Death has often been an enigma to the living. From a biological perspective, the concept of death is easy to understand, but when one delves into the spiritual aspects of it, things become much more complicated. Do the spirits of the deceased still care about affairs unfinished during their time as a corporeal being, and do these ties bind them to a state of limbo between the realm of mortals and whatever realm it is where spirits dwell? This concept has been a crucial element in countless ghost stories, and it’s one idea that’s explored inBanishers: Ghosts of New Eden.A related topic is remaining united with a loved one. Many unfortunate souls have their beloved taken from them too early, and while the more spiritually-conscious mindset may wish for them to find peace, the more human side wishes for more time together. In the real world we have to accept the fate of our loved ones, tragic as it may be. But in works of fiction there may be ways around the limitations of mortality, though they may come with a heavy price.
‘Til Death Do Us Unite
Antea Duarte and Red mac Raith are Banishers, professionals who specialize in what is essentially paranormal pest removal. They are also lovers. They have come to New Eden, a colonial settlement somewhere in what we could call New England. The year is 1695 and New Eden is afflicted by a curse, and it’s up to the Banishers to rid them of said curse. The two embark on their mission which seems run-of-the-mill until they encounter a Nightmare, a spirit which has immense power. The two give it their all in the battle, but sadly this astral abomination is beyond their abilities. Red barely recovers from his wounds. Antea wasn’t so lucky. But soon after Red regains consciousness, he’s joined by the ghost of Antea, who has now become one of the lingering spirits she despises.
The predicament in which Red and Antea find themselves is terrible, but as Banishers they have certain luxuries not afforded to regular people. As Red and Antea discuss the current situation, they agree they will seek vengeance for her death, but what happens to Antea afterwards is up to the player. Red can either grant her ascension where she can find rest or he can attempt to bring her back to life. We know what the right choice should be, but being put in this situation, most of us would at least be tempted to restore our loved one to life. But everything comes with a price, and in order to get the life energy needed to restore Antea, it will need to be taken from the living. Reducing granting ascension to Antea as a good playthrough and resurrecting her the evil one oversimplifies matters, but it isn’t exactly an inaccurate description either. How the player chooses to deal with ghosts and the living involved with them will determine what options are available regarding Antea’s fate when the time comes. What makes the choices interesting is none of the characters are without sin, which seems like a deliberate design choice where the morality is grey enough for the player to justify any choice. But it does pose a hypothetical moral question. How many lives can one take to justify restoring one?
Exploring New Eden
Being dead can be an inconvenience, but that doesn’t stop Antea from being a useful party member. As the player explores New Eden they can switch between Red and Antea at will. Red seems to be better suited for matters that involve the physical world, what with having a body and all. Antea’s condition of being corporeally impaired can hinder interactions with the physical environment but offers her other benefits. She does have a greater connection to the spirit world and as such can see and interact with things Red cannot. There are several areas that are inaccessible but since Antea is free from the limitations of the human body she grab onto Red and essentially teleports the two of them to places he can’t reach. She can also destroy barriers that prevent their egress. In life Antea was the brains of the operation, and this role continues into her death.
The progression throughBanishers: Ghosts of New Edenfollows a linear path but allows for oper world exploration. As Red travels on the shared quest for vengeance he’ll encounter villagers who assign him various missions which typically involve some paranormal problem. There is a map and quest markers on the HUD that point the player in the right direction. This gives the player a decent amount of direction, enough where the player has a general idea on where to go but it doesn’t clutter up the screen with too many markers. This approach encourages exploration as it doesn’t hold the player’s hand too much, but sometimes the exact destination isn’t always clear. Many details are hidden in the environment and aren’t always obvious, so if the player is ever stuck in an area that appears to be where they belong it’s best to take a second look at the environment, there may be a hidden source of spectral energy, or an item that can be broken with the rifle. There are a few buildings that have doors barred from the inside, and to access them red will need to find an open window or hole in the roof to shoot the bar off the bar and then return to the other side to enter. This mechanic itself isn’t bad, but it has worn out its welcome after being overused in recentAssassin’s Creedgames.
Who You Gonna Call?
One of the primary duties of Banishers is to investigate paranormal unrest and deal with the cause accordingly. This can be a bit of a process as they need to find whatever item is binding the ghost to the world. This is one of the more compelling elements ofBanishersas each of these mysteries unravels a tapestry as they player investigates. Investigations involve conducting special rituals that can play out scenes associated wtih important items or summoning the ghost to be confronted. Typically, what the living client says about the haunted doesn’t exactly match up with what the evidence suggests. After all, if someone were to die peacefully with no unresolved business, their ghost probably wouldn’t be terrorizing the survivor.
Once the mystery has been solved and the appropriate rituals have been conducted, the player can decide their fate. The player can banish the spirits, dooming them to the void where they will suffer eternal torment. There’s also the choice to ascend the spirit, freeing them from the tie that binds them to the mortal world and bring them serenity. Or they could choose to sacrifice the life of the person who may be responsible for the spirit’s inability to rest. Each choice has a consequence, not only to the standing of Red and the villagers but also contributes to what his options are regarding Antea’s fate.
Focus and Don’t Nod Announce Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden
Battles against the myriad undead can be fought with both Red and Antea. Red wields his sword and rifle, able to dispatch enemies near and far. As he banishes these lost spirits back to the netherworld, his banishing meter will fill allowing him to banish an adversary instantly. This special attack can instantly dispatch weaker enemies and take a good chunk of health out of the more powerful ones. Despite the handicap of being dead, Antea is no slouch in a fight. As Red executes a combo of sword attacks, she can swoop in and deliver a spectral punch. As Red fights ghosts, Antea’s mana bar will fill.
As she no longer has any need for vitality, her magic is her contribution to battles, and she has her own share of powerful attacks she can unleash. The dangers the two encounter in New Eden range from hostile wild animals and various spectral threats. Some of these spirits can possess the corpses of animals or people, and in the case of the latter can even use their weapons. Scourges are particularly threatening and serve as boss monsters. These abominations often house the collective torment of multiple spirits.
Taking care of these ghosts is a serious matter and requires skills and equipment. As the player progresses throughBanishers,new equipment is acquired and skill points are unlocked. Upgrading equipment consumes resources but does improve its functionality, such as increasing damage or reload speed. Skills points can also improve the effectiveness of attacks or open up new abilities. One of the more useful skills that’s available early on allows Antea to follow up Red’s sword combos with a spectral punch. It’s not a system that is incredibly complicated but works well enough in the context of this game.
Banishers: Ghosts of New Edenhas a few interesting ideas and mechanics. An area where this title excels is taking old ideas, such as dual protagonists with different abilities or a choice/consequence system and put a fresh spin on it. The choices Red and Antea make aren’t ones that add points to a good or evil meter, but set them up to be able to carry out Antea’s ascension or resurrection. Some of the decisions do seem like they fall into more into the good or evil side of things, but a lot of the morality with the characters seems more like varying shades of grey.
The Verdict: Banishment or Ascension?
The ghost investigations are an interesting diversion, adding detective elements to prove that the work of a Banisher has a cerebral component and isn’t simply ghost busting through brute force. The combat mechanics are smooth and responsive, and the ability to switch between the conventional tactics of Red and the more powerful supernatural abilities of Antea helps keep things interesting. The interactive ghost love story is one of the main selling points that does override shortcomings in other areas.
Banishers: Ghosts of New Edenhas a compelling narrative and was enjoyable during the review playthrough, but it has also earned criticism. Story-driven RPGs are not a genre where one should expect a nonstop thrill-a-minute experience, but even with expectations appropriately tempered, the pacing can often feel too slow. This also ties in with the exploration elements. The area around New Eden is open for exploration and does have many exciting things to encounter, whether it be mysteries to solve or abominations to fight, and when these encounters occur they are enjoyable.
There’s a lot of wandering that creates lengthy lulls in between moments of excitement, however, and even with well-written dialog between the two protagonists, there were many tedious periods in between the more interesting content. There was one instance where Red was tasked with addressing a ghost for a villager, and when reporting this to the quest giver it was simply mentioned that the problem was addressed. This would have been fine but the fact the problem was solved by sacrificing the settler he was tasked with helping was unaddressed, which did break the sense of immersion, as in a settlement that has about six people, someone dying is going to be noticed.
Closing Comments:
Banishers: Ghosts of New Edenoffers an interesting twist on tried and true RPGs mechanics. A form of a morality system is implemented, but instead of being simply good or evil, it’s based one what Red wants to do with Antea’s soul which adds a sense of personal investment to one’s choices beyond choosing which side with which to align. The mix of detective work to remove hauntings blended with the action-oriented combat elements helps make the role of Banisher seem more complete, as they have to rely on several different skill sets to accomplish their goals. This was further enhanced by the interplay between Red and Antea. The biggest stumbling block inBanishers: Ghosts of New Edenis the pacing, as there are many fantastic moments in the game that are spread too far apart by uneventful travel. But even with the overall experience being uneven, the good qualities greatly outweigh the bad.
