Ghost Blade HD Review

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The shooter genre, also known as the bullet hell genre, has been one that I have not dabbled in to for years. It is not one I am particularly adverse in, so I just generally avoid it. This game felt slightly overwhelming for a rookie to jump head on in to, but I think this is a game that anybody interested in the genre can get in to. Developed by Hucast Games, who are pretty much veterans in the genre, as they are also known for the Dux/Redux games.

The premise of this genre, for those who do not know, is for the player to just shoot their way through as many of the enemies as possible. It is probably important to acknowledge that these games are designed so that your tricked out, overpowered ship could probably survive the destruction of the universe if it had to, it is so greatly designed. The trick to really succeed, however, is to weave your way through the ships using masterful precision. If you want to make it to the big leagues, you have got to play this game smart.

Ghost Blade HD Review Screenshot 2

There are various modes to play, ranging in difficulty. Each of these modes have a training mode, but the main difficulty change is the attack pattern of the enemies. The larger the bullet, the slower it moves, so the deadliest attacks can be avoided with fast movements and some planning. What s also good is the way the game senses when a player may be stuck, and so helps the player by giving them more credits, which transfers in to more lives. Regardless, unless you play this genre religiously, you should expect to die a lot. I mean, a lot.

This game is tough, especially on the high difficulty levels. There are boss battles, which I was not expecting, but they are a lot of fun, in my opinion. But like the levels, each boss battle can be practiced in the training mode, so that is a nice addition. Ghost Blade has a co-op mode so you can play with a friend, which I thought made the game more tense, because there is a diffusion of responsibility when destroying the ships, so it added a little something to the co-op mode for me.

Ghost Blade HD Review Screenshot 3

This port is a successful one. Originally released on Dreamcast, the port onto PS4 has been treated well, with the port being an attractive one to those who may want to play a game in this genre. The retro music and influences, which seem to me to only come from anime due to the over-sexualised women that really do not need to be in the game at all, but are also common in games of this design, bring back memories of a different gaming age.

Overall, fans of this genre should pick up this game. It is fun and colourful, not to mention satisfying and generally a nice power trip. People that are looking for a game to play in their downtime should look at this too, just because it is a fun shoot them up that I think many people will come to love.

REVIEW CODE: A complimentary Sony Playstation 4 code was provided to Bonus Stage for this review. Please send all review code enquiries to press@4gn.co.uk.

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Ghost Blade HD Review
  • Gameplay - 8/10
    8/10
  • Graphics - 8/10
    8/10
  • Sound - 8/10
    8/10
  • Replay Value - 8/10
    8/10
0/10
User Review
0/10 (0 votes)
0/10
Comments Rating 0/10 (0 reviews)
Overall
8/10

Summary

Overall, fans of this genre should pick up this game. It is fun and colourful, not to mention satisfying and generally a nice power trip.


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