Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed is the new 4v1 multiplayer game from The Makers Of Predator: Hunting Grounds
Illfonic has been successful on licensed asymmetrical multiplayer games. Following the release of Friday the 13th in 2017 and Predator: Hunting Grounds in 2020, the next title deals with one of the most beloved series ever: Ghostbusters.
Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed is a 4v1 game set to launch later this year. Up to four players control newly recruited ghosts to fight and capture a player-controlled ghost. In terms of terminology, Spirits Unleashed takes place right after the events of Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Winston Zeddemore rebooted the Ghostbusters business alongside Ray Stantz, voiced by Ernie Hudson and Dan Aykroyd respectively. You’ll find both characters in Firehouse, which serves as an interactive menu and discoverable hub where players combine, buy cosmetics for ghost movies, unlock new ghost characters, and discover break. Firehouse has some interesting interactive points, such as Ray’s paranormal bookstore (where players start playing ghosts) and a shooting range for proton packs. Players even send ghosts into containment units after missions. Of course, the Ecto-1 is present, but you can’t drive it yourself; it automatically transports players to missions.
Answering the call gives players access to multiple maps around the country, even though we only saw one museum in our demo. For the ghosts, the goal of each match is to capture the ghost while calming the frightened civilians. Doing this reduces a global haunting meter, which indicates how infested an area is with paranormal activity. As this meter increases, this area takes on a more sinister appearance. Using the PKE meter, you’ll hone haunted objects to track down ghost players and, once found, blast them with your bead thrower. In a nod to the Afterlife movie, players also have the ability to temporarily stun ghosts. Spirits Unleashed encourages teamwork, so much so that stream crossing is now very beneficial as it strengthens proton flows to better fend off troublesome vampires. However, be aware of where you shoot; In true Ghostbusters fashion, dealing too much damage to property will increase a bill that reduces the experience points earned after the match.
Combining forces is important, but it also has to be smart to divide and conquer. One player may need to focus on taking care of civilians while the other locates rifts, severed portals that serve as spawn points for ghost players. Voice chat helps ‘people start to stay in touch and form better strategies to define their goals.
Meanwhile, it’s the ghost player’s mission to scare all the bystanders through the levels while maxing out the global haunting clock. The player can unlock several archetypes of spirits (including Slimers), each of which exhibits several abilities. These include seeing through walls to locate targets, possessing objects to attack the player or hide in plain sight, spotting cryptic PKEs by making items emit ecto signals and move the ghosts to slow or immobilize them. Using these powers consumes ectoplasm, an additional resource whenever the player takes possession of an item. Ghost players will also want to protect their rifts as they count as extra lives, but they can sacrifice these portals to increase their own power. Causing enough chaos to fill the global haunting clock activates a sudden death mode that allows the last standing ghosts to turn the tide in their favor in a completely haunted arena.
Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed supports cross-play and can be played solo offline with AI teammates/enemies. Narrative-focused players can also unlock new story elements by achieving in-game milestones. Illfonic plans to share more about the game in the coming months, but Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed is expected to launch in Q4 2022 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via Epic Game Store.
