Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed Reviews
Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed faithfully will satisfy fans of the movies, but its asymmetrical concept leads to some balance issues.
Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed is an unsatisfying multiplayer experience that lacks the wry character of the movies it's based on.
This game never makes the leap from smaller-scale locales to more epic-sized ones, meaning that the notion of laying waste to a city block as Mr. Stay-Puft or some similarly silly, over-the-top paranormal leviathan against the Ghostbusters remains only a fantasy. Like the film that preceded it, Spirits Unleashed is stuck sending us down memory lane at the expense of stepping forward into new terrain. For many, this nostalgia will be enough, but even with updates it seems unlikely that Spirits Unleashed’s core gameplay will sustain it for long.
All in all, Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed is fine enough and certainly a good representation of the Ghostbusters franchise. I just wish there was a bit more meat on these ghoulish bones.
While a bit surface level at times, the cooperative experience of busting ghosts always brought a smile to my face. Whether you're priming the proton pack or spooking civilians, fans of Ghostbusters will find a lot to love. However, fans of existing asymmetrical experiences may struggle to look beyond the simplicity.
Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed is a fun experience for friends packed with nostalgia in the form of iconic characters and imagery and its fair share of easter eggs, but there is concern that love for the game could flame out faster than if you crossed the streams. If you are a fan of the franchise, though, it brings just enough joy to make it worth the price tag no matter what.
Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed is a game that will quickly lose your attention over a weekend unless you are a diehard fan of the franchise and have a group of friends that are the same. It’s another example of how hard it can be to make an equally fun and engaging asymmetrical multiplayer game.
Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed is the best Ghostbusters release in years. The way it handles and plays, the respect it shows the source material, the way it marries up into recent canon and the gameplay asymmetric hook itself is actually quite enjoyable. While content is a bit thin on the ground and the bot AI is a bit lackluster, I’m excited to see how the game continues to grow and what else Illfonic have in the works. Get a group of friends together and dive in, it’s one of the most refreshing multiplayer takes you’ll see this year.
Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed brings family-friendly fun to the asymmetrical multiplayer horror space, and provides warm nostalgia for Ghostbusters fans.
Impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash.
While Ghostbusters: Spirit Unleashed can be a decent experience with its brand of chaotic asymmetric multiplayer, significant shortcomings in its design and lack of content variety among others stop it from being as great as it could have been.
Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed has its positive points and could be an option for fans of the franchise and those who like asynchronous multiplayer. Other than that, the lack of content, evolution and variation reaffirms a shallow and uninteresting game to dedicate several hours to.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
It's a shame I can't see myself playing more Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed. It feels like developer IllFonic pulled out all the stops to make this a great asymmetrical title, including notable attention to detail with all the Ghostbusters callbacks. In single player, the enemy AI was fine, but the teammate AI was horrible, driving home the fact that I was playing alone. If I could convince four other humans to play with me, I could invest hours of time without blinking; it's a shame this game requires five people to enjoy it properly.
A noteworthy achievement, this game captures the essence of being a Ghostbuster for any fan. If you’re not too keen on the franchise, you can still enjoy this game, a pseudo-horror first-person shooter based around 4v1 team-play. I hope this game brings success to the developers and the franchise as a whole; that way, we’ll see additional DLC and updates in the future to further improve and expand upon this game. I, for one, am hoping to see more homage to retro cartoons in whatever ways possible. This is the perfect October release to coincide with Halloween but can easily last beyond the season. Consider it a successful effort that’ll bust out of any ecto-containment system.
Overall, Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed is a well-crafted game that has a lot of polish and a ton of quality content to enjoy.
Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed offers a solvent, balanced and honest asymmetrical experience that bets on direct fun, delivering, in addition, a good adaptation of the franchise to which it goes. A modest title that knows how to grow from the simplicity of its approach, giving rise to what, for me, is the most solid proposal that Illfonic has signed so far.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed is an excellent, fun, stressful multiplayer game. If you love online gaming, this game is worth a purchase. The price point is good, especially if you choose a digital copy. You can spend hours upgrading gear and unlocking new ghosts! Now I have to go haunt some more players.
Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed immerses players into the treasured universe of paranormal extermination like never before. The moment-to-moment gameplay is nothing short of enchanting, and the emphasis on authentic squad-based ghostbusting stands as the best video game interpretation we've been treated to so far. However, the fun is dictated entirely by the number of friends you play with.
Both its asymmetrical multiplayer gameplay and story are so enjoyable and well-constructed that big fans of either will find a lot to enjoy in Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed. It's not perfect, but it is an earnest and succesful attempt to bring the spirit of the movie's best qualities into a video game, and it just so happens the game is also strong enough to create some satisfying feedback loops, too.