Game Reviews

Ghosts Attack

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Ghosts Attack

Scooby-Doo and the gang hunted ghosts in such a playful style that it was easy to forget that there was serious detective work to be done.

Much of that joking spirit has been infused in Ghosts Attack, a creative supernatural shooter that tries straddling the fine line between serious gameplay and spirited fun.

As an employee of high tech firm Torgan Science, you're tasked with exploring another layer of reality superimposed upon our own.

Manning a protective rover, you warp to this alternate dimension for routine maintenance and exploration missions. When a group of scientists presumed missing for decades appears and attacks your rover, the objective changes from docile discovery to ghastly detective work.

All roads lead to ghosts

Mapped out along the same lines as our own world, this parallel dimension features the same geography but is shaded with vibrant colour. Levels are drawn right from Google Maps, conjuring corridors and thoroughfares from actual locations.

Drafting levels from real maps is both relevant to the story and creative from a design perspective. No level can technically be like any other because the data used to create each level is unique.

Ironically though, it doesn't come across that way. There's nothing to distinguish floating through the grid-like streets of Los Angeles, California from those of Nairobi, Kenya.

Generic textures make every level look like the last, the only difference being the colours used. Without distinct landmarks to identify each location, a street in Paris looks no different than one in Buenos Aires.

As such, Ghosts Attack doesn't leverage GPS data in a way that dramatically affects gameplay. That's not to take away from the cleverness of the concept, but it's not the reason for playing this comic shooter.

Spirits and shots

Navigation is done by tilting your handset to change the view, whereas a slider situated along the left side of the screen adjusts your speed. To your right is a second slider stocked with weapons that can be switched with a flick of a finger. Such a clean interface supports simple, fun action.

Varied objectives ensure things never go stale. Floating through levels zapping ghosts is enjoyable, though things get more interesting when you start searching for beacons, lost rovers, and even square off against unruly ghouls.

The difficulty is finely tuned too, guaranteeing enough of a challenge to keep you engaged without edging on frustration or going too soft.

Exorcising judgement

Funny, often cheesy dialogue bestows a charm upon Ghosts Attack that only heightens its appeal. It's like a dorky adventure game from yesteryear, though with Californian slang and a snarky supporting cast. Some scenes are so hammy that it's hard not to chuckle.

Changes need to be made to improve the flow of gameplay, though.

At several points, it's not clear enough what needs to be done to progress. Making your objective in these cases crystal clear is a necessity. In turn, a way point system or compass would help mark objectives within levels. Upgrades are doled out at set intervals, but a choice-based system would be preferred.

Ghosts Attack clearly has room to improve then, yet the gameplay that's been conjured here is enjoyable enough to earn a Scooby snack.

Ghosts Attack

A playful shooter that tries selling itself on creative use of map data, Ghosts Attack is best served by its mischievous comedy
Score
Tracy Erickson
Tracy Erickson
Manning our editorial outpost in America, Tracy comes with years of expertise at mashing a keyboard. When he's not out painting the town red, he jets across the home of the brave, covering press events under the Pocket Gamer banner.