Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden

Passion is clearly in this game. It was clearly done by people who love gaming. But execution is just wrong and bland. Both main characters are so modernized by any sensibilities that they always feel out of place. You're literally starting the game as an interracial couple at the end of XVII century in North America, and face not one instance of racism at the beginning. The main characters don't feel as egregious as the cast of Dragon Age 4, but they just feel as if 2 modern day humans were LARPing as new settlers. Quite openly LGBT characters, from Puritan societies never ever even mention facing any homophobia, it's not even written into their stories that they had to hide their love. It's literally as if I were playing a game with 21st century 20-30 yo's, who decided at one point to LARP as settlers in America. There's struggle but it feels very conveniently fit to modern sensibilities without researching and implementing things that'd introduce real friction, which leaves me disappointed. Even RDR2 does it much better and leaves place for nuance, societal commentary while allowing minority characters to show their humanity. This game just feels either dishonest or ignorant. On top of all the combat is ok at the beginning but it quickly gets tedious, low enemy variance, bland animations, no impact, no sheer brutality, everything feels like hittings things through a pillow. Most fights stick to the same pattern. They don't even feel high-stake, because most enemies can be defeated with a simple meta strategy, just gotta spam hit. But they rarely feel as if stakes were high. And It gets boring fast. Level design is also tedious, I've played first 7h, so it could've been different later, but this is already enough for the 1st impression - corridors, dungeons, same mix of gray and green, yawn. As for pluses - passion was put into this project, it feels as if created by people who love what they do. There's some real psychological tension and maturity in the plot, characters feel like they care, and it feels accurate. Too bad that they should've stuck to modern settings, or something totally fantasy. Neutral things: - music - it's there, it fits the vibe, but it also doesn't leave a lasting impression, there's no deeper thematic work, instrumentation is employed uniformly, same mix of synths, orchestral pads and well, it's ok for it what it does, but it also doesn't leave me wanting it more or humming melodies - game mechanics - they're ok, character leveling is not overthought, I prefer it rather than contrived mechanics, but it's wasted on boring fights, also Antea gets from relatively weak to OP in a matter of few perks, but it gets even more frustrating coupled with the fact that fighting is just NOT FUN

Después de unas 12 horas decidí abandonar el juego. No porque sea malo, sino porque llegó un punto en el que dejó de motivarme a seguir. Lo mejor del juego es, sin duda, su ambientación. El mundo tiene una atmósfera muy lograda y consigue transmitir ese tono sobrenatural que busca desde el principio. La historia también llama la atención y la relación entre los protagonistas es interesante. Además, los casos secundarios tienen buenas premisas y, en varias ocasiones, obligan a tomar decisiones morales que resultan entretenidas. Sin embargo, para mí ahí terminan sus mayores virtudes. El combate me pareció simplemente correcto. No es malo, pero tampoco evoluciona lo suficiente como para mantener el interés durante muchas horas. El verdadero problema fue la exploración: prácticamente no sentí que valiera la pena desviarme del camino principal. La mayoría de las recompensas son materiales para mejorar equipo o habilidades, pero esas mejoras apenas cambian la experiencia de juego y terminan sintiéndose poco importantes. El sistema de progresión tampoco logra aportar variedad. Desbloquear habilidades o mejorar el equipo rara vez hace que el combate o la exploración se sientan diferentes, por lo que el ciclo de jugar termina siendo muy repetitivo. Mi mayor crítica es la duración. Considero que el juego es demasiado largo para la variedad de mecánicas que ofrece. Llega un momento en el que todo consiste en investigar, combatir enemigos muy similares y recoger recursos, una y otra vez. La historia tiene potencial, pero siento que no se desarrolla con la intensidad suficiente como para compensar esa repetición. En resumen, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden tiene una excelente ambientación, una historia interesante y buenas ideas en sus decisiones morales, pero una exploración poco gratificante, una progresión que aporta muy poco y una duración excesiva para la jugabilidad que ofrece. En mi caso, eso fue suficiente para perder el interés y abandonar el juego a las 12 horas.

🎮 [u]Gameplay[/u] 🔲 Excellent 🔲 Good ✅ Average 🔲 Poor 🔲 Staring at Walls is better Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden blends action RPG combat with investigative exploration and narrative-driven choices. Switching between Red and Antea adds a layer of tactical variety, with physical and spectral abilities complementing each other in combat. Fights are serviceable but held back by limited enemy variety. Encounters start to feel repetitive as similar enemy types appear frequently, reducing the need to adapt strategies. Puzzles, while initially engaging, become increasingly tedious and repetitive, often interrupting the pacing rather than enhancing it. Traversal is another weak point. The game leans heavily on backtracking, and the fast travel system is unnecessarily restrictive, requiring you to physically reach a campsite before jumping to another one, which adds friction to exploration. 🌄 [u]Graphics[/u] 🔲 Beautiful ✅ Good 🔲 Decent 🔲 Bad 🔲 Paint.exe The game excels in environmental storytelling. Colonial-era settlements, dense forests, and fog-covered landscapes create a hauntingly immersive world. Lighting and atmosphere carry much of the visual appeal, giving each area a somber, melancholic tone that reinforces the narrative themes. 🎵 [u]Audio[/u] 🔲 Eargasm ✅ Amazing 🔲 Good 🔲 Not too Bad 🔲 Bad The soundtrack is emotionally resonant, blending subtle orchestral pieces with ambient tension. It enhances both quiet exploration and dramatic story moments effectively. Voice acting stands out, delivering the game’s heavy emotional themes with conviction. 📖 [u]Story[/u] 🔲 It will replace your life ✅ Good 🔲 Average 🔲 Text or Audio Floating Around 🔲 No story The narrative is the game’s strongest pillar. The writing is thoughtful and mature, focusing on grief, love, and sacrifice. Both Red and Antea feel like real characters but their relationship feels lacking in the "close-ness" expected of a married couple. Moral decision-making is complex and often uncomfortable. Choices rarely have clear “right” answers, forcing players to weigh personal values against consequences. These decisions carry real emotional weight and shape the outcome in meaningful ways. 🛡️ [u]Difficulty[/u] 🔲 Difficult 🔲 Easy to Learn / Hard to Master 🔲 Average ✅ Easy 🔲 Just press "A" Combat hardly offers challenge and higher difficulty comes more from endurance in repeated encounters rather than mechanical complexity. This ties back to limited enemy variety which causes combat to be "predictable". 🔁 [u]Replay-ability[/u] 🔲 Infinitely replay-able 🔲 Many Times 🔲 A few times 🔲 Maybe Once ✅ No replay value While multiple endings and branching choices provide a solid reason to replay, the tedious exploration and barebones combat stops the player from doing so. I am not a fan of locking the plot twist behind the bad ending. I urge all players to watch all the endings online after your playthrough for a crucial understanding of the story plot. ⏳ [u]Length[/u] 🔲 To infinity and beyond ✅ Very Long (50 to 150 hr) 🔲 Long (25 to 50 hr) 🔲 Average (10 to 25 hr) 🔲 Short (4 to 10 hr) A full playthrough offers a substantial but manageable runtime, though padding from backtracking and puzzles can make it feel longer. 🖥️ [u]Hardware Requirement (1440p / 75+ FPS)[/u] 🔲 Ask NASA if they have a spare computer 🔲 Fast (RTX 4080 equivalent) ✅ Decent (RTX 2080 equivalent) 🔲 Potato (GTX 980 equivalent) 🔲 Check if you can run paint Despite its detailed environments, performance is generally stable and accessible across mid-range systems. 🪲 [u]Bugs[/u] 🔲 Never heard of ✅ Minor bugs 🔲 Can get annoying 🔲 Game-breaking bugs 🔲 The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs Occasional minor clipping issues may appear, but nothing significantly detracts from the overall experience. 💸 [u]Worth Buying[/u] 🔲 It’s free! 🔲 Worth the price ✅ Minor sale (<30%) 🔲 Major sale (>70%) 🔲 You could also just burn your money A strong recommendation for players who value narrative depth and meaningful choices. Those more focused on gameplay variety may want to wait for a discount. 📝 [u]Rating[/u] 🔲 10 🔲 9 🔲 8 ✅ 7 🔲 6 🔲 5 🔲 4 🔲 3 🔲 2 🔲 1 Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden shines brightest in its writing, atmosphere, and morally complex storytelling. It delivers a deeply emotional experience driven by difficult choices and strong character work. However, repetitive combat, tedious puzzles, and cumbersome traversal systems hold it back from reaching its full potential. 👍 [u]What works:[/u] [list] [*]Strong, emotional writing and character development. [*]Complex moral decision-making with meaningful consequences. [*]Atmospheric world design and setting. [*]Excellent voice acting and soundtrack. [/list] ⚠️ [u]What to know:[/u] [list] [*]Frequent backtracking. [*]Puzzle design can become repetitive. [/list] 👎 [u]Weak Points:[/u] [list] [*]Limited enemy variety leads to repetitive combat. [*]Restrictive fast travel system [*]Plot understanding requires watching all the endings of the game. [/list] [u]TL;DR:[/u] Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is a narrative-driven experience with rich atmosphere and meaningful choices. While its storytelling excels, repetitive gameplay elements and clunky traversal prevent it from fully matching its emotional ambition.

В целом неплохо однако всегда есть свои "но" . Так вот что же не так: 1. Квесты бегать туда-сюда ,сначала вроде есть интерес ,но потом - нет . 2. Ваше решение в квестах " Дела о присутствии " ,кроме вашей клятвы ни на что по сути не влияют . Нпс будут с вами торговать/общаться и т.д . Этот момент весьма странным показался. 3 . Финал вроде есть , а вроде и нет . Бегали что-то делали , но что стало дальше с теми людьми , с поселениями , с главными героями . Они просто пошли куда-то жить жизнь, так-же без последствий каких-то ваших решений . Ладно . 4. Мир огромный , но споткнёшься о какую-то палочку - застрял . Есть супер маленький бугор с него не спрыгнешь, обходи . Есть ли желание сидеть и выбивать все очивки для этой игры ? Нет . Хотела бы я её перепройти ? Нет . Советую ли я её ? Скорее да ,чем нет . Но точно только по скидке. Картинка красивая , ритуалы необычные . Как-то так Жизнь живым , смерть мертвецам

If you enjoyed the recent God of War games but thought they were too fast paced and fun, well this might be the game for you. It's less interesting, slower, and not nearly as smartly written as it should have been. 5/10

Наличие повестки огорчает, но в целом глаза она не режет. Интересная концепация, динамичная боевка, в целом игра с душой

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