The original 1984 Ghostbusters was not expected to do well. Yet, upon its theatrical release, Ghostbusters blew away expectations. With witty and unique writing from Harold Ramis and Dan Akroyd, and great directing from Ivan Reitman, that first Ghostbusters film captured lightning in a bottle in a way no subsequent movie in the series has.
While Ghostbusters: Afterlife has its share of fans, many still consider the 2009 game, simply titled Ghostbusters, to be a true sequel to the original duology. With actor Ernie Hudson saying a new game is in development, it's important to look at where the series has been, what it can take from predecessors, and how it can improve upon that 2009 game to produce a Ghostbusters title worthy of nostalgic with a first-class modern experience.
The Original Ghostbusters Cast Should Return
Perhaps the most important element to get right is that the original cast need to be in the game in some capacity. If there's one key takeaway from that 2009 game, it's that a Ghostbusters video game needs those original members to feel authentic.
The voice acting in the 2009 Ghostbusters game, while feeling a little phoned in by some members, undeniably made it a more genuine Ghostbusters experience. Seeing and hearing Dan Akroyd's Ray Stantz nerd out about ectoplasm, or Bill Murray's sarcastic quips as Pete Venkman, brought the game to life and is one of the biggest reasons behind fans' adoration.
This isn't to say that the original team needs to be in the entire game, or even have main roles in the story or action, but their appearance would go a long way to hook fans. Given how Ghostbusters: Afterlife ends, there's plenty of routes to go down if the developer wants to keep the original team sidelined while still making appearances throughout.
Fan-Service Is Key, But Should Be Handled With Care
Fan-service is also a must for the new Ghostbusters game, although how the game handles it is important. It's all too common for modern-day sequels to weaponize nostalgia to sell tickets. For instance, while Star Wars: The Force Awakens was loved by many, the amount of self-referential dialogue and fan-service like cameos and placement of items from previous movies did seem shallow at times.
But that's not to say all fan-service is bad, as it can be extremely rewarding for the audience when done right. For example, subtly including a character or item where it suits the narrative and makes logical sense can go a long way in connecting the tone of the current project with its predecessors. This also makes fans feel rewarded for paying attention and investing time in the series as a whole, like in Marvel Cinematic Universe properties.
The new Ghostbusters needs to tread a fine line between nostalgia and telling an original, engaging story. This could be done in a number of ways, such as using the original firehouse headquarters with a logical reason like Winston setting up a Ghostbusting business for new recruits. Similarly, the original technology can be used, but modified to fit with modern-day aesthetics so it bridges the gap between the old and new.
Capturing Ghostbusters' Tone
At its heart, that original Ghostbusters movie (and Afterlife to an extent) is a comedy. While it may have its fair share of wacky laser fights and spectral madness, the constant one-liners from Venkman and charming back-and-forths between Egon and Ray are the glue that hold the movie together.
This distinctive tone was present all throughout the 2009 Ghostbusters game, with both cutscenes and gameplay imitating the original movie's tone. The way the characters interact with each other and the player-character, acting just as they did in the 1984 original, cements the light-hearted tone of the game and brings a great deal of humor. The use of the original movie's score and leitmotifs also establishes this comedic tone.
The new Ghostbusters game should follow the same formula, using humor to keep the game light-hearted and charming. While having the original cast would help to cement the tone, it could be done with a new cast of characters so long as the writing team understands that character dynamics were at the forefront of the original movie's success.
Responsive and Intuitive Ghost Catching
For all it got right, the 2009 Ghostbusters game was not perfect. It nailed its tone, atmosphere, and dialogue, but the actual gameplay wasn't the best, with capturing a ghost feeling pretty repetitive.
A modern Ghostbusters game would need to adapt to new technology and innovations in gameplay if it wants to give gamers a genuinely great interactive experience. For instance, the game could use the PlayStation 5's DualSense to enhance the feeling of capturing a ghost, with the adaptive triggers providing resistance when a ghost struggles to break free and haptic feedback reinforcing the weight behind a proton stream.
The newly rumored Ghostbusters game has plenty of time to learn from its predecessors, as no official confirmation of its existence has been released by a studio as of yet. With a bit of talent, and a lot of love and care, a new Ghostbusters game could make fans of the series happy.
Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered is available now on Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One.