Ghostrunner Review Roundup - What Do Critics Think Of Cyberpunk Mirror's Edge?

One More Level and Slipgate Ironworks' fast-paced, cyberpunk first-person parkour slasher Ghostrunner is out now on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. With the game's one-hit-kill mechanic, those interested in Ghostrunner may be curious about what some reviewers are saying about the dystopian adventure. Read on to find out what critics think of Ghostrunner.

Most reviews land on the same consensus: Ghostrunner is a thrill to play. The game's fast-paced mechanics, mixed with the breakneck pace of combat and platforming, make Ghostrunner an edge-of-your-seat experience with a relatively brisk six-hour campaign. It's also a game critics say speedrunners will enjoy--and not just because "runner" is in its name.

In our own Ghostrunner review, we scored it a 7/10. Critic Mike Epstein called the game "exhilarating," saying Ghostrunner is a "high-risk, high-reward" experience. We've compiled reviews down below to give you a glimpse of what critics think. And head over to GameSpot sister site Metacritic for more reviews of Ghostrunner on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

• Game: Ghostrunner
• Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
• Developer: One More Level, Slipgate Ironworks
• Release date: October 27
• Price: $30 / £23 / $42 AUD

Ghostrunner is also available on the Epic Games, PlayStation, and Steam stores. On Steam, Ghostrunner is 20% off (down to $24) until November 3. The same discount is offered on the Epic Games Store until November 5.

GameSpot - 7/10

"When Ghostrunner rips, it really rips. Wall-running, jumping, sliding, and cutting through enemies as you go is empowering and impressive. For a good portion of the game, you'll only experience how impressive it feels to dart around a room in short bursts, but even that's enough motivation to keep you pushing forward to master the art of robot ninja parkour. There's bound to be a lot of frustration along the way, so it isn't all smiles, exactly, but the rush you feel in the moment as you perfectly run a room is worth the grit." -- Mike Epstein [Full Review]

Eurogamer - Recommended

"It's optimisation like this that speaks to how impressive Ghostrunner is as a production overall. I wondered how it would sustain itself over several hours but it does--over a dozen, if you're asking. It trickles in new enemies, sprinkles in a few boss encounters (bear with them--they're mostly agility puzzles), and gives you a few new toys to play with along the way (some of the temporary power-ups are wonderful). And all the while it tells you a story of revenge and revolution in your ears, which I haven't mentioned before because it's only ever a backdrop to the game. But it's nice enough to listen to and it never slows you down, and it helps ground the game in a time and place. You get a sense of a wider cyberpunk world out there, beyond the massive tower you're climbing.

All that's left for me now is to go back and replay the individual levels, collecting the things I missed, and beating my time to completion and amount of deaths along the way. And I'll do it, not because I'm fussy about that kind of thing, but because, simply, Ghostrunner is a joy to play." -- Robert Purchese [Full Review]

IGN - 8/10

"With its breakneck pace and skill-heavy gameplay, Ghostrunner is a speedrunner's dream. But even beyond that demographic, this is a great first-person action game that feels punishing but fair. You may die hundreds of times, but instantaneous respawns and generous checkpointing ensure that Ghostrunner's challenging combat and platforming never become a chore. More than all of that though, Ghostrunner is jam-packed with a great variety of enemies, mechanics, and special powers that constantly changed up how I approached its many unique encounters. That meant it always felt fresh, and by the end of its six to eight-hour campaign, I was all too eager to jump back in for seconds." -- Michael Saltzman [Full Review]

PCGamesN - 8/10

"Ghostrunner never lets you settle. Its main story is a breathless, adrenaline-fuelled race to the top of the tower. There are collectibles to hunt down and endless appeal for speedrunners who want to master every level like a racing circuit, but Ghostrunner left me spent and totally satisfied--six hours of slicing through nondescript cyberpunk goons to nosebleed techno will do that to you. Ghostrunner's smart level design and rich array of enemies are a joy to blitz through, but it's all underpinned by some of the slickest parkour mechanics of any game. Ever." -- Jordan Forward [Full Reviw]

Polygon - Recommends

"There's something extra special about hurtling through space from one wall or platform to the next in first person. Compared to a 2D platformer, the motion seems faster, the timing is tighter, and the penalty of missing a jump--that feeling of the ground rushing toward you as you fall--is way more intense. Ghostrunner is a perfect example of what happens when a developer works within the limitations of an underappreciated genre and pulls the absolute best from it." -- Austen Goslin [Full Review]

Rock Paper Shotgun - Unscored

"As a simple one-and-done campaign run Ghostrunner isn't at its best: the handiest tricks coming too late in the day and the towering death spikes overshadowing the good times around them. I couldn't, for example, tell you anything of the story, as it's delivered over comms during moments of intense concentration. I think it involves someone called Mara, but only because that's the name on one of the boss fight health bars.

But take that initial pass as a warm-up lap, inuring yourself to some frustrations to come, and what follows finally delivers on the fun of the cyber ninja fantasy. Death number 1424 beckons." -- Matthew Castle [Full Review]

Ghostrunner will also launch on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S / Series X as a free next-gen upgrade. That version of the game won't be available until 2021.

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