Ghostrunner 2 preview: Like a bat out of Hell

Jack, a souped-up cyborg boasting wall-running and devastating offensive capabilities, is far more chatty in Ghostrunner 2 than he was in the predecessor. A welcome change. He and Climber Zoe don’t seem to have gotten a happy ending after liberating Dharma Tower from the oppressive Keymaster. She’s left a power vacuum in her wake that’s been filled with all kinds of ne’er-do-wells, and now Jack has to break out into the supposedly poisoned world surrounding the megabuilding. It’s an exciting premise, and the preview mostly delivers.

The original Ghostrunner superbly blended first-person freerunning with puzzle-like combat. Everything dies in one hit, including Jack, so precision and speed are key. Combat is still lightning-fast, pushing my twitch reflexes to their limit. Jack has his trusty dodge that can slow time in mid-air, but that’s not all. He’s no longer just a steaming pile of scrap: He’s the Ghostrunner who freed Dharma, and you start with access to his shuriken and tempest abilities.

Sequels often fall into the trap of thinking they’re supposed to be bigger and better, but here, sacrificing the cramped spaces I used to flourish in made me feel exposed. Levels seem larger, with more angles of attack, but also more space to run around in. It’s no fun getting shot by an enemy I couldn’t see around a corner or desperately looking for a way to zig-zag instead of charging straight ahead. 

Fortunately, the bigger spaces meant more opportunities, and soon I found hidden pathways, flanking enemies and ripping through them like a deadly cyclone. There are also new environmental hazards like exploding barrels now. They add a lot of fun and quick ways to dispatch numerous foes at once, but there was always that one enemy halfway across the arena I had to close in on to finish up the encounter, stalling my flow. 

Every surface of Dharma Tower still drips with the sickly neon lights and dingy dystopian disrepair that was present in the original Ghostrunner. I spent ages drinking in the atmosphere while the electronic soundtrack thumped in my headphones. Dharma Tower feels lived in. I can imagine the daily routines of its oppressed residents, trying to eke out an existence in one of the last bastions of humanity. The texture on offer is second to none.

Once I stopped gawking at the environment, I was happy to see that Ghostrunner 2 also requires you to engage with it. The puzzles on offer now feel richer than they did on Jack’s first outing, making me stop and appreciate all these stunning visuals. It’s not just about jumping and climbing the right way anymore: I had to use my tempest power to push a vent through a laser grid, get some air, throw a shuriken at a switch, send the vent back, then jump up the other side through an open door. It’s basic, I’ll admit, but the preview only covered one early level, and this is a good foundation for future puzzles.

There are even some new ways to explore, such as horizontal poles Jack can now swing from like a chimpanzee and weakened walls he can smash through with ease, uncovering hidden rooms or alternate pathways. While I don’t love the increased size of the combat arenas, the more varied sections of Ghostrunner 2 in between are more of a delight than ever.

I loved my return to Dharma Tower. It sucked me right back in as though it was my first time playing again, with enough tweaks to keep things interesting, even for a returning player like myself. But the best was still yet to come. The introduction of the motorcycle is where One More Level has gone above and beyond. The bike chase that served as the preview’s finale was some of the most fun I’ve ever had playing a video game. 

This section took place in maintenance tunnels, pipes, and roads with jumps and hazards. It constantly feels like you’re on the edge of losing control, but that’s where the excitement lies. One wrong move, and you’ll be slammed into a wall at breakneck speed. My adrenaline was pumping the entire time, my heartbeat as fast as the pounding music fighting to be heard above the roar of the engine. It’s a fantastic cacophony of velocity in every sense of the word. Push. Push. Push. Go faster. Faster. Faster. That’s the only thing that matters. 

Be it combat or exploration, getting to your destination as fast and stylishly as possible is an endlessly satisfying reward.

I’d be happy if Ghostrunner 2 was nothing but these motorcycle segments, but as fun as I found it, even I have to admit they could get overwhelming without the buffer of the on-foot moments. Still, I hope One More Level doesn’t drip-feed us these impossibly fast sequences when Ghostrunner 2 launches on Oct. 26, 2023.