Ghostbusters: Rise Of The Ghost Lord

Ain’t afraid of no hosts

INFO FORMAT PSVR2 PRICE £28.99 ETA Out now PUB Sony Pictures Virtual Reality DEV NDreams PLAYERS 1-4

With a PKE meter on one hip, ghost trap on the other, and your proton wand slung over your back, you’re equipped just like a Ghostbuster should be. In this VR co-op shooter you work for the new, younger San Francisco division, where you’re tasked with cleaning up the Bay Area’s ghost problem. The big one, of course, is the Ghost Lord himself, who you unwittingly release in the prologue mission when you’re first collecting your gear. Oops.

The mechanics of ghostbusting feel solid, as you shoot streams out from your proton wand first to take out a ghost’s shield (a blue gauge on their right), then to hammer down their energy (an orange gauge on their left). Pulling back the wand feels almost like a fishing game,1 as you weaken these spooks and then fire out a trap underneath them.

The problem is that these mechanics don’t evolve. You spend your income on upgrading gear to become more efficient, but it’s not like you have other weapons or classes to customise your playstyle. Maps nicely depict different sides of the Golden City. And you’ve different modes to rotate between – the time-based On The Clock is pretty basic, though Exorcism and Giga Trap Reversal are more involved. They’re also a drag or nigh-on impossible to complete without a team, even if solo players do have a literal ghost companion to help out. As this is a live service game with more DLC and modes promised, whether you’re compelled to continue cycling through these missions long after you’ve defeated Ghost Lord2 will be down to whether you have pals ready and willing to bust alongside you.

FOOTNOTES 1 Press e/r to fire an extra-damaging burst of energy. 2 Being matched with an endgame player risks you being thrown into the final mission.