Ghostrunner 2is a highly anticipatedsequel to the legendary cyberpunk gameof 2020,Ghostrunner. It builds upon the legacy of its predecessor and continues the story where the previous one left it while adding a couple of new mechanics and gameplay elements. This lets it retain the same flavor of the previous game while still having enough originality to stand on its two feet as a great game in its own right.
Ghostrunner 2 Review - Excellence of Execution
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Like the previous entry, Ghostrunner 2 doesn’t pull back any punches and lets the player hit the wall running with no padding whatsoever. Itdoesn’t have any difficulty settingsfor the player to fiddle around with to make it easier or harder. Rather, it sticks to one single setting: Really damn difficult. If you’re not familiar with the mechanics of the game already, it can seem quite daunting at first. However, with a few helpful tips and tricks, you’ll be ready to face the scary cyberpunk world in no time.
Ghostrunner 2
10Check The Minimap
It Has Some Cool Details
Why It’s Important
In the overpopulated HUD of a cyber ninja, a lot of things can go unnoticed, one of them being the Minimap. It might seem like something extremely obvious to veteran players, but even experienced gamers can get overwhelmed and forget to check every part of the screen. Also, the Minimap doesn’t get pointed out at all.
It’s not that useful for the most part. you may’t see the way forward or objective markers. However, the Minimap does show the location of collectibles and enemies in relation to the player. If you can’t find that last annoying enemy, the Minimap is your friend. Similarly, if you have that 100% completion itch, keep an eye on the top right part of the screen to catch any hidden collectibles.
9Talk to NPCs
They’re Important to the Story
In the rush of playing the long awaited sequel, it can be tempting to speed through the dialogue portion of the game, or even skip it entirely. However, Ghostrunner 2 does a good enough job of grafting its story to the previous entry that you’d be doing yourself a disservice by not interacting with the various NPCs in the hub area.
It’s not necessary to talk to them, and you don’t really get anything from doing it, but the lore you learn is quite interesting. The character dynamics make a lot more sense, and it sheds light on their reactions to different things happening around them. The dialogue delivery doesn’t particularly stick out as impressive, but it’s good enough to let the dialogue itself shine through properly and craft the narrative.
8Ultimates Are Cool
You Should Really Use Them
After you complete a couple of levels, you’ll get access to Ultimate abilities that can deal a lot of damage to enemies. These abilities have a large cooldown period, usually governed by the amount of people you kill outside of using it. Always remember to use it, because it will make your life much easier.
An important thing to remember is that the Ultimate regenerates when you restart from a checkpoint to where it was at that time. This means that if you use your Ultimate but still die, it won’t be wasted. You’ll get to use it again when you revive.
7Take Breaks
The Game’s Hard Enough Without Breaks
The fairly short runtime of Ghostrunner makes it tempting to try and finish it in one single sitting, but that might not be for everyone. The gameplay is unforgiving and can be grueling at times, giving the player no extra legroom at all. Unless you’re someone who really enjoys torturing themselves with extreme tasks, you’ll want to take a couple of breaks in between the gameplay sessions.
Ghostrunner 2: All Boss Fights, Ranked
Not all boss fights are created equal. We’ll go over each one and how they contribute to Ghostrunner 2.
You’d be surprised how far a well-rested mind can go. That one level you just can’t get right will feel like a breeze after a little break. Furthermore, it’s important to rest your eyes after the constant stress and flashing lights they have to go through when you’re playing Ghostrunner 2. 20-20-20: Stare twenty feet away every twenty minutes for a period of twenty seconds to rest your eyes.
6Learn Enemy Types
Form The Backbone Of Your Skill
There are only a handful of different enemy types in the game, a lot of which have been ported from the previous entry in the franchise. Once you learn the attack patterns for each of these enemy types, the game will become a breeze for you. Half of the game relies on learning how to move really well, and the other half of it depends on how well you can kill things.
Some enemies only shoot one bullet at a time, others shoot a barrage, while others jump at you and require some dodging to defeat. It might take a while to master the mechanics for each enemy, but they’re not that difficult after you’ve faced them a couple of times. Don’t stress about perfecting each run and focus on taking things step by step.
5Dying is Normal
Don’t Stress About It
Ghostrunner 2 is the type of game that is built around being difficult. It doesn’t give the player any leeway and makes them fight for every scrap. The enemies are brutally efficient, the level design is often hostile, and the upgrades don’t necessarily make a difference until you learn the mechanics better.
Keeping all that in mind, don’t be surprised if you can’t pass through a level on the first try. Or the second. Or even the tenth. Don’t sweat over the details on your first run and just enjoy the bittersweet torture as it comes.
4Switch Upgrade Chips
Check Out Different Playstyles
An important detail that many new players might miss is that they can switch between different upgrade chips in between levels. You don’t have to wait until you get to the hub, though you can only get new upgrade chips from the hub.
Ghostrunner 2: Ahriman Boss Guide
Facing difficulty in defeating Ahriman in Ghostrunner 2? Read this guide to learn the counter strategy,
It can be quite beneficial to change the different types of chips you have at your disposal. Different chips upgrade different abilities or give a simple utility buff to your character. These can be useful in different situations, and you’re able to change them according to your needs.
3Don’t Parry Everything
Some Things Are Better Left Ignored
To veterans of hard-to-play games, it can be tempting to master the parry mechanic and stick to it like it’s the holy grail. And while that is important to do, it’s also important to remember that there are other aspects to the game.
Parrying is extremely important during boss fights, but you shouldn’t attempt it outside of that. Since most levels will have a whole lot of enemies shooting at you at once, your stamina bar will likely deplete very fast and leave you dead to rights.
2Move Fast
Don’t Let Them Know What Hit Them
The primary mechanic of Ghostrunner 2 is movement. Everything else is secondary. At the core, the game is a platformer that makes you jump everywhere you go. You can’t easily defeat most enemies until you learn how to move properly. You need to weave in and out of fire, dodge whips, and duck through wide-range lasers to kill your opponents.
You should use the basics of the movement mechanics (dashing, sliding, and wall running) and combine them together to feel like a true ninja, killing the enemies in your path along the way. Once you master these mechanics, the game will feel a lot less difficult and the enemies will be much easier to deal with.
1Use Abilities
You Need Them Now, Not Later
When you’re swinging around the map and one-shotting enemies with your epic katana/sword, it can be easy to forget about the abilities you have at your disposal. A throwing star, a telekinetic push, and a mirage; you’ll have three abilities at your disposal. Use them as frequently as possible to maximize your damage output and efficiency, and also to feel like a real ninja.
Your ability usage is monitored by a resource bar that fills up very fast outside of combat, and not as fast during combat. Killing enemies replenishes it as well, so go ham and destroy the chumps that dare challenge your reign as supreme ninja lord of the lands. It might seem like you should save your ability rather than waste it on a random mob, but the game is nothing but random mobs all over the place, so don’t even worry about it.
10 Best Games Like Ghostrunner 2
Ghostrunner 2’s fast-paced action can be replicated by other games as well, though the magic might not be as stunning.
