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Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden | ARPG for PC/PS5/Xbox Series | Developed by DONTNOD - reviews from OpenCritic posted


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Following the success of Vampyr, FOCUS ENTERTAINMENT and DON’T NOD had announced a new collaboration to bring one of the most ambitious projects in the history of both the publisher and the studio. FOCUS ENTERTAINMENT’s participation in The Game Awards 2022 is the occasion to unveil this brand-new project: Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden.

Experience a powerful and intimate narrative in this Action-RPG, playing as two proficient ghost hunters and lovers, faced with impossible choices and their dramatic consequences for the living… and the dead. The World Premiere Reveal Trailer showcases the hallmarks of DON’T NOD: a striking art direction, strong characters and plot, as well as a unique fantasy world.

 

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  • Commissar SFLUFAN changed the title to Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden | ARPG for PC/PS5/Xbox Series. Developed by DONTNOD | 07 November 2023 - hands-on previews from Gamescom and trailers

Hands-on previews from Gamescom:

 

WWW.WELL-PLAYED.COM.AU

A promising new adventure

 

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The preview build gave us a look at an early mission from the game, which sees Red and Antea arrive at a camp set up in a forest outside New Eden in search of the camp’s leader, Thickskin Newsmith. Much to the chagrin of Thickskin’s sister Kate, Red is tasked with tracking down and killing a beast (one that Thickskin thinks is merely a wolf or bear) that has been causing havoc in the forest.

 

DON’T NOD has a strong reputation when it comes to narrative experiences, and right off the bat you can tell that the studio’s commitment to storytelling is flowing through Banisher’s veins. Long dialogue sequences that require choices to be made are a regular occurrence, with some choices simply opening up more responses, while others move the conversation forward. From what I’ve played, the writing seems fairly solid, but some stellar voice acting by Red (voiced by Russ Bain), whose Scottish accent is captivating, and Antea (voiced by Amaka Okafor) does a lot of heavy lifting.

 

 

 

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Don’t Nod Entertainment, the developers behind Life is Strange, Tell Me Why, Twin Mirror, and Vampyr, are making another new game in the form of Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden. Narrative and Creative directors Stéphane Beauverger and Philippe Moreau sat down with us at SegmentNext to talk about the game.

 

 

GAMERANT.COM

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden's gameplay and storytelling are as interesting as the game's unique setting, North America in 1695.

 

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Banishers: Ghosts Of New Eden is an upcoming third-person and story-driven action RPG by studio Don't Nod Entertainment, developer of the first two Life is Strange games and The Adventures of Captain Spirit. The influence of Life is Strange's narrative and choice-driven gameplay seems clear in Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, as players follow and shape the story of ghost-hunting Banishers and lovers Red mac Raith and Antea Duarte. In a twist, a tragic event sees Antea become a ghost herself. Players can switch between Red and Antea as they work together to solve haunting cases across 1695 North America while hoping to bring her back to life.

 

On one hand, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden's premise of hunting down and vanquishing ghosts sounds relatively straightforward. However, its narrative and choice-driven gameplay sets the stage for some compelling storytelling, something Don't Nod is perhaps best known for, and is something totally different and unique to experience. Mixing player decision elements like a save or sacrifice choice system with action gameplay feels both promising and very different for the Life is Strange studio's new game. Recently, Game Rant played a couple of hours of Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden in a hands-on preview, including meeting some key characters and trekking through The Dark Woods to hunt down a mysterious creature known only as The Beast.

 

 

WWW.THESIXTHAXIS.COM

Blending Don't Nod's signature storytelling with a compelling supernatural action RPG world, Banishers is a game worth watching.

 

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The ghosts you fight come in a variety of shapes, with various spectres and ghouls of different sizes and strengths, and there’s an emphasis on tying combos together, dodging, and then using Red’s skills as a Banisher to finish them off. It feels weighty and satisfying, with a substantial level of challenge even on the Normal difficulty setting. It’s a natural match for the fiction Don’t Nod are building, giving genuine reason for the settlers to fear these aggressive spirits, and you’ll come to fear them too.

 

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden stood out as one of the most narratively engaging titles we saw at this year’s Gamescom. The setting is evocative, the dynamic between the central characters is intriguing, and the tale that’s being told is both fresh and fascinating. Put it at the top of your wishlist now.

 

 

WWW.GAMEREACTOR.EU

We've been hands-on with Don't Nod's action title, all during our time in Cologne for Gamescom 2023.

 

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Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden puts players into the shoes of the dual-protagonist combo of Red mac Raith and Antea Duarte, all as they venture to the wilds of 17th century North America to help clear the land of spectres and ghouls so that colonisers can live in peace. It plays from a third-person perspective and leads you through a story across a variety of locations, and within a few minutes of playing, you will feel the influence that God of War has had on this title, as it flows in the same way and even has puzzle sections and exploration opportunities that resemble what Santa Monica Studio made incredibly popular.

 

But just because it has that clear inspiration from God of War, it doesn't mean that Banishers is a heartless clone. Quite the contrary actually. Here you don't play as just one character, with a second individual you can command at times. No, you can seamlessly switch between Red and Antea, who following Antea's untimely demise, are now bound to one another. This means that you can flick through Red's powerful arsenal of weapons, be it melee weapons or even a ranged musket, all to blast and cut down the monsters that inhabit the North American forests. Then, when you come across an enemy that resonates with spectral energy, Antea can be called into action to punch and weaken threats so that Red can finally dispel them. It's a very well managed system that keeps combat feeling engaging, which the variety of enemy types and collection of weapons you can choose also aid to elevate this too.

 

The exploration comes across as the same sort of deal as God of War. You mainly follow a core narrative, but there are times to undertake additional activities and to venture off the beaten path to slide between rocky crevices to discover crates filled with loot, and so forth. As I've said before, Banishers isn't looking to reinvent the formula that God of War really nailed, it's just looking to provide its own unique spin on it. And this can be found in the occasional puzzle section dotted throughout the game. You won't be tasked with manipulating the environment drastically, but you will need to use Antea's powers to create ways to progress around the wilderness and to reach new areas.

 

 

FANDOMWIRE.COM

Back when Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden was announced at The Game Awards, I remember thinking that it was the game that was most worth keeping an eye on.

 

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Some of the most harrowing moments during my time with the game came not during combat, but in fact during the discovery of several story beats, both optional and mandatory. Sent on a mission to rid the local area of ‘The Beast’, something some characters think is a myth, whereas others are terrified of the name alone, Red and Antea are traipsing through dense forest in the hope of finding the last group of settlers that dared venture too far from town.

 

Of course things go very wrong for them very quickly, and through diary entries and supernatural ‘Echoes’, we find out that not everything is as it seems with the people back at the town, specifically the quest giver ‘Thickskin’. Not to spoil anything, but after a frenetic battle with The Beast, after hunting it down and seeing the carnage it has left, you’ll be left with knowledge of hard decisions that ‘Thickskin’ had to undertake, and you’ll find yourself realising that a lot of the supporting characters aren’t good, they aren’t bad, they’re grey. They’re complex and they’re real.

 

 

WWW.THELOADOUT.COM

Developer DON'T NOD puts The Loadout against truly eerie foes in Banishers Ghosts of New Eden, an action RPG elevated by a unique world to explore.

 

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DON’T NOD is no stranger to crafting odd scenarios, and having to deal with the grief of a loved one, though she is still present in some form, is handled with an intimate touch. Other characters can’t see Antea either, making her comments and interplay with Red from the afterlife all the more intriguing. Listening to dialogue is important, as the quest to bring Antea back can be affected by Red’s decisions. A choice near the end of the preview asks me to spare or sacrifice a character, with either decision splitting off into new story paths.

 

Conversely, Antea provides a different perspective on gameplay that Red is unable to achieve. I can switch between either character in an instant, gaining access to Antea’s supernatural abilities. They come in use immediately as I descend in the darkest depths of the forest, coming across a ghoul infested mine. I unleash a volatile energy wave on incoming attacks from these skeletons, rupturing their bones into nothing more than ash. If that doesn’t do the trick, swapping back to Red is where combat gets down to the grittiness. Equipped with a sabre and a flintlock rifle, the two methods of fighting are stitched together with silky smooth responses, making it easy to switch up my attacks.

 

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Familiar aspects from other games might be here, but DON’T NOD really sets Banishers apart thanks to the time period it inhabits. The developer cites The Revenant as a key inspiration, but influences from Robert Eggers’ The Witch are abundant (an observation that executive producer Karim Benfares appreciates during post-preview chat). It is a setting you don’t really see that often in games, and I’m surprised that Assassin’s Creed hasn’t already tapped into this. Though, the Assassin’s Creed Hex release date may change that.

 

 

WWW.IGN.COM

We played a full mission from Don't Nod's choice-based ghost-fighting action RPG.

 

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At a glance, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden owes a lot to Sony’s recent God of War outings. Its close third-person camera perspective, linear-but-open level design, and mix of environmental puzzles and hard-hitting melee combat are all present. But there’s more than meets the eye here. After playing a whole quest I’ve discovered that beneath that surface lies a soul just as connected to the Life is Strange series developer Don't Nod is famed for as it is to Sony’s godly behemoth.

 

You play as Red, a Scotsman in 1695 North America, who’s taken up the profession of Banisher – a sort of exorcist Witcher who hunts ghosts rather than monsters. But he also has a greater, more personal purpose. Red’s romantic partner, Antea, recently met a tragic fate, and so his primary objective is now to find a way to bring her back to life. That’s one option, anyway. Beyond its third-person action flourishes Banishers is hiding a choice-based adventure firmly rooted in developer Don’t Nod’s DNA. It provides a mix of violence and delicacy that could be felt clearly as I played through an hour-long mission from one of its earliest chapters.

 

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The decision you have to make is a clear one, with genuine consequences for not just the sisters, but also Red and Antea. Pick the cutthroat option and the path towards Antea’s resurrection will be further walked along. But opt for the more merciful route and you’ll instead push Antea in the direction of ascending to the afterlife. It’s this central conflict that will likely propel Banishers through its 20-30 hour story, and one I’m sure will be riddled with all sorts of ethical conundrums as the temptation to return Antea to her corporeal form looms.

 

While it may not have the level of quality in its writing or ferocity in its combat to match the calibre of games it's evoking, Don’t Nod’s trademark choice-based narrative systems are where Banishers differentiates itself. Despite only playing for an hour, I found myself quickly invested in Red and Antea’s story, and intrigued by what the remainder of Banisher’s tale (and indeed my own decisions) have in store for them. I look forward to seeing what dark, sad, and likely horrific places it takes me to next.

 

 

 

WWW.GAMESHUB.COM

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is a fantasy adventure infused with spooky highland charm. Check out our preview of the game.

 

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Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is hooked on a strong premise. In the mysterious town of New Eden, you embody two Banishers, specialist ghost hunters (and lovers) expunging wandering spirits and dark forces that threaten the peace of the living. Antea Duarte is a powerful medium, with the ability to harness spirit powers to reach the Other Side. Red mac Raith is the brawn of the operation, wielding rare weapons that can touch the dead. But when Antea is killed in a Banishing gone wrong, the hunters are forced into a new arrangement.

 

Antea, now a spirit herself, can wield even stranger powers as she wanders the world uncovering ghostly mysteries. She’s directly tied to Red, with spiritual powers allowing them to swap places and abilities, crossing between the living and ghost realms at will.

 

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If you’ve managed to uncover certain bits of dialogue and context, you’ll be able to make an informed choice about what comes next – as the encounter leads to a binary choice that reshapes the narrative, and your character, in the next steps of the game.

 

In many ways, this early preview of Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden felt like the culmination of Don’t Nod’s specialties. In Vampyr, it harnesses the power of grim storytelling in a dark, vampire-filled world. In every Life is Strange, it tells deeply personal tales where choice is an essential, driving factor. Banishers shares much with its predecessors, particularly Vampyr, while revelling in a fresh narrative buoyed by unique mechanics, and intriguing dual leads.

 

 

PRESS-START.COM.AU

Banishers: Ghosts Of New Eden Hands-On Preview – An Intimate Introduction

 

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I was amazed at how, across only ninety minutes, Don’t Nod made me care enough about these characters to pause to decide what I wanted to do. It may be a testament to their strong character building, but I’m scared to think of how involving future choice across a whole game will look.

 

This is easily owing to the excellent voicework behind both Red and Antea. They play off of each other so well, which is so important in a game where their relationship plays so much into the story. Amaka Okafor, who voices Antea, is easily the standout here though. She plays the role with such a solemn sense of melancholy that I can’t help but stop and listen to everything she has to say.

 

I come away from my brief time with Banishers equal parts optimistic and intrigued. This team is known for creating characters you care about and choices you tend to ponder. And I’m already so invested in learning much more about Red, Antea and their relationship and how that will play out. Of course, tracking down ghosts and spirits like a pre-Conjuring Ed and Lorraine Warren doesn’t sound like a drag either. So while I might be concerned about the variety of the experience overall, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is now sitting squarely on my radar. And it should be for you too.

 

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  • Commissar SFLUFAN changed the title to Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden | ARPG for PC/PS5/Xbox Series | Developed by DONTNOD | 07 November 2023 - hands-on previews from Gamescom and trailers
  • Commissar SFLUFAN changed the title to Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden | ARPG for PC/PS5/Xbox Series | Developed by DONTNOD | 13 February 2024 - release re-scheduled to avoid year-end crush
  • 2 months later...
  • Commissar SFLUFAN changed the title to Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden | ARPG for PC/PS5/Xbox Series | Developed by DONTNOD | 13 February 2024 - new trailers and previews
WWW.ROCKPAPERSHOTGUN.COM

RPS talks to Life Is Strange studio Don't Nod about their new adventure Banishers: Ghosts Of New Eden.

 

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Banishers: Ghosts Of New Eden is a game of twos. It has two protagonists and two broad ways of playing, leading to two broad narrative outcomes, and is created by a company who, as Don’t Nod’s lead narrative designer Elise Galmard explained to me at a preview event, feel like they make games for two different audiences - fans of noodly narrative intrigues on the one hand, and of fantasy combat games on the other. Among the game's challenges, of course, is to blend these halves convincingly.

 

A spiritual (hah) follow-up of sorts to 2018’s fairly well-received Vampyr, it takes place in the alt-historical realm of New Eden, which is kind of 17th century colonial North America through the lens of Dragon Age: Inquisition with a pinch of Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. The titular Banishers are a ghost-hunting couple, the Scotsman Red MacRaith and the Cuban Antea Duarte. Antea is killed at the very beginning of the game, during a battle with an especially noxious spook, but she soon returns as a spirit, and your overall story objective is to either resurrect her body or help her "Ascend" to the afterlife.

 

To achieve either outcome, you must investigate various hauntings throughout New Eden, flushing out miscreants both supernatural and tangible. Having got to the bottom of each mystery, you can "Blame" the spook in question to harvest their vitality - the ultimate punishment for any crimes they may have committed. Or you can grant them a more forgiving "Banishment" or even an Ascension of their own, showing kindness while earning fewer ghost points towards Antea’s second coming.

 

The process of investigating a ghost blends straightforward CSI sleuthing and dialogue interrogations with a touch of spellcraft. During my hands-on, I looked into the fate of one Jacob, a trapper who had somewhat lost his wits over the mysterious absence of his companion Ben. Suffice to say that Ben hadn’t just got lost picking daisies in the woods. In the course of 30 minutes or so, I roamed a small search area spread across different elevations, scrawling sigils in the earth to play back phantom memories, and dispelled a spectral mist that hid some critical evidence. I enjoyed this side of the game, though I didn’t find it a struggle to locate all the clues and put the pieces together: it felt more like playing out the solution than discovering it.

 

I was less sold on the other half of Banishers - the travelling and combat sequences that intersperse the ghost-hunting. The game’s brawls encompass melee combos, dodges, blocks, gunfire and magic, and see you switching between flesh-and-blood Red and wraithlike Antea to whittle foes down and exorcise them. There’s a lot going on: each character gets their own unlock tree, damage types, and slowly recharging special moves, while enemies range from irritating zombie dogs to bosses such as undead fishermen who can perform area attacks and have more pronounced weakpoints.

 

 

 

WWW.GAMESRADAR.COM

Preview | Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden had me investigate a haunting case, reunite with my lost love, and face a difficult choice

 

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In Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, a voice calls out to me. I'm playing through the beginning of Don't Nod's upcoming action RPG, where I find myself in the shoes of protagonist Red mac Raith, lost and alone. I don't know where I am, or what's happened to bring me here, but as I wander through a forested area, I hear the voice again. "Where are you?", Red calls out again, sounding increasingly pained as I'm beckoned down a path leading into a cave. There are no signs of life here save for myself, but a curious green flame ignites a hanging lantern suspended from a tree; as if to guide me. 

 

Making my way further down a rocky incline, I see the ghostly figure of a woman who seems to emit the same green hue as the strange fire I saw moments ago. It's immediately clear that Red knows who this woman is from the desperation in his voice as he tries to reach her. It's Antea, the love of his life, and given her spectral form, something terrible must have transpired. When I find myself in front of a small waterfall, the rings on Red's right hand - that are decorated with curious runes - also begin to glow green, and suddenly Antea stands before me. 

 

It's an emotionally charged moment, as Red desperately reaches out to grab both her hands, almost as though he's grounding her back into the land of the living. The lost lovers are reunited, but now that Antea is a ghost, questions hang in the air between them. Can they really truly be together again? And even if they can, should they instead try to find a way to help Antea finally pass on? 

 

During my hands-on session, I get a taste of the story, combat, and world of Banishers: Ghost of New Eden. I feel like I only scratch the surface of the action RPG, but from what I've played, it does well to quickly establish that Antea and Red's relationship is at the heart of the experience in more ways than one. With difficult choices that look set to shape them as a couple, the question of whether they can or even should be together again promises to drive the adventure forward in interesting ways. 

 

 

 

WWW.TECHRADAR.COM

Don't be afraid of these ghosts

 

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A full-scale action RPG that sees you venturing across the haunted wilds of a fictionalized colonial America as two ill-fated lovers, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden seems set to play to the strengths of its developer, Don’t Nod. As the creators of Life is Strange and Life is Strange 2, the studio is best known for its strong repertoire of touching story-based games. 

 

In addition to presenting another compelling narrative, this upcoming title also appears to build on some of the more action-oriented ambitions seen in their lesser-known gems such as Vampyr and Remember Me. I went hands-on with an early build of the game for almost two hours and came away impressed by the stellar performances of its main cast and intrigued by my small taste of some of the challenging moral decisions that await when it launches on February 13 next year.

 

 

 

METRO.CO.UK

The creators behind Vampyr and Life Is Strange channel God Of War in an action role-player where you explore a land plagued by ghosts.

 

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The creators behind Vampyr and Life Is Strange channel God Of War in an action role-player where you explore a land plagued by ghosts.

 

Along with the upcoming reboot of Alone In The Dark, Banishers: Ghosts Of New Eden is one of several titles which wisely slid into 2024, to avoid this year’s stacked final quarter. It now arrives one day shy of Valentine’s Day; an apt and darkly tongue-in-cheek position for a game which hinges on the question of whether you should sacrifice the living to resurrect your dead lover.

 

Developed by Don’t Nod, this single-player action game is closer to Vampyr than the studio’s best known work, Life Is Strange. Judging by our hands-on preview, however, that’s far from a bad thing. It might clearly owe a debt to 2018’s God Of War but Banishers: Ghosts Of New Eden has enough promising ideas, and a distinct ghostly flavour, to stand apart from its inspiration.

 

While we weren’t shown the opening, the game revolves around the dynamic between lovers Antea Duarte and Red Mac Raith, who are ghosthunters, aka Banishers in the fictional land of New Eden in 1695. After Antea dies in a fatal incident, she returns to Red as one of the ghosts they typically hunt, trapped between the living and the afterlife. As a pair, one living and another a ghostly apparition, they venture out across the land to find a way to liberate Antea from haunted limbo.

 

 

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  • Commissar SFLUFAN changed the title to Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden | ARPG for PC/PS5/Xbox Series | Developed by DONTNOD | 13 February 2024 - "Love, Death, & Sacrifice" gameplay trailer
  • 3 weeks later...
  • Commissar SFLUFAN changed the title to Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden | ARPG for PC/PS5/Xbox Series | Developed by DONTNOD | 13 February 2024 - "Story" trailer

As I posted in the games of 24 thread, though it’s not a direct sequel, I really wanted to make sure I completed Vampyr before this. Now that is done so I can get properly hype for this! This will be a day1 for me.

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WWW.THESIXTHAXIS.COM

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is only a few weeks away from release, and it's safe to say that it's already looking like an early contender for game of

 

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Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is only a few weeks away from release, and it’s safe to say that it’s already looking like an early contender for game of the year, with its blend of third-person combat marrying to supernatural storytelling. We were lucky enough to go hands-on with the game at last year’s Gamescom, but in the run-up to launch we needed to know more, catching up with with Stephane Beauverger, Head of Narration for the game, to discuss the game’s background and driving ideas behind the game.

 

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  • Commissar SFLUFAN changed the title to Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden | ARPG for PC/PS5/Xbox Series | Developed by DONTNOD | 13 February 2024 - interview with Stephane Beauverger, Head of Narration
  • Commissar SFLUFAN changed the title to Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden | ARPG for PC/PS5/Xbox Series | Developed by DONTNOD | 13 February 2024 - "Official Gameplay Breakdown" trailer

I’m so excited to start this when I get back but I’ll finish Suicide Squad first just since I’m like half way through. If it’s even close to Vampyr on a narrative and choice/consequence level I’ll be so happy.

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2 minutes ago, stepee said:

I’m so excited to start this when I get back but I’ll finish Suicide Squad first just since I’m like half way through. If it’s even close to Vampyr on a narrative and choice/consequence level I’ll be so happy.

 

I honestly just now saw it comes out in two days. God damnit. 

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1 minute ago, best3444 said:

 

I honestly just now saw it comes out in two days. God damnit. 

 

Have you played Vampyr? It’s this teams previous game. It’s on GP and honestly due to the art style I think it looks great in 24 - I just finished it myself in preparation for this and was reminded of how good it was. It’s a very cool game narratively and how it deals with your choices mattering. The combat is pretty mediocre though so that could be a deal breaker for you potentially. Honestly expect that to be the issue here.

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