Forgot password
Enter the email address you used when you joined and we'll send you instructions to reset your password.
If you used Apple or Google to create your account, this process will create a password for your existing account.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Reset password instructions sent. If you have an account with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or contact support if the problem persists.
ghostrunner, pax east 2020

Ghostrunner Is Hotline Miami Meets Titanfall Meets Mirrors Edge Meets… (Hands-On Preview)

This article is over 4 years old and may contain outdated information

Ghostrunner is a first-person action game that oozes with style, polish, and lots and lots of blood. I spent about 20 minutes playing through an early section of the game and I can confidently say that this indie title feels more like a full-blown AAA experience that I can compare to Respawn’s Titanfall and DICE’s Mirror’s Edge.

Recommended Videos

Ghostrunner has you running through linear-ish sections to take down the enemies that are scattered about the level. Each of the enemies that I fought only had a blaster equipped on them but these would be fired off every second or so, forcing me to constantly be on the move to avoid death.

And I died a lot in Ghostrunner because if you get hit even once, you lose and must restart the section. Luckily, the respawns are almost instantaneous similar to Hotline Miami so I never felt any push back from the game –if I died, it was my fault and it was my job to find a more effective route or use a different method of murder.

ghostrunner, pax east 2020 preview

You can easily run and jump between walls; a dash move lets you move side to side or reach far spots; you can attach to hooks that hang around the levels and best of all, you can slow down time in the air for a short amount of time to quickly dodge attacks to then go in for the kill with your blade.

At first, I was taken aback by the Ghostrunner’s control scheme but once I got a handle on all of the game’s mechanics and systems, I felt like a total badass samurai cyberpunk warrior, slicing and dicing my way across the map while running and jumping seamlessly.

Getting kills is extremely satisfying in Ghostrunner and whenever I did die, I never wanted to stop playing. The intense gameplay and smoothness of it all makes you want to keep going and going even if you die over and over again.

ghostrunner, pax east 2020

And that’s what made Ghostrunner such a fantastic experience for me. As someone who doesn’t really play first-person games in general, I immediately fell in love with the combat and the slick movement system that the game had to offer.

Even better, I had no expectations going into this demo and I walked out thinking that this was one of the best games I played at PAX.

I was very impressed and awestruck with the demo that I played over at All in! Games booth at PAX East 2020 and if the gameplay segment that I pushed my way through is any indication of the final product that’s planned to release in 2020, you’re all in for a very delicious treat.


Twinfinite is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
Author
Image of Greysun Morales
Greysun Morales
Greysun was formerly the Features Editor at Twinfinite and wrote for the site from 2017 to 2020. He eats ramen 12 times a week and will never get tired of it. Playing Games Since: 1993, Favorite Genres: Action-Adventure, JRPG, Platformers, and Anything With Ramen