Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed Is A New 4v1 Multiplayer Title By The Makers Of Predator: Hunting Grounds

Illfonic is a licensed developer of asymmetrical multiplayer online games. Following the release of Friday the 13th, 2017 and Predator Hunting Grounds, 2020, Illfonic’s next game tackles the beloved franchise Ghostbusters.

Ghostbusters Spirits Unleashed will launch in late 2012 as a 4-v1 match. You can play as up to four ghostbusters, which are newly recruited to fight and capture a player controlled specter. Spirits Unleashed occurs shortly after Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Winston Zeddemore and Ray Stantz have relaunched Ghostbusters together, as voiced respectively by Ernie Hudson or Dan Aykroyd. You’ll find both characters in the Firehouse, which serves as an interactive menu and explorable hub where players matchmake, purchase cosmetics for ghostbusters, unlock new ghost characters, and explore. The Firehouse features several interactive points of interest, such as Ray’s occult book store (where players initiate ghost play) and a firing range for proton packs. Even after missions are completed, ghosts can be deposited into the containment units. The Ecto-1 is present, of course, but you can’t drive it yourself; it automatically transports players to missions. 

The caller takes players on a journey that includes a number of maps around the country. We only visited one museum while we were demoing. The goal for ghostbusters is to capture the ghost and calm down scared civilians. This reduces the global haunt meter. It indicates how paranormally infested an area. The area becomes more sinister as the meter increases. Using PKE meters, you’ll hone in on haunted objects to track the ghost player and, once found, blast them with your particle thrower. As a nod towards the Afterlife movie, ghost players have also the option to temporarily stun them. Spirits Unleashed promotes teamwork. Crossing streams can be a benefit as it increases the proton stream strength to help you deal with troublesome ghosts. You should be careful where you fire. In true Ghostbusters style, excessive property damage can result in a higher bill and a reduction of experience points. 

Combining forces is important, but it’s also smart to divide and conquer. A player can focus their attention on civilians while the other player looks for portals or rifts to create spawn points. Voice-chat helps ‘busters keep in touch and better formulate strategies for bagging their target. 

Meanwhile, the ghost player’s mission is to scare all bystanders out of levels while maxing out the global haunt meter. There are many archetypes available, including Slimer. Each spirit has a variety of abilities. You can see through walls, use these abilities to find targets and possess objects that you can attack or hide from players. These powers also confuse PKE detection, making the items emit ecto signal, or slimming ghostbusters, which slows down or immobilizes them. These powers cost ectoplasm which is a resource that can be replenished whenever a player has an object. These powers can be used to save their lives and increase their power. Ghost players also have the option to sacrifice their portals for additional life. The sudden death mode allows ghostbusters to make a final stand in an area that is fully haunted to change the tide. 

Ghostbusters Spirits Unleashed is cross-play compatible and can be played offline alone with AI friends/enemies. By completing gameplay milestones, narrative-oriented players can unlock additional story elements. Illfonic will share additional information about Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed in the months ahead. Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed launches for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on Q4 2022. It is also available via Epic Game Store.