Come what may, Katanas withstand the ruthlessness of time because of their sheer coolness. From the old Kurosawa movies to the current ones involving the Yakuza, you’ll always find the curved blade slashing across the screen leaving behind a vigorous spray of blood. So what’s next? Katanas in a futuristic cyberpunk world? Check! Because Ghostrunner offers exactly that combined with the first person parkour of Titanfall and the frantic combat of Katana Zero and Hotline Miami. And the release of the Complete Edition ramps up the action by a few notches.
Ghostrunner Complete Edition is a first person, action-adventure game released on 27 October, 2020 (you can find our review here). Developed by One More Level, 3D Realms, Slipgate Ironworks and All In! Games and published by 505 Games and All In! Games, the Complete Edition was released on 30 July, 2022. Now let’s talk about what’s in store for us in the Complete Edition.
To Hel and back
Remember the boss that gave you hard time? That’s right, I’m talking about the Hel boss fight where I had to burn every movement, every dodge, block and counter into my brain, and channel them unto my fingers…. after dying over 69 times that is. Well, the complete edition includes the Project_Hel expansion and this time you play as her. Awakened by the Keymaster Mara as a direct opposition to Jack’s campaign, her mandate is to plummet down the Dharma Tower like the wrath of hell eradicating any Climber resistance that crosses her path. That said, Project_Hel acts as a prequel to Ghostrunner and takes place just before Jack’s awakening.
Oh, no, no. She’s the upgrade.
Hel is everything that Jack is and much more. While Jack is a former Ghostrunner breaking his programming to stand against his corrupted masters, Hel is a stone-cold killing machine with no room for rebellion. As soon she is awakened her allegiance is gauged by Mara via moral choice questions with no right or wrong answers, and yet all her answers portray her blatant disregard for human life. Her very spine-chilling voice drives the point that she is no longer human, fresh off the block, operating at her peak efficiency. She’s faster, stronger and her dash is more of a leap where you can control the landing spot midair within the world of halted time. Furthermore, she’s got a Surge protocol which activates if she kills enemies fast enough or touches a recharging pad. It allows her to launch a slashing wave at hapless enemies and also grants her a shield that protects from one extra hit. All in all, Hel is a force to be reckoned with.
Being overpowered right from start doesn’t mean Project_Hel is a cakewalk. The platforming and new optional objectives still require proper thinking as each section will still be a frustrating ordeal of trial and error about finding the correct route. Since now your viewpoint is that of a villain, new challenges call for new strategies. For example, there was a level with the optional objective of not killing any of Keymaster’s men. Despite being optional, it awakened the perfectionist inside me, something I didn’t experience in the base game as I was too busy killing anything that moved.
Sadly, Project_Hel is more of a DLC than an expansion as it can easily be completed within 3 hours even after a lot of deaths. Out of the 7 levels, two are for boss fights but they are very generic. Mind you, they aren’t easy and are a true test of skill however these fights are nowhere close to Hel’s boss fight in Ghostrunner.
Furthermore, they ought to add a warning beep or something when the Surge meter runs out. Even though it’s not something you should be relying on always but since the HUD of Hel is different from that of Jack’s its kind of hard to keep track when the meter is all drained out amidst the frantic combat.
What Else?
Ghostrunner Complete Edition also includes the post-launch game modes like the Kill Run with 5 sandbox levels to breeze through within a stipulated time. There are time bonuses scattered throughout the map and it’s up to you to figure out which is the right path for you. The sandbox nature of the levels makes it a trial and error playthrough because the placement of time bonuses doesn’t always mean that it’s the fastest route.
The other gameplay mode, my favorite, is the Wave Mode. From the name, you can guess that you’re supposed to fight waves of enemies and the longer you survive, the higher your score. However, there’s a twist. At the start of each wave, you get to select an upgrade which you can activate faster by killing faster. At the end of a wave, you get to select another upgrade WHILE retaining the previous one. As a result, towards the endgame, you’re at peak Ghostrunner performance while battling all the enemies you’ve encountered in the base game. Though my only gripe is unlike the Kill Run, the Wave Mode levels are all set in a fuzzy, blurry VR. Twenty stages, all set in the same level, all of them supposed to be completed in a single playthrough which means if you quit, you’re back to square one.
Apart from these, all the DLC cybernetic gloves and Katanas are available right from start. Though engravings don’t provide any tactical advantage whatsoever it’s fun dissecting enemies with a frost sword and a blood-red Japanese patterned arm.
Real Talk
If you’ve completed the base game and still looking to cure that Ghostrunner itch, you can find respite in the Ghostrunner Complete Edition till the sequel drops. Project_Hel is as intense as the base game with an equally thumping OST albeit being very short. Not to mention, it gets repetitive after a while just like the base game. Even with the addition of new game modes, you won’t find anything revolutionary to justify the pricing of the Complete Edition. However, if money isn’t the concern, then from me it’s….
FINAL RATING: RECOMMENDED
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