The rather awesome Ghostrunner has a new limited-time demo available on Steam for gamers to try. Basically the PAX East demo I played earlier this year, it’s a short sample of what one can expect from this futuristic cyberpunk first-person game: a lot of dying, restarting, and killing. The demo will be available until May 13 (and is said to be streamable on Geforce Now).
A new trailer accompanying the demo sets up the general vibe you can expect. This is a dark game set against contrasting colors in some unnamed futuristic city. It almost looks a little like Blade Runner, though obviously done with more modern technology. You could call the story a mixture of Mirror’s Edge and Hotline Miami since you’ll be carrying some knowledge that can save the world from its dystopian ways.
In fact, the Hotline Miami comparison is pretty apt. It might be reductive to call this a first-person version of Dennaton Games’ murder simulator, but the general flow of combat bears a striking resemblance to the punchy nature of that indie darling. You’ll hit numerous checkpoints with a selection of enemies that require you to precisely kill them. Take one hit and you’re dead, quickly restarting and trying again.
It can feel super punishing, but you’ll have access to a deadly ability that will turn the tides in your favor: the killing blink. Being that you’re a futuristic ninja, you can teleport a small distance towards your enemies to close in for the kill. While utilizing this ability, the game world slows down and lets you plan exactly how you’ll maneuver. You can even put some tilt on your character to dodge projectiles.
Once you understand how everything works, Ghostrunner feels pretty great. I was told at PAX East that new abilities would be slowly introduced over time to keep platforming challenges fresh. Enemies will also be adopting new gadgets, which means you’ll have to learn how to approach them when the time comes. It’s just plain good game design.
Why not see for yourself? The demo is roughly 25 minutes long, so you won’t need to dedicate a large chunk of your day to play it.
Source: Twitter
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