Game Over: Ghosthunter

I’ve been on a bit of a nostalgia kick recently, playing through some games I remember starting but never finishing in my youth. During this rose-tinted foray, I happened upon one of the more obscure games I owned: Ghosthunter. Released in 2003, this third-person shooter purported to be an action-packed adventure filled with unique enemy designs, dazzling graphics, and a harrowing story to boot. In reality, however, the only thing I remembered it for was spooky teddy bears, which we’ll get into in a few.

The plot of the game follows the first case of detective Lazarus Jones — a name which can only lead to mystical shenanigans — and his partner, Anna Steele, as they look into a report of weird noises at an abandoned high school. The pair split up, as is the law in any horror property, with Jones winding up in the sewers, hot on the trail of ethereal whispers begging for help. A big red button™ is found and pushed, inadvertently releasing a massive amount of ghosts into the school, among of which is the soul of one disfigured undead knight, who kidnaps Steele, leaving Lazarus to perish at the hands of the restless dead. Luckily for our hero, the aforementioned button also awoke a sentient AI (complete with a holographic projection of a giant head a la Power Rangers), which provides both advice and weaponry to fight the spectral assailants.

 After dealing with the spooks, Jones and faux-Zordon have a brief discussion wherein the detective is forcibly drafted into the ranks of the Ghosthunters, while also gaining a snazzy new outfit, a weapon powered by ghost energy (whatever that is), and a Capture Grenade, a discus-shaped tool for capturing spirits. With his gear acquired, Lazarus hops into a dimensional portal, beginning the arduous task of tracking down his partner while righting his wrong by hunting the recently released ghosts.

The gameplay of Ghosthunter can be divided into a few categories: exploration, ghost combat, and puzzles. In terms of the first, the levels themselves are primarily linear pathways between medium-sized arenas, though you find the odd maze or small village on occasion. Taking the time to poke about is, however, rewarded, as there are small caches of resources and even an Easter egg or two hidden throughout. The movement mechanics are fine, featuring different terrain to manage, some vertical changes, and fun venues to explore, though the further the game goes, the more simplified the areas become. Thankfully, Lazarus knows how to get a hustle on!

More often than not, when you arrive at a new location, your pleasant walkabout will be interrupted by one of the many variations of spirits doing their best to add you to their numbers. Thankfully, these aetheric enemies are susceptible to both your normal guns and special ghost energy weapons. The gunplay itself is… well, very janky. You have two modes in which to wield your firearm of choice: you can either shoot from the hip, allowing Jones to strafe and dodge enemies, or you can aim down the sights to place your shots more accurately at the cost of having to stay still.

While the shooting is serviceable, there’s something very off about the aiming. You aim with the right thumbstick, as one could expect; however, once you let go of it, your aim will invariably move back to the centre of the screen. Ghosthunter is not the only game to use this sort of aiming, as I think the Timesplitters series does something similar, but nonetheless, it can be very cumbersome and makes fine movements almost impossible.

As I mentioned, you have two types of arms: the mundane weapons and ghost guns. The former consists of armaments that require bullets to fire (though your pistol has unlimited ammo, so you’re never left helpless) and are often much more powerful than their energy counterparts, but ammo is scarce. The aetheric weapons, on the other hand, use a common pool of ammo, so if one runs out, they all will! They do less damage or have another drawback, such as being slow to reload, though the ammo is easier to acquire. Fighting ghosts is a bit more complex than pointing and shooting, however, as the deceased can’t exactly be killed. Instead, you will have to weaken them to a point, after which you can stick your fancy frisbee at them!

The Capture Grenade can be either manually aimed and thrown or stuck into an enemy via a melee button prompt. Once attached, you are shown the current health of the foe while also seeing a timer that signifies when the spook will shake off the device. It’s a neat little system, and it adds a layer of strategy to each fight. You’ll need to be aware of when and where you want to yeet your trap, as it takes a bit to fly back to you. It can be finicky, though, as the range and hitbox are unreliable. In addition to nabbing ghouls, your trusty metal doughnut can also fetch energy orbs dropped by the enemies or found throughout the levels.

 Now, about those puzzles. Though Ghosthunter often falls into the common trope of “push button” design, it also offers a few unique twists that make use of its unique mechanics. You see, as it happens, Lazarus was possessed by a friendly spirit as he accidentally released the many scary fellows, and this ally is invaluable in many sections. Named Astral, this spectral friend can be summoned at certain points of power found in the game. Once invoked, she is unaffected by the pull of gravity, being able to fly about the area. While she can’t phase through walls, she can go through pools of water and even manipulate certain objects.

In the beginning, her puzzles often revolved around reaching a hard-to-reach locale or finding out information. However, as the game progresses, Astral unlocks new abilities based on the enemies you fight, such being able to become tangible for a moment, distracting enemies, or even taking control of a foe. These sections are fun and can be imaginative, but it can be hard to discern what you’re supposed to do. I’m not too proud to admit I used a walkthrough… or five.

Where Ghosthunter shines is in its design. The levels themselves are pleasantly varied, running the gamut of swamps, prisons, schools, and even derelict vessels. While the stages are pretty linear, they still have enough polish and detail not to be boring. The game is also very proud of its physics engine, with many locations offering some kind of cloth you can walk through, an item you can shoot, or other interesting details. It is definitely impressive, and I was all set to sing its praises, but then I noticed it was released a full two years after Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, which set the standard at the time. It’s still great, no question, but not as groundbreaking as I’d thought.

The enemies themselves are a bit of a mixed bag: things start off a bit generic, with you fighting ghosts that look like ragged sheets and hulking bruisers. Things take a turn for the imaginative near the middle point, where you face chainsaw-wielding butchers with crocodile heads and possessed teddy bears that use their erstwhile owners as clubs. Regretfully, the designs quickly take a dive after this height, boiling down to palette swaps and standard “guy with gun” ideas. While I’m not positive on the theory, it very much feels like the game had a sudden time crunch near the end, with it feeling rushed and rough around the edges.

To be blunt, said running out of budget, time, or whatever factor it was can also be seen plainly in the latter half of the game. Where the first two levels are promising, with great atmosphere and the beginnings of intrigue, the rest is a bit disjointed and plot beats happen quickly. The conclusion feels like a first draft, and quite a few plot threads are picked up, dropped, and forgotten completely.

Regardless of the shaky finale, the game is still surprisingly fun to play. The characters have their moments, the world is interesting, and the gunplay is serviceable enough to carry you through to the end. If nothing else, it is different enough to find a hole in my brain to stick in for a few decades! In the modern day of remakes and remasters, I’d say Ghosthunter would be a prime candidate.