Game review “Ghostware: Arena of the Dead”: A scary arena shooter

A clear memory I have from my youth was Quake IIopen the multiplayer client and just walk around empty maps that were supposed to be full of other people. They were dull, but there were plenty of things to jump on, guns to shoot imaginary enemies with, and other tools that combined with imagination made for a decent half hour of entertainment. Then I got bored and turned on something else.

I was fascinated when Ghostware: Arena of the Dead not only brought that idea back to my adult self, but in a way that is tied together with an intriguing mix of cyberpunk storytelling, supernatural elements, and a healthy dose of nostalgic first-person shooter gameplay. It was originally scheduled to release in Steam’s Early Access program in early 2023. Ghostware: Arena of the Dead was developed by the Daev Team and was originally intended to be published by Hyperstrange before the two companies amicably parted ways. When it originally hit stores, it brought with it a lofty promise of techno-conspiracies and escapist shenanigans.

After successfully leaving the program in June 2024, Ghostware will it deliver on that promise? Is it a complete technical mess? As with most things, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. In this case, thankfully, it tends toward the former.

Ghosts, weapons and graphics, oh dear

As promised, Ghostware fulfills its intriguing premise by presenting something fairly straightforward at first. You play as Molly, a grey-skinned, sober woman whose presence in a strange virtual world is initiated by the Wizard – a man made entirely of fat, hair and tight-fitting clothing. In an attempt to recreate the computer games of his youth, Molly and a group of others are seemingly risen from the dead to fight for the Wizard’s pleasure, competing in a variety of arena battles inspired by classic multiplayer shooters. At least, that’s how it goes at first.

Little by little, the world you live in falls apart. Unfinished levels suddenly become accessible. A mysterious presence violently throws everyone but you out of the arena. Previous levels are empty and now populated by haunting noises and distorted apparitions. To make matters worse, a mysterious hooded figure tries to gain access to the game himself. Who knows what’s really going on behind the scenes and how deep the rabbit hole is?

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Although the story itself can sometimes be difficult to follow if you don’t pay close attention, GhostwareThe most famous solution to this problem is also one of its most unique features: WebScape, a fun homage to Netscape. By revisiting old levels, you can collect various interactive web pages that can be visited through WebScape. From there, you’ll gain a better understanding of what’s going on in the background, as well as the larger context of the dystopian world you’re exploring. You can even find special upgrades using this method if you know how to find them.

It’s an interesting story that ties into the game’s antics in a pretty engaging way, mixing the various subgenres together. The surprising inclusion of cutscenes and voice acting in the engine was welcome. There are plenty of characters to interact with, different perspectives to consider, and some revelations you might miss entirely if you head in a certain direction. The score, composed by Mothership Loudspeakerz, is pretty great, combining thumping atmosphere with breakbeat melodies and 90s-style electronic songs.

An arena shooter (until it isn’t anymore)

Ghostware The story is worth experiencing for yourself, especially given its brevity, so we’ll refrain from going into specific story details here. However, there’s still a lot to analyze when it comes to how the game actually plays.

It’s worth noting that the game’s description on Steam states that it’s a “unique blend of retro FPS, Metroidvania, and adventure.” Two of those things are certainly true. The worlds of retro shooting and exploration are quite different from each other, and there’s a certain fun to be had in completing a level before diving right back in to explore its numerous nooks and crannies. You’ll really appreciate the design of these levels when you can wander around without other things distracting you. Once you reach the final episode, you’ll be glad you spent the time stocking up on everything you can find within.

The movement in the game also deserves a mention. Despite being so simple, it works very well and promotes the need to move quickly and efficiently by jumping, wall-jumping, sliding and weaving these skills into a cohesive whole. This is arguably one of the most important things a game like this needs to master and it’s nice to see that it’s done so well.

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As the game progresses, you’ll switch between two distinct sections that clearly divide what you’ve done so far and what’s to come: the virtual world and the real world. The two halves represent two unique design philosophies, with one being the arena shooter you’ve enjoyed up until this split, and the other being a more linear, narrative-driven shooter with weightier movement, checkpoints, and more enemies. This also applies to their respective arsenals. The virtual world arsenal is slightly better suited to fighting one or two enemies at a time, while the real world arsenal is designed for fighting a variety of enemies in different environments. The ability to revisit previous levels remains throughout, though you’ll eventually reach a point of no return before the third episode.

The mix of these two areas is certainly unique, even if it becomes more linear as the game progresses. If you want more of the arena shooter gameplay, there is also Arcade mode, which lets you play an arena battle with a set of specific, customizable parameters.

In summary, Ghostware There is a lot going on. Many completely different things are happening. Many different, competing things, the sum of which is greater than the individual things.

Arena of Bugs

The relatively short time I spent with Ghostware was riddled with bugs in a variety of forms. There’s no point being too harsh here, as none of them were particularly intrusive. The game never crashed or had any other unexpected performance issues, and with hardware that far exceeded the minimum requirements, actually playing Ghostware was smooth throughout. However, it would be disingenuous of me not to mention a few anomalies that I noticed:

• The weapon view model would occasionally disappear completely after speaking to an NPC. Thankfully, the ability to drop a first aid kit nearby solved this problem.
• Dialogues from characters in cutscenes would sometimes not start properly. Pressing the skip button seemed to sort things out and make the cutscene play as intended, but otherwise I was stuck staring at a character’s idle animation until I did so.
• The AI, both friendly and unfriendly, was inconsistent at best and unresponsive at worst. Some have noted in Steam reviews that the friendly AI doesn’t play the Domination game mode as well as it should in early levels, which I can confirm in the full game. I’ve also noticed that enemies occasionally don’t notice my presence despite my proximity. Sometimes they just stop attacking, which is what happened with the final boss.
• The game’s Arcade mode has its own character select screen. The textures of each character seem to have some issues. Either they don’t load properly, resulting in bright purple placeholder textures, or they somehow place themselves on characters they aren’t intended for. The results were funny, but most likely unintentional.

With everything that Ghostware tried, it’s also an incredibly uneven experience. As you learn to master the arena battles, you’ll be sequestered from them for a considerable amount of time before returning for a single bout before a boss fight. Cramped arenas give way to vast islands and high-tech military bases. The line between the virtual and real worlds even becomes arbitrary at a certain point, as the two merge closely in story events. Some bosses even throw you straight to a game over screen rather than bringing you back to life somewhere else. There’s so much going on that there are no real highs and lows – it jumps all over the place with each passing minute.

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Despite these problems, something got me playing Ghostware. Maybe it was the strange mix of genuine mystery and nostalgic remnants of a bygone era, or maybe it was the charming presentation and intriguing world-building.

What ultimately Ghostware so good is exactly what it sells itself on. While individual elements can be found in other retro shooters – and arguably done better – this bizarre mix of adventure, mystery, decent platforming gameplay and competent shooting adds up to something I really wanted to see through to the end. I can look past the few flaws, however minor, and find enjoyment in what I can only describe as Unreal crashing into Unreal Tournament. That’s something to be commended. It probably won’t be my pick for game of the year, but it will be one of the first games in the series when I think of things I’ve played in 2024.

While Ghostware: Arena of the Dead It probably still has a few issues to iron out, but it’s arguably one of the most interesting retro shooter releases of 2024 in terms of what it’s trying to do. If you need something different in your favorite retro shooter, this intriguing title will certainly scratch a strange but compelling itch. Consider waiting a little longer for additional patches or perhaps a deeper discount.

Ghostware: Arena of the Dead is currently available on Steam. TexnoplasmA game by Mothership Loudspeakerz set in the same universe is currently in development. A demo for Texnoplasma is currently available to play.

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