Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed Review

The story of Illfonic and Ghostbusters is a strangely similar one.  A breakout release that had people talking, followed by numerous attempts to recapture the magic that largely struggled in comparison, but not from a lack of trying. For Ghostbusters, the first movie set such a high standard that so many other projects across the franchise haven’t been able to match it, whereas Illfonic caught everyone’s attention with Friday the 13^th: The Game and garnered plenty of interest, but their subsequent trips to the multiplayer pool have barely rippled the surface. So the question is, what happens when you put the two together?

Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed takes the simple concept of being a team of Ghostbusters kitted out with all the appropriate gadgets, visiting a handful of locations to take out a ghost before it descends upon the mortal realm and destroys everything in its past. The twist, if you want to call it that, is that another player can take the role of the ghost itself to wreck shop, haunting objects or hiding Prop Hunt style to avoid capture. Yes, it’s another Illfonic attempt at a 4v1 multiplayer experience, but unlike their previous efforts, the setting seems to fit more comfortably to the concept.

If you’ve been keeping up with the series, Spirits Unleashed takes place right where Ghostbusters Afterlife left off (or more specifically, its end credits sequence) as the team return to their original firehouse stomping ground and get back to work, clearing the streets of New York and beyond of creepy ghouls. As a new recruit, you’re quickly trained in the art of wearing a nuclear power plant on your back, with former members Ray and Winston welcoming you into the fold, happily sliding down the firepole and getting a quick game under your belt to understand the basics of hunting and capturing ghosts.

No crystal heads in sight

As a buster, your team of four must work together and use various traps both based on those seen in the movies and some newly crafted for the game in order to track and capture the ghost. You’ll only have the basics to begin with, a traditional proton pack and ghost trap kit along with a P.K.E meter that acts as a radar system of sorts. The more you play, the more you’ll unlock new upgrades or different types of packs, traps and other items that can turn the tide of each battle. As a ghost, your task is to protect three portals into the spirit realm and haunt the location as best as possible. If the Ghostbusters remove those portals, it both reduces a ghost’s ability to return after being captured and lowers the risk of the location being completely haunted.

You’ll quickly notice a few key points of difference between Illfonic’s attempt at bringing the Ghostbusters to life compared to their previous work. For one, there’s a narrative thread that connects your adventures in the field (and the reason why you can play as a ghost), humorously voiced by original cast members Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson among a host of new names. If you return to the fire station after a few rounds you’ll be greeted with the chance to continue the story, a cute little side venture that has an older ghost invade the station and cause a few problems. It’s not going to set the world on fire, but it’s good to have something else to see and do that makes it feel like you’re actually playing a part in the day-to-day of running the station.

The second big addition is bots. Granted, they aren’t exactly super intelligent, but you’ll notice during matchmaking that even if there aren’t enough players to fill out a roster, the game will eventually load up with bots to do so instead. It’s a major quality of life improvement, meaning you’ll always find a game to play and level up your created character no matter if anyone else is online, and the bots themselves do a decent enough job to make each game competitive enough without it feeling like a breeze. They have an occasional bug or two, getting caught on scenery or standing still for too long, but for the most part they are a worthwhile addition that keeps things moving.

Streams were definitely not crossed

When you do get into a game that’s full of actual players, however, the difference is noticeable. Communication is the key, sure, but there’s nothing like having a group of players who know what they are doing, either dropping traps creatively or using the in-game ping system to call out discoveries. It’s far more competitive and enjoyable, too, when a player takes control of the ghost and uses its abilities cunningly, and it’s truly manic fun as four players randomly cross streams accidentally while a ghost tosses in every conceivable trick and trap of its own in a goo-filled, colourful mess. It’s arguably one of the best 4v1 experiences I’ve played, and that’s not just because I’m a fan of the IP or get a kick out of the little references and call backs to the movies.

Being a ghost, however, is clearly the best thing going for Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed. While being a Ghostbuster can be entertaining in its own right, the prop hunt style of play on offer as a ghost can be far more entertaining. Most of my games divulged into me flying around as a vacuum cleaner, having all four busters chasing me down before I turn a corner, hop into a teddy bear and somehow manage to lose them in the process. It does feel a little lopsided early on until you start to unlock abilities and get a handle on the mechanics, case in point one of my first games had me going up against a ghost player who clearly had too much spare time on his hands and wiped the floor with us. But as a ghost, I had an absolute blast being a cheeky son-of-a-bitch and jump scaring other players as often as I could.

Truth be told, there’s not a lot of content within Illfonic’s creation which is somewhat traditional when it comes to these kinds of games, but the attention to detail and respect to the brand is as clear as day. It’s genuinely a fun time and thanks to the bots, I rarely had the problem of waiting for minutes on end for a game and as soon as one finishes, you’re straight back into the next round. It’s a shame, however, that the story included is awkwardly handled. It’s fun to see old and new characters working together and it’s well animated and acted, sure, but the game locks you out from the multiplayer lobby or matchmaking until you complete the cut scenes and watch the story unfold.

Rahul Kohli looking classy as always

Levelling up doesn’t take too long, thanks to a number of objectives that award bonus XP and gear unlocks over time, but besides the story moments there’s not much else to see or do here. The locations are lovingly re-created but sadly have very little happening within them and have no real interactive elements. It’s a glorified walkable main menu outside of the story beats and a missed opportunity to have just that little something more. Thankfully, the main game itself does make up for these shortcomings, but it means the usual flaw of multiplayer-only experiences remains true, that your time spent here comes down to how much you’re enjoying it and whether spending the time to unlock every new ability or ghost type is worth the effort.

There are a few bugs here or there too. I noticed a ghost T-posing its way down a hallway at one point, but for the most part I never had any technical issues or framerate hiccups, which is highly important for a game that at times can get very hectic. Crossplay also seems to work well and is on by default, though currently you have to lock into an Epic Store account in order to play with specific friends on your friends list given its PC exclusivity on the platform.

Final Thoughts

Flaws and all, Ghostbusters has always been one of my favourites, but its video game history has been spotty at best. Luckily, Spirits Unleashed is easily one of the best iterations of the brand, an engaging multiplayer experience that both makes you really feel like a Ghostbuster but makes the task of being bad guy just as fun if not more so. It isn’t perfect, nothing across the history of busting ghosts has ever been, but the inclusion of bots and hopefully some future content updates means this isn’t going to die an unfortunate early death and become just another entry in Tobin’s Spirit Guide.

Reviewed on PS5 // Review code supplied by publisher

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