For any dedicated gamer, the thrill of uncovering a hidden gem is unparalleled. There’s a unique joy in venturing into the unknown and finding a game that resonates deeply, exceeding all expectations. Like many, I’ve experienced this serendipitous discovery, from the retro charm of Shovel Knight to the high-speed exhilaration of Horizon Chase Turbo. Recently, diving into the atmospheric world of Ghost Song, a title I was completely unfamiliar with, delivered that same captivating experience. This 2013 Kickstarter project, Ghost Song, immediately grabbed my attention, drawing me into its melancholic universe and intricate gameplay, reminiscent of classics like Super Metroid and the challenging Souls series, while also echoing the captivating exploration of Hollow Knight.
In Ghost Song, you embody Deadsuit, an enigmatic, armor-clad protagonist who awakens on a mysterious, alien planet. Deadsuit’s identity is shrouded in uncertainty – robot, human, or something else entirely – a question that seems secondary to the immediate plight of stranded humans. These survivors, crash-landed on this hostile world, desperately need vital components for their ship, the Gambler. Your mission in Ghost Song is clear: navigate the five distinct zones of this strange planet, brave treacherous environments, and confront dangerous creatures to secure the necessary replacement parts and aid the human survivors.
The world design of Ghost Song immediately evokes the intricate maps of Super Metroid. Each sector is clearly delineated by color-coding, encouraging exploration through labyrinthine corridors and hidden passages revealed by breakable walls. Scattered across the map are deactivated, colossal robots which serve a dual purpose: they act as fast-travel nodes, allowing swift navigation across vast distances, and as upgrade stations, crucial for enhancing Deadsuit’s capabilities. While save points are strategically placed, they are not overly abundant, adding a layer of tension to exploration, as death often necessitates retracing your steps through previously conquered territories.
Combat in Ghost Song centers around Deadsuit’s arm cannon, a clear nod to Samus Aran’s iconic weapon. However, Ghost Song introduces a unique mechanic: overheating. Continuous firing weakens the cannon’s output, forcing players to adapt their combat strategy. This is where Deadsuit’s secondary, melee attacks become essential. An overheated cannon signals the perfect moment to unleash a powerful melee strike, encouraging a dynamic and frequent shift between ranged and close-quarters combat. As you delve deeper into the world of Ghost Song, you’ll discover a variety of melee weapons, each offering different tactical advantages. From spears to devastating short-range punches, and the highly effective “Painwheel”—a boomeranging, spiked shield that inflicts massive damage when fully charged—experimentation is key to finding your optimal combat style.
Beyond melee weapons, Ghost Song enriches its combat system with arm cannon sub-weapons, such as missiles and charged shots, providing further tactical depth and encouraging players to experiment with different loadouts. Adding another layer of customization are Modules, directly analogous to Charms in Hollow Knight. Both sub-weapons and Modules require energy to equip, and Deadsuit’s energy capacity increases with leveling up. This system compels players to carefully consider their choices, balancing sub-weapons and Modules to create a build that complements their preferred playstyle. I personally found myself gravitating towards prioritizing Modules over a multitude of sub-weapons, focusing on passive enhancements to Deadsuit’s core abilities. Defeating enemies in Ghost Song rewards you with “NanoGel,” the game’s currency. NanoGel serves multiple purposes: it can be used to purchase items from merchants, located at the Gambler’s trading post and a more elusive hidden shop, but its primary function is to level up Deadsuit at the fast-travel robot stations. Leveling up allows you to enhance core attributes like HP, attack power, stamina, and energy capacity. However, the cost of leveling increases progressively, adding a strategic element to resource management.
Ghost Song undeniably incorporates elements reminiscent of the Souls series, contributing to its challenging and rewarding gameplay loop. Combat demands precision and careful observation; most enemies pose a significant threat, requiring players to meticulously study their attack patterns and behaviors. Healing items are crucial for survival, readily accessible and replenished at save points, becoming essential tools in navigating the perilous environments. Death in Ghost Song, as expected, carries a penalty: a portion of your accumulated NanoGel is dropped at the point of demise. Retrieving this lost currency requires a perilous journey back, heightening the stakes of each encounter. Unlike Hollow Knight, Ghost Song lacks a “bank” system for safeguarding NanoGel, making resource management even more critical, especially when facing challenging sections of the game.
Boss encounters in Ghost Song represent the pinnacle of its challenge. While some bosses are optional, defeating them often yields valuable rewards, such as new sub-weapons or powerful Modules. However, the bosses guarding the essential ship parts for the Gambler are formidable adversaries, demanding patience and strategic gameplay. Battles often devolve into wars of attrition, requiring players to prioritize evasion and carefully time their attacks. This deliberate, methodical approach mirrors the boss fights in Hollow Knight, emphasizing skillful play over brute force. Experimenting with different loadouts and combat strategies is crucial for overcoming these hurdles, as no boss encounter can be simply overpowered.
Visually, Ghost Song is undeniably stunning, presenting a world that is both captivating and, in some aspects, feels somewhat underdeveloped. Every frame is meticulously crafted, showcasing breathtaking alien environments. The sound design further enhances the atmosphere, with creature noises echoing through cavernous spaces and visual details like slime and fluids clinging to Deadsuit’s armor as it traverses varied terrains. The planet in Ghost Song feels remarkably alive, more so than many other game worlds. The outdoor areas and the oppressive, industrial machine city known as the Junk Pit are particularly striking. However, some areas do feel somewhat sparse, lacking a distinct purpose beyond serving as pathways to specific objectives. The brief underwater section, while visually serene, feels like a disconnected tangent, lacking integration with the broader narrative or gameplay. The game’s soundtrack leans heavily into atmospheric and ambient soundscapes, with a few serene and understated musical themes. While enjoyable and fitting for the game’s tone, players seeking the memorable, melodic tunes often found in other platformers might find Ghost Song‘s music more subtle and less prominent.
Throughout your journey in Ghost Song, Deadsuit encounters a cast of human and android characters, primarily connected to the Gambler’s crew, engaging in dialogues that enrich the game’s narrative. These interactions are consistently engaging, with some triggering events and unfolding storylines in other parts of the world. The writing is particularly noteworthy, imbuing each character with distinct personalities and motivations. Themes of identity and purpose permeate these conversations, reflecting Deadsuit’s own enigmatic nature. While the dialogues are compelling, they paradoxically highlight Deadsuit’s silent protagonist nature, often leaving me feeling somewhat detached from its internal struggles, despite being central to the narrative. Deadsuit primarily communicates through actions and occasional brief responses, often resorting to ellipses, reinforcing its mysterious and somewhat detached persona.
Despite its captivating qualities, Ghost Song is not without its minor drawbacks. Beyond the occasionally demanding difficulty, a few design choices detract slightly from the overall experience. Firstly, the process for swapping sub-weapons and Modules is cumbersome. It requires holding down the D-pad to “power down” Deadsuit, accessing a submenu, and then making the desired changes. Critically, the game does not pause during this process. This design choice, seemingly inspired by Souls-like mechanics, feels less welcome here. While a separate pause function exists (+ button), it leads to a different screen, rendering equipment adjustments impossible during combat, particularly frustrating during boss encounters. Discovering an ineffective loadout mid-boss fight often necessitates intentional death and subsequent adjustments upon respawn.
Platforming on small, fragmented surfaces can also be surprisingly challenging. Deadsuit frequently slides off edges, as if the ledges are inexplicably rounded, leading to unintended falls. Technically, the frame rate occasionally dips even during standard exploration, although this rarely impacted combat encounters in my experience. A recent patch aimed to lock the frame rate at 30fps, but occasional drops persisted. Furthermore, transitions between color-coded sectors of the map incur noticeably longer load times compared to screen transitions within the same sector, disrupting the flow of exploration at times.
Despite these minor shortcomings, Ghost Song captivated me with an enthusiasm I usually reserve for long-awaited sequels of favorite franchises. The challenging boss fights, while occasionally frustrating, evoked a similar feeling to my experience with Hollow Knight. The sense of accomplishment and relief after finally overcoming these formidable bosses is immensely satisfying, though admittedly, this level of challenge may not appeal to all players. Ultimately, Ghost Song is a compelling and rewarding experience, highly recommended for fans of Metroid, Hollow Knight, and the Souls series.
