Game Reviews

Ghostbusters: Paranormal Blast

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Ghostbusters: Paranormal Blast

As the Ghostbusters 3 will-they-won't-they? saga rumbles on, now's as good a time as any to dabble in a spot of spook-busting fun to remind ourselves just how brilliant the original film was (the sequel, not so much).

Ghostbusters: Paranormal Blast seems to provide the perfect platform for this celebration; it's an Augmented Reality action title which puts you in the famous beige overalls of a fully paid-up 'buster and tasks you will bringing a wide variety of wayward apparitions to heel.

Bustin' makes me feel good

You do this by pointing your phone's camera in the direction of the pesky poltergeist, a process which is made all the more taxing by the fact that the ghosts in the game refuse to stay in one place for too long.

As a result, Ghostbusters: Paranormal Blast is a game best played standing up rather than sitting down. The contortions you'll find yourself in on the later levels have the potential to be truly eye-watering in their painfulness.

Ghostbusters: Paranormal Blast uses nearby locations to stage its hauntings - if there's a pub or a well-known store within walking distance of your house, you'll find that the requests you get for assistance might originate from those establishments.

Sadly, once you're into the game proper, the location is much more mundane and familiar - it's your immediate surroundings, as captured by your phone's camera.

This weird disjuncture isn't helped by the fact that the gameplay is fairly humdrum. You've no way of defending yourself against the ghost's attacks, and it quickly boils down to who can deal the most damage in the fastest time.

More powerful spirits hit harder and can take more punishment, forcing you to upgrade your equipment to maintain parity.

We're ready to believe you

This lightweight gameplay is a real shame, because Ghostbusters: Paranormal Blast benefits from some excellent presentation (although it should be noted that the signature theme tune isn't included in the game - an appalling oversight).

Best viewed as a mildly entertaining diversion rather than a truly essential download, Ghostbusters: Paranormal Blast could have been really special had the developer invested a little more time and effort into fleshing out the AR gameplay, but it ultimately squanders the promise of this seminal licence.

Ghostbusters: Paranormal Blast

Fun for a few minutes but repetitive and boring after prolonged play, Ghostbusters: Paranormal Blast's excellent presentation can't save it from mediocrity
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Damien  McFerran
Damien McFerran
Damien's mum hoped he would grow out of playing silly video games and gain respectable employment. Perhaps become a teacher or a scientist, that kind of thing. Needless to say she now weeps openly whenever anyone asks how her son's getting on these days.