Spiritus Vindicta

[h3]Simplified Review:[/h3] [b]Pros:[/b] + Great difficulty pacing + Entertaining investigation mechanics + Variety of maps and ghosts + Many hours of game to play for the price + Avoiding the ghost is more than just hoping to survive a hunt [b]Cons:[/b] - Graphics may be a little inconsistent - Post game slightly lacking - Story is secondary to gameplay [h3]Full Review:[/h3] Spiritus Vindicta is a love letter to the ghost hunting genre that is well executed from a game design point of view. It is entirely single player, unlike other games in the same genre, and it does a very good job at balancing the difficulty of when you unlock new content as you gain experience in the game. It has great pacing, unlocking more difficult ghost types, levels, types of evidence, and rituals as you progress through the game. The more difficult a ghost is to exorcise the more experience you'll gain, allowing you to progress to the next level more quickly. Or if you so choose you can exorcise many weaker ghosts to progress, though this will take much longer. It has many well thought out and unique levels to choose from, and you can choose when to unlock each of them, some are unlocked when you level up and then fighting a story ghost, others you just spend experience on instead of choosing to level up or you can find a map token in a level to skip the experience requirement. In my opinion, this game improves upon other games of the genre is in the investigation, exorcism, and "combat" portions of gameplay. There are two ways to gather evidence for all types of evidence. There's an in level way of discovering all evidence, either naturally through evidence the ghost has placed or in some cases by using a special item that can be found in the level. The items and placed evidence makes the game easier once you have the experience so you can choose not to buy the easier to investigate with equipment once you know how to track down things using the cheaper items. Additionally, the ritual system has different requirements for each of the evidence types, this can lead to some nail biting moments when you're trying to exorcise a ghost and are not 100% sure what evidence type the ghost is during a hunt or attack. Lastly, I believe the way the ghost fights off the investigator is also improved. Ghosts don't only eliminate the player through hunting like in some of the other games. They also have attacks that will chip away at the players health while also being nerve wracking. Additionally, having dedicated hiding spots in the hunt rather than just having to hope that the ghost doesn't find and insta-gib you makes for a better gameplay experience in my opinion. If you're wondering what could be improved upon. It feels like the story is mostly secondary to the gameplay. It does explain the who, what, and why of the game; but if you're looking for a story driven experience this may not be the game for you. However, I think the gameplay itself makes up for any lacking in the story and it is definitely a game worth checking out. Some of the graphics in the game feel inconsistent if you stare at them too long, but it doesn't detract from the experience overall. Lastly, the post-game is mostly just more of the same; you fight ghosts but with less of a reason than before. You can grind for achievements, money, or to get those last few maps you haven't gotten yet.