Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden Review

ign.com:

In a sea of sequels, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden has a wonderfully fresh story to tell. I didn’t know I wanted to play as a ghost-hunting detective in a supernatural, alternate reality version of 1600s America, but developer Don’t Nod provides such a compelling mix of death, drama, and romance it made me wonder why no one had tried this sooner. It mostly sticks the landing with the things it tries beyond that story as well, from the excellent concept of swapping between your living and spectral protagonists, to its absolutely stellar investigation mechanics. That said, other parts of Banishers aren’t as original, borrowing the bulk of its structure from plenty of action-adventure games before it, but with stiff and repetitive combat that can’t stand up to those inspirations. Even still, for those in favor of weird games brimming with heartbreak and ectoplasm alike, there’s a lot to enjoy here.

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is the latest entry in a genre I’ve inadvisably taken to calling “crevice crawlers.” Y’know, those third-person games with a serious story and slow pacing, where two people walk around and talk to one another in hushed tones in between combat encounters, and for some reason you spend a lot of time squeezing through crevices to get from place-to-place? I’m talking God of War, A Plague Tale, The Last of Us – classic crevice crawlers. Anyway, while I quite enjoy the occasional sad whispering duo sidling through rubble, at this point the formula is also pretty played out. In the case of Banishers, it made the adventure feel more familiar than I cared for (despite a refreshingly original setting), owing to its steadfast adherence to that trendy template.

Though it certainly doesn’t win points for innovation, Banishers executes on this blueprint quite well, with strong writing, likable characters, and a few good twists and turns in the story to make for an enjoyable cross country odyssey. Playing as Red, the overly-emotional Scotsman with hair that’s