The 4v1 formula has been popular in gaming for some time now. Games like Dead by Daylight and Left 4 Dead have really left a mark on the genre and are wildly popular when it comes to content creation. If you are looking for something new but a little bit more light-hearted, Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed may be something you want to check out. Developed by Illfonic, the same developers of Dead by Daylight, Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed is an asymmetrical 4v1 game where you either play as one of four Ghostbusters or one Ghost. Of course, as the Ghostbusters, your job is to rid each of the maps of the ghost and as the ghost, you need to scare all of the non-player characters from the map before being busted.
In Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed, you are playing as a new recruit to the team led by some familiar faces. Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson are back in their roles as Dr. Raymond Stantz and Winston Zeddmore. They will guide you as you embark on your new adventure as a Ghostbuster. As you would expect from movie industry veterans, the voice acting is great. Their likenesses There are a few new characters that you will meet but I will leave that for you to discover and enjoy.
The story is about what you expect when it comes to a game about capturing ghosts. This doesn’t mean that your experience will be boring but don’t expect too many surprises. The more matches or jobs you complete, the more of the story that you unlock. Now even though you can play through any mission in multiplayer, you can only experience the cutscenes once you leave your party. There are daily and weekly challenges that can extend the time that many will spend with the game and unlock more cosmetics. Hopefully, there is more that can be added in the future if Illfonic gains a large audience.
This game has been a ton of fun to play. When playing as the Ghostbusters team you are forced to work as a team. You are equipped with three gadgets at any given time. The iconic proton pack, a PKE meter, ghost traps, and a grappling hook are at your disposal. When you first begin, there will be limits to each one of these devices so it makes sense to strategize and use your teammates. Eventually, you will be able to unlock upgrades to each device that will make them more effective in the field. If you are playing with other human players, it may be worth strategizing around which person uses what gadgets and upgrades. As you play and unlock more upgrades, you can really tailor your loadout to your style of play. If you are playing with AI companions, you won’t be disappointed. From my experience, the AI players are very capable and don’t only attack the ghost. You can attack the ghost solo, everyone, once and a while but eventually, there is a fear meter that will build and it only decreases when you are playing close to other Ghostbusters.
While playing as the ghost, your main objective is to cause chaos and everything surrounds the use of different abilities. In typical ghost fashion, you need to haunt and possess different items to try to get rid of all of the NPCs. You also have the ability to sabotage the Ghostbuster’s equipment. There are different ghosts that you will be able to utilize with slightly different abilities but the attributes that you are able to upgrade will be the same across characters.
Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed is the most fun when you are playing with a group of friends. You may get to a point where the various levels feel repetitive but there is a ton of room to expand and add in the future. You can really see what Illfonic has learned from working with their other titles. I was really impressed with the AI in the game. It never felt like I was at a disadvantage without a full human squad. You might miss the back and forth chatter of humans but there is matchmaking. Hopefully, the pedigree of the studio will attract a player base that will stick around for a while. Spirits Unleashed does a great job of mixing the old with the new when it comes to both characters and technology. The design of the environments, characters, and weapons was all great. This is a definite recommendation for fans of both Ghostbusters and the 4v1 genre of games.
You can get your hands on Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed right now for $39.99 on PC, Xbox, and Playstation consoles.
