Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed review

Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed takes the rising popularity of asymmetrical multiplayer gameplay and blends it with the wackiness of its source material. Tom grabbed his Proton Pack and had a go at ghostbusting for himself...

At first glance, Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed visuals may appear simplistic, and so too, many of its gameplay elements, but underneath it all is a system that not only lets you live out a fantasy of becoming a member of the famed team but also partake in plenty of shenanigans as an otherworldly being. Don't let its welcomingly soft style fool you, as this is a game that has the ability to drown you in chaos as quickly as it seduces you with nostalgia, and it makes for a wildly good time.

Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed trailer

Honestly, I wasn't expecting Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed to work quite as well as it does. Granted, some elements such as its unlockable items feel a little barebones at the moment, but overall, there is an overpowering sense of respect for the franchise and a gameplay loop that had me wanting to come back for more. The asymmetrical multiplayer genre is crammed full of violent, horror-themed games, and I love that, but it's refreshing to play something that enjoys a death-free existence and somehow manages to make playing as a lamp feel natural — I wasn't expecting to say something like that either, but here we are...

In Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed you play one of two roles: a member of the four-member team of 'Busters' or the naughty Ghost attempting to haunt a location. Naturally, playing as a Buster is the main draw of the game, which focuses on putting you in the shoes of a fresh-faced recruit, the new generation of Ghostbusters. Both Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson reprise their roles as Ray Stantz and Winston Zeddemore, respectively, as mentors and experts in hunting the otherworldly critters causing havoc across New York City. Their roles help give Illfonic's game a chance to stand on its own feet and tell its own story, as well as offer credibility to this new franchise entry.

Your newfound career operates out of the iconic Firehouse, which acts as the hub for everything you do in the game — it even has an interactable Ecto Containment Unit so you can mimic emptying the Ghost Trap. I used it countless times before I realised it didn't actually do anything. From the Firehouse, you can apply character upgrades, travel to the spirit world to modify your ghost, rewatch the story cutscenes (which is pretty much a fun cartoon you unlock in segments as you level up), load into games, marvel at Ecto-1, and see your collectable items. It's practically an explorable menu. You should also be able to collect contracts to complete for additional XP, but it seems to be buggy and didn't work for me. I managed to get one contract before the ability to access the table disappeared completely, but levelling is so quick, I can't imagine the contracts would be too advantageous anyway — of the 50 available levels, I'm already at level 33 after around 15 hours of playtime.

To hop into a game, you interact with a telephone on a desk — which rings until you ready up; I like that —and choose to either play with other humans or just use bots. AI companions generally have a reputation of being braindead in the majority of games, but not here! No, here they carry you through each match. They don't do much to other players, but fellow bots can make it interesting. The single game mode sees the Ghost scaring NPCs in an attempt to fully haunt the map. A number of tools are at your disposal, such as making objects float and move around, possessing people, vomiting slime onto them, and a host of other delightful actions. You can possess many items around the map and move about while inside them, so if, like our very own Luke, you fancy spending a bit of time exploring the intricate life of a cardboard box, you can. While it's definitely a fun activity to indulge in, it's also one of the many tools a Ghost has for subterfuge and sabotage.

As the Ghost is attempting to haunt the map, the Busters must try to stop it by capturing it in the Ghost Trap. The Ghost has three Relics hidden around the map, which the Busters need to locate and destroy to stop it from respawning while simultaneously calming the NPCs. Teamwork is key, as travelling solo raises your own fear level and decreases your ability to perform tasks. Plus, a skilled Ghost player will easily dodge your pitiful attempts to capture it alone. Alongside the famed Particle Thrower, you have a few secondary gadgets to help you out as well, such as Ionizer Pods to slow the Ghost and a Radar Puck for alerting you of the Ghost's presence. Ghosts can fight back with their own abilities and may just decide to bring the fight to you instead of haunting the map directly, offering a fresh experience with each game you play. As I said before, you can't die in Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed; you go into a downed state after being covered in far too much ectoplasm (slime) before getting back up again.

Customisation includes both cosmetic items and upgrades to your Buster's equipment: Proton Pack, Particle Thrower, P.K.E Metre, and Ghost Trap. Each item can be upgraded with various parts that increase or decrease its stats, such as altering the time it takes to tether a ghost, improving the speed your items cool down after overheating, and a multitude of other additions. The stats slightly affect how your Buster operates in the field, so tuning it to fit your playstyle is required, especially since the Ghost can also be upgraded. The Ghost's upgrades come in the form of five archetypes, each hosting a number of variants with differing skills. Beginners start with the Ectoplast, which specialises in getting everyone and everything covered in slime — the game's 'damage.' However, as you level up, other options become available, such as Ghosts designed to break everything around them, buff their own mini-minion army, possess humans, and various other abilities. While additional cosmetic items wouldn't go amiss as an incentive to continue playing after level 50, I have to give a shout-out to Illfonic for the inclusion of your Gamertag as a name patch on your character's clothing. It's a small detail, I know, but seeing 'DeathHuntsUs' printed on a Ghostbuster's t-shirt is too good not to appreciate!

I'm having a blast with Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleased at the moment, thanks to the variety of gameplay opportunities you have with both the Busters and Ghosts, but it's not without its faults sadly. Playing with Luke, who was using an Xbox Series S, saw him crash after every game, although I've been absolutely fine on the Series X. As I mentioned before, I can't access the contracts menu anymore, which is pretty annoying, so I can't comment on how useful it is or not. Overall, it's been a really fun adventure and a breath of fresh air compared to the other titles in the genre.

As for the Ghostbuster: Spirits Unleashed achievements, there really isn't anything in the list that's going to prove much of a challenge, and even the cumulative ones aren't too egregious. Catastrophic Destroyer, which tasks you with causing $5 million worth of damage across your career is going to be one of the longer unlocks, but you can help that along by firing your Particle Thrower at almost everything on each map. It's a great list, and one that won't be too difficult to complete.

Summary

Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed brings a welcoming and whimsical approach to the asymmetrical multiplayer genre while ensuring that it remains faithful to the franchise's incredible history. Taking on the Busters as a Ghost offers you plenty of opportunities to be cheeky at every turn, just as you would expect from the creatures in Aykroyd's universe. While a couple of issues have stopped me from scoring this a little higher, I have no doubt that fans and newcomers alike will have a great time with this well-crafted gem. If you've grown a little tired of the dark and foreboding theme found in similar games, I highly recommend you pick up the phone and call the Ghostbusters now to apply as a new recruit. It's time to get busting!

* Tom played around 15 hours of Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed, unlocking 17 of 51 achievements in the process. A review copy was provided by the publisher, and played on Xbox Series X.

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Written by Tom West

Tom has been playing video games since he was old enough to hold a controller, experimenting with a number of systems until he eventually fell in love with Xbox. With a passion for the platform, he decided to make a career out of it, and now happily spends his days writing about that which he loves. If he’s not hunting for Xbox achievements, you’ll likely find him somewhere in The Elder Scrolls Online or fighting for survival in Battlefield.