is more readable on a smaller screen, it also has 16:10 resolutions, which means that players you won’t enjoy this futuristic adventure with the archaic black bars at the top and bottom.

However, when I moved to the last device on the list, i.e. the ROG AllyI was able to verify that I could enhance almost all the visual areas of the game using the AMD FSR 2.0 in “Quality” mode at 25w with practically all visual options at high, except in the shadows. It should be noted that initially this game was incompatible with the Aura Sync from the Armory Crate, but with the new “333” bios, not only is it impressive on the laptop’s small screen, but at 720p it runs at between 40 and 60 frames per second with practically no drops in fluidity. Visually Ghostrunner 2 is very similar to its predecessor, that is, it portrays a dystopian metropolis where neon lights illuminate the city. The soundtrack, although it continues to be sprinkled with electronic and futuristic tones, I think it presented less variety than in the previous game. The game is localized in several languages ​​where we again find Brazilian Portuguese.

Ghostrunner 2 is a real double-edged sword. On the one hand, it may appeal to players who like difficult and rewarding games, on the other hand it immediately alienates legions of players due to its immense difficulty. Although there is no middle ground between one demographic and another, it is still an extremely interesting adventure that raised all its characteristics to the maximum to produce one of the most intense and visceral action games of 2023.