Focus Entertainment have brought us some of the most memorable single-player games in the past few years. With games like Atomic Heart, Evil West, Atlas Fallen and the upcoming Space Marine 2 on their books, it’s no surprise that Focus have strong relationships with some of the finest story-driven game devs. And the latest Focus title, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, comes from French studio Don’t Nod.
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Don’t Nod are the team behind the original Life Is Strange and the criminally overlooked Remember Me. In Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, you play a ghost hunter in 17th century New England. One fateful day, you are called upon to save a sleepy backwater town from a few spooks and ghouls. However, not all is not as it seems.
Elden Thing
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden centres around a husband-and-wife duo, Antea Duarte and Red MacRaith. The pair of Banishers are asked by an old friend to investigate the small community of New Eden.
But, Antea soon becomes a ghost after a run in with a very formidable spirit. Red is also left as good as dead after this encounter. However, thanks to a local witch, he is saved and locates Antea’s spirit.
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And here is the real rub of the game – Antea has become what the pair had sworn to fight. There is, however, a way to bring her back… but, at a cost.
Antea, Turn Her
Here begins the morally incredibly grey area of Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden – you will often face moral dilemmas across its runtime. Sometimes you will even have to play judge, jury and executioner, with the fates of those you meet often in your hands.
This system is a bit skewed by one major detail, though. Regardless of the outcome, every decision will either help bring Antea back or help her pass on to the afterlife. So, even if you think the person was in the right, you can condemn them regardless in order to help Antea.
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It’s an interesting feature. And very often, right after battling a big scary thing, you’re thrown a moral choice with massive consequences. A choice which, quite often, is a tougher fight than the apparition you just pummelled.
Haunting Decisions
The tale that Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden weaves is gripping, and often unsettles the player with twists and turns. There are also more than a few uncomfortable choices that influence the story as a whole. And some of the choices the game introduces will really stay with you.
Combat is fast and fluid as you combine Red’s conventional weaponry; like swords and rifles, with Antea ‘s spirit abilities. For example, Antea can create blast waves, or leap across the battlefield to even the odds in your ethereal struggles.
Most fights see you walking into set areas, then having to fight a number of different foes, using a mix of light and strong combos.
Each battle will bag you skill points that you can use to level up your move set and powers. Resources can also be found around the world can be used to upgrade your gear and kit.
Slice of Colonial America
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden gives you a semi-open world to explore. You’ll find lots of hidden areas and loot off the beaten track as a reward for your curiosity. Several of the abilities you learn along the way will open up new areas, lending an quasi-Metroidvania progress path to the game as you revisit older areas in search of newly opened path.
Graphically, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is superb. You’ll trek through lush forests or fog-covered coastlines, never knowing what is waiting to grab you. And thanks to a cracking lighting system and some outstanding art design, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden sucks you in to its froeboding atmosphere.
The audio of Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is moody and carries the atmosphere in perfect tone throughout. There’s also some terrific voice acting across the board. Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden features a good mix of accents that feel believable for that time period in America’s history.
Shoutout to Red, voiced by Russ Bain, who is easily one of the best Scottish characters I’ve heard in gaming for a while.
End of the Sentry
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden delivers a cracking single-player adventure based on fun combat loop. The experience is only enhanced by an impactful story and some hard choices.
Banishers makes a great job at truly testing how far you willing to go to save the ones you truly love in this world.