In the century, Metroidvania has seen a huge resurgence in popularity. However, it’s easy to forget how far we’ve come. If we rewind the clock to 2013, Metroid and Castlevania The franchise is already on the ice and the indie Metroidvania scene is just beginning to take off. That’s when Matt White launched Kickstarter for a Super Metroid– engaging game, titled Ghost song, has surpassed initial funding goals and gone into full production. Now, almost a decade later, Ghost Song has finally been released on the Nintendo Switch, and it’s a great homage to some of the genre’s best writing, even though the Switch probably isn’t. Best place to play.
In the first few minutes of the game, you will immediately notice that Ghost Song has two main inspirations. The level design, enemy design, and atmosphere effects are clearly based on Metroid. The one-block vertical platformer is reminiscent of Super Metroid, and the main enemy’s design looks oddly similar to Chozo’s that will make any Samus fan feel at home. In terms of gameplay, however, Ghost Song instead attracts many words Dark souls. You lose your coins when dropped in battle, have to walk back to where you last died to get them back. Using those, you can choose to level up certain stats, like health or damage, at statues around the map. There are estus equivalent vessels, which can be used at any time and refilled at the storage points.
Arguably the biggest soul inspiration comes from the difficulty of the game. In Ghost Song, there is very little room for error. Enemies attack very hard and very fast, and you have very little in the way of the invincible frame. More often than not, you can easily get stuck in a corner with enemies constantly attacking you until you die. And because you lose your money after every death, the difficulty can get extremely annoying. Thankfully, there is an “exploration” mode that you can choose from before starting the game, perhaps more suitable for first-timers or those who prefer to drink their Metroidvanias without needing a large Soulsborne capsule. . When you die, you keep your coins and simply respawn at a checkpoint. Without a doubt, we recommend most people to start with this when playing for the first time, as it doesn’t make gameplay and combat any less difficult, but it does make dying less punishing. much more fine.
Although Ghost Song draws inspiration from a lot, it also has some ideas of its own. One of the best additions comes from your combat options. At all times, you’ll have access to both your gun and a melee attack, as well as a third slot to add extra weapons. What makes the battle stand out is the way the game encourages you to switch between weapons on the fly. Using your blaster too much will cause your arm to glow red, which means your fire rate is reduced and your blaster deals less damage. However, when your blaster is flaming red, your melee attack will deal significantly more damage. However, your melee attacks have a stamina meter, which means you can’t abuse it either.
This risk-versus-reward combat factor makes the battle much more enjoyable, as you’re constantly changing your strategy mid-battle. Your third, gearable slot can be filled with any number of items you find during your journey. This has to do with the parts system, where, instead of always finding permanent upgrades around the world, upgrades need to be retrofitted. These can range from powerful missiles to melee upgrades or the ability to see enemy health bars. Since you can only equip a certain number of upgrades at once, you never really get too overwhelming, but the system gives you the flexibility to tailor your payload to unique playstyle. your own.
Aside from the game’s combat and Dark Souls-inspired systems, Ghost Song is a very standard Metroidvania. You are exploring a huge open world, collecting upgrades and progressing throughout the story. Unlike Metroid or Dark Souls, story plays a much larger role here. Discovering who, what and where you are is your main goal and along the way you will meet a number of characters (some more alive than others) who will help you with your quest. me. The mysteries of The Deadsuit and the history of the planet you’re exploring are highlights.
As for playing games on the Switch, however, there are unfortunately some technical issues that affect the overall experience. Visually, the game looks great, with highly detailed backgrounds and a great art style. However, the same cannot be said for how well the game runs, as there are frequent drops in frames and input lag during combat and exploration. Worse yet, the loading time between screens is unbelievably long, sometimes up to 10-15 seconds. Considering how often you move between screens, especially while back, load times significantly hinder the speed of the game. Of course, these issues can be solved through patches, but at launch they add a significant level of expertise to what would otherwise be a very strong recommendation.
Inference
Ghost Song is a game that inspires with pride, and while it can feel a bit one-sided at times, it’s still able to forge its own identity through a combat system. amazing and unique world building. Although the game can be very difficult, the “exploration” mode makes the game more accessible than it would otherwise be. Unfortunately, the game suffers from significant performance issues on the Switch, ranging from inconsistent frame rates to lengthy load times that destroy any streams the game has. If you’re willing and able to work through those issues, Ghost Song is an easy recommendation for any and all fans of the Metroidvania genre.
