Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden Review

“Life to the living, death to the dead” goes the Banishers' mantra, which effectively tells you all you need to know about the new game from developer Don't Nod Entertainment. Okay, perhaps not everything, like how Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden shares more in common with the studio's forays into action, like Remember Me and Vampyr, and to a lesser extent, Life is Strange and Twin Mirror (although the less said about that last one the better). This is best described as a mash up of everything Don't Nod has done to date, juggling combat, metroidvania exploration, and more than a modicum of meaningful choice and consequence. There's an awful lot of interesting stuff here, and it all hangs together rather nicely.

Banishers opens with doe-eyed lovers Red mac Raith and Antea Duarte sharing their dreams - “I dreamed of clouds,” Red mutters wistfully. “I dreamed of the abyss,” Antea retorts ominously. Way to kill a mood. Landing in New England in 1695, “the greatest Banishers” the narrator ever knew are enlisted to lift the gloom plaguing the village of New Eden, and, from the outset, said gloom hangs thick in the air. Before long, Antea succumbs to the malevolent 'Nightmare' spectre that's turned New Eden from a flourishing little coastal settlement into a right shithole. Fatally wounded in battle, Antea joins the ranks of the very apparitions she used to hunt (that's not a spoiler, just to be clear – her death happens to be integral to the plot and the gameplay), and, as Red, you must venture forth into the great green yonder. The twist here is that Antea lives on as your ghostly companion, effectively taking residence inside the gruff Scottish ghost hunter, popping out to fight or lend a hand whenever it's needed, with the touch of a button.

Therein lies the crux of Banishers' gameplay – as a ghost, Antea provides helpful combat support, giving hostile spectres a good punching. She can also see things Red can't using her 'Unveil' ability; zip to otherwise out of reach places (via designated points) with her 'Leap' skill; cause area-of-effect damage and smash through destructible obstacles with an aggressive 'Outburst'; cause path-blocking corrupted vines to wither; or web up enemies by unleashing her 'Ensnare' skill, and more besides. All of this keeps things varied as you journey across the game's open world, on your way back to New Eden for a second showdown with the Nightmare, hopefully having sufficiently levelled up and honed your ghost-busting prowess.

Weapons and gear can be upgraded at campfire rest points using the various materials and resources you'll gather out in the world, while levelling up grants points to enhance your attributes on the various skill trees connected to Antea's ghostly abilities. There's a good amount of depth at play in Ghosts of New Eden, with all manner of stats to take into account, although we quickly found and settled upon a core set of weapons, rings, bracelets, and whatnot, and ended up with a solid build we upgraded with all of the resources we could muster. Obviously, the better your gear, the better your chances in a fight – you can increase the number of health-replenishing decoctions Red has at his disposal, for instance, or arm Antea with a trinket that makes each strike she lands deal exponentially greater damage, as long as she doesn't get hit. Blocks, dodges, and evasive rolls help in that department.

In combat, Red wields his sword and torch against restless spectres and shambling corpses known as 'Bonewalkers'. There are boss battles against Scourges and a fair few tricky encounters against hordes of enemies to contend with at every turn, and there is a decent set of combat mechanics to grapple with, albeit with a fairly woolly parry and a slight lack of finesse overall. Banishers isn't the most polished game, but as a single-player action RPG experience it proves enormously compelling. Outside of the main story, Haunting Cases present further intrigue, as some poor tortured soul must be laid to rest. A few are haunted by loved ones, while others might be possessed. One such case involves a man living with his dead wife and her former lover, who also happens to be his late brother, as they take up spectral residence in his head.

There are numerous ruddy-faced folk living with similar problems amid the daily drudgery of life in 1695, and only by severing the ties between the worlds of the living and the dead is there any hope of bringing some serenity to the New World. As for the actual story, you'll ultimately have to decide whether to grant Antea her Ascent, releasing her from the corporeal realm, or attempt to bring her back from the dead, which means placing blame upon people, rending their souls from their body. Some deserve it, some don't, but the choice ultimately lies with you. You can absolve everyone if you like, or blame them all, relieving them of their soul and life force – the latter is the only way to bring back Antea.

Therein lies the most compelling part of Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, the primary aspect that propels you from one waypoint to the next. The combat is good but not great, the frame rate is prone to slight choppiness now and again, but there's something about Don't Nod's spirited adventure that keeps you coming back for more. Likeable protagonists, mixed up and superstitious settlers, a plague-ridden but quite beautiful world, and a smattering of neat RPG elements combine to make Banishers an interesting and engaging experience. It's also that rarest of things these days – a really good mid-tier game with a lot of nice ideas.