Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden Explained – Play It Now!

Boy, what a good time it is for gamers nowadays. Last year, we seriously struggled to include all the awesome new releases in our Top 100 PC Games article, from Hogwarts Legacy and Ready or Not to Armored Core 6, just to list a few. From the looks of it, though, we're not even close to being done just yet. The next big thing for us narrative-heavy fans is Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, for example, and everything points to it being a slam dunk from that point of view!

Coming from the good people who brought us Vampyr, Life is Strange, and a variety of other phenomenal stories, Ghosts of New Eden is truly novel in some key ways. With this article, we'll explain where this novelty comes from, what the developer Dontnod is known for, and why you, too, should give Banishers a shake. Let's get to it!

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What is Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden?

In broad, generalized strokes, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is a true evolution of the developer Dontnod's expertise. Whereas mainline AAA action RPGs usually task you with - quite literally - saving the world, universe, and beyond, Banishers is far too mature for such considerations. No, what you're getting here is a way more focused and down-to-earth story, which definitely sounds strange when discussed in the context of a ghost-busting hack 'n' slash!

But that is what this is. The story follows a pair of Banishers - essentially Witchers without the mutations - as they banish ghosts and demons in late 17th-century America. The pair, Red and Antea, are a couple, and the central complication of the story comes from Antea's death very early in the story. As ghosts and goblins are fairly commonplace in this fictionalized version of the world, the crux of the story is, once again, not to change the fate of the continent. Instead, Red simply needs to either help Antea move on from her death or to try and resurrect her. Somehow.

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A Ghost-Busting Story-Heavy ARPG

Note, too, that Banishers is not a true open-world game. It's more of a semi-open 3D Metroidvania, where the overworld opens up the more you progress in the story. In that sense, this game is closer to the likes of God of War than it is to, say, The Witcher 3. What's really important here, though, is that this is probably the best combat gameplay the developer has ever produced, featuring huge upgrades compared to Vampyr, to just to mention the obvious point of comparison. Everything else is a few notches above even that, with investigations being a particular highlight.

Further, while Red can cut down foes in the physical world, Antea opens up the other side through her ghastly abilities. There's much to enjoy in the interrelation of the two characters, and it all meshes together phenomenally well in the moment-to-moment gameplay. What's really impressive (though not necessarily surprising) is that Dontnod absolutely nailed the partnership between Antea and Red. The two are a long-time couple, and their dialogue is heartwarming in a way games simply don't usually deliver.

What you're getting, then, is a great action RPG with several different layers of gameplay interacting with one another. To boot, the characters and the story are phenomenal!

From the developers of Vampyr and Life is Strange!

This, again, shouldn't come as a surprise. Dontnod specializes in producing story-heavy games. More specifically, Dontnod specializes in producing gut-punching narratives that will have you mulling over your decisions time and again. As an example, the vast majority of "quests" in Banishers eventually narrow down to our couple having to decide whether to take the side of the ghosts, or the living.

Outside of randomized combat encounters - more on those a bit later - most fights are heavy and meaningful in Banishers. The ghosts and the many forms they take exist for a reason, and the game very compellingly explains almost every aspect of its magical side. If, of course, you look for the lore. This results in a situation where virtually every side quest matters a great deal in the grand scheme of things and, indeed, will inevitably play a role in the ending itself.

Better combat gameplay than ever before

Dontnod is famously praised for its narratives an story development: whether you're playing Life is Strange or Vampyr, the odds are good that you're playing these games for their stories, not their gameplay. This makes Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden all the more important, as this may well be the first time Dontnod has nailed down gameplay, as well.

We mentioned before how Antea delivers an entirely different set of abilities compared to Red, and this - naturally - plays into combat as well. Though most foes are spectral to some extent, Red will still need to cut or shoot down their physical forms to truly, permanently take them down. Antea, however, needs to whittle down their supernatural aspects, and so the interplay between the two in combat lends itself very well to the game. Further, compared to Vampyr, combat is far more satisfying and engaging, which is a win in and of itself.

"Don't Nod's best game yet." - Polygon

If everything we've been talking about sounds like Dontnod has a slam dunk on its hands, that's definitely what seems to be the case. Polygon's Tauriq Moosa says it best in their review: "Banishers is a spooky, loving tale about two incredible people," they said. "I cried a few times, both for these two characters I grew to adore, and for the very sad stories of others just trying to make it in a difficult world."

This is still, of course, not a huge mainstream blockbuster: Dontnod games are smaller-scale AA productions that are mainly interested in being fun and telling a compelling story. No DLCs, cosmetic packs, season passes, or other such humdrum nonsense. Strong scores across the board, though, as per Metacritic, and we genuinely believe Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden will end up making waves in its own right. Do we recommend it? Absolutely, and you'll have an opportunity to learn more about the game in the coming days, right here at 2Game!

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