Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed feels like the game that developer Illfonic has been building towards. While Friday the 13th and Predator: Hunting Grounds combined a popular IP with a unique asymmetrical multiplayer concept, the games were limited by their more mature licenses. Ghostbusters allows Illfonic to show how fun the 4v1 concept can be, while engaging a wider audience than ever before.

Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed should be familiar to any who have kept up with Illfonic’s work thus far. Four players control four customizable Ghostbusters that are tasked with finding and capturing a player-controlled ghost. With classic Ghostbuster tools like the PKE Meter for finding paranormal signatures and the Particle Thrower for snaring the ghost, the team needs to trap the ghost three times (or eliminate the respawn relics from the map) in order to win. Each Ghostbuster is controlled in first person and offers the type of experience that fans would expect. Most importantly, the customization of the various Ghostbuster tools will allow each team member to specialize in a role and better help track or capture the ghost.

The singular ghost, on the other hand, is controlled in third person and wins by haunting the playable area and maxing out a meter. The haunt meter increases as the ghost terrorizes the AI citizens around the environment, but they must also be careful to avoid the Ghostbuster team. That can come in many different forms, including the ability to mimic objects like in a Prop Hunt game, or just outright attacking the Ghostbusters to force them to retreat. Should the ghost be captured, however, they will respawn via a relic hidden on the map. This respawn mechanic can occur up to two times, but the Ghostbusters can also find the relics and destroy them to speed up their victory scenario.

That 4v1 interplay is not entirely original, even for Illfonic, but it appears to work well within the Ghostbusters license. Previous Ghostbusters games have tried to mimic the feel of the movies, but this approach and the player-controlled ghost should make each match dynamic and different. Illfonic also promises that there are some exciting ghost forms to control, so players won’t feel like they are at a disadvantage against a team of Ghostbusters.

Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed seems like a ton of fun all on its own, but Illfonic has also heard the criticisms about its prior games. Both Friday the 13th and Predator were limited by the fact that they were online-only and relied on both teammates and an opponent to truly “work.” That will still arguably be the best way to experience this game, but Spirits Unleashed also bucks the trend by supporting AI teammates and an AI ghost should players so choose. It can be played completely offline, which should be a huge plus for those who want to avoid the multiplayer matchmaking aspect altogether.

Ghostbusters Cameos and Customization

Of course, it’s the use of the Ghostbusters IP that will help sell the game, and Illfonic has gone all-out in Spirits Unleashed. From the use of the iconic Ghostbusters sound library to the design of the various Ghostbuster tools, the attention to detail is everything that fans will want.

Between matches, though, is where things go to a new level, with players able to explore the Ghostbusters' fire station home base, acquire missions from Winston, and visit Ray’s Occult Books to learn more about the paranormal threats they are up against in what seems to be an overarching narrative. And yes, both Ernie Hudson and Dan Aykroyd are lending their voices to the game.

Customization is also a big part of the pre-match experience, with players able to add different components to their Particle Thrower, PKE Meter, traps, and more. As players get deeper into the game they should have more options at their fingertips, including new looks for their Ghostbuster or those ghost types and attacks.

Illfonic seems acutely aware of what did and didn’t work in its past games and is looking to make Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed a product of those lessons. Obviously, the Ghostbusters license will get a lot of folks in the door, but asymmetrical multiplayer games don’t appeal to everyone. This should be an easy sell for content creators and fans of the genre, but the support for offline play and AI teammates/opponent will go a long way to helping satisfy a larger audience.

Balance is always a consideration and will be Illfonic’s biggest challenge, same as it was with the previous games. But for a first impression, this looks to be the studio’s most exciting game yet.

Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed is targeting a Q4 2022 release for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.