Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden

82%
Game Brain Score Based on 3,075 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden Game Cover
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is astounding, and the way it tells a compelling story and connects you to the characters is really impressive. It’s impossible not to recommend this masterpiece of a game.
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In Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, explore 17th-century New Eden as Red or Antea, experienced ghost hunters on a mission to lift a malevolent curse. Engage in intimate narrative-driven action-RPG gameplay, and delve into a bittersweet love story between the two protagonists. Protect the living from supernatural threats and unravel chilling mysteries in this new title from DON'T NOD, creators of Life is Strange and Vampyr.

  • PC
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Cloud
  • Epic Games
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
  • x_box_cloud_gaming
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

82%
Audience ScoreBased on 3,075 reviews
story1,538 positive mentions
grinding92 negative mentions
  • Engaging and emotional story with well-developed characters.
  • Beautiful graphics and immersive atmosphere that enhances the gameplay experience.
  • Interesting haunting cases that provide moral dilemmas and meaningful choices.
  • Combat can feel repetitive and lacks variety in enemy types.
  • Excessive backtracking and limited fast travel options can make exploration tedious.
  • Some technical issues, including crashes and performance drops, detract from the overall experience.
  • story3,235 mentions

    The story of "Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden" is widely praised for its emotional depth, engaging characters, and intricate narrative that intertwines themes of love, loss, and moral dilemmas. Players appreciate the well-crafted main storyline and the haunting side quests, which often feel meaningful and contribute to the overall experience. However, some critiques highlight issues with pacing, repetitive side quests, and a lack of impactful choices, suggesting that while the story is compelling, the gameplay mechanics can detract from the narrative immersion.

    • “A story worthy of a novel, paired with action RPG elements in such a way to heighten the narrative, truly a gem of a game.”
    • “Banishers tells a compelling story punctuated by small but interesting moral moments that can blur the boundary between 'light' and 'dark' playthroughs.”
    • “The story is so well done and deeply emotional.”
    • “The story looks like it is written by a Gen Z writer who made a mistake and created the story for the 21st century, not the 17th!”
    • “The overall story dealing with the mystery of what caused this haunting is just not good.”
    • “The side quest and story have the biggest flaw of all detective games where you are not actually a detective; you follow a linear discovery of clues and are fed with the whole plot through it, not having to think or deduce or wonder if you are about to murder or forgive a lying murderer is not that fun.”
  • gameplay775 mentions

    The gameplay of "Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden" has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its linearity, repetitive combat, and some frustrating mechanics, such as clunky controls and unskippable animations. While the game features engaging narrative elements and character-switching mechanics that add depth, the overall gameplay experience is often described as mediocre, lacking the polish and variety found in similar titles like "God of War" and "The Witcher 3." Players who prioritize story over gameplay may find it enjoyable, but those seeking innovative mechanics or challenging combat might be disappointed.

    • “Overall, it's been a while since I felt like gameplay was so well connected to a stunning story.”
    • “The gameplay is fun because you get to fight all manners of ghostly beings and solve mysteries and make choices.”
    • “Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden blends together captivating storytelling and compelling gameplay mechanics into one heck of an enjoyable experience, with the pacing of the adventure balancing out its combat, explorative, and investigative elements perfectly.”
    • “Broken controls, bad story, linear, invisible walls, stupid puzzles that have no reason for being there or blocked by a small box that could easily be moved by the character or gun or sword, just stupid gameplay.”
    • “But dear god is the gameplay atrocious.”
    • “The gameplay is so boilerplate and mediocre.”
  • graphics506 mentions

    The graphics in "Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden" have received widespread praise for their beauty and immersive quality, effectively capturing the game's atmospheric setting. While many players commend the stunning landscapes, character designs, and attention to detail, some have noted occasional graphical glitches and performance issues, particularly on high-end hardware. Overall, the visuals are considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's engaging narrative and world-building.

    • “The graphics are phenomenal, bringing the haunting world of New Eden to life with breathtaking detail.”
    • “The visuals are stunning, creating an immersive experience that draws you into the haunting world of New Eden.”
    • “Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is a game that captivates players with its beautiful graphics and intriguing storylines.”
    • “It is a disgrace to ship such visuals with Unreal Engine 5.”
    • “The graphics are not anything to write home about but they do offer an optimized experience and do a great job at building atmosphere even with very mid graphics.”
    • “The only downsides are graphics are a bit weak and enemies aren't super varied.”
  • atmosphere176 mentions

    The atmosphere of "Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden" is widely praised for its hauntingly beautiful and immersive qualities, effectively blending eerie sound design, striking visuals, and a rich narrative backdrop. Reviewers highlight the game's ability to create a unique and engaging setting, filled with tension and depth, which enhances the overall storytelling experience. Despite some criticisms regarding gameplay mechanics, the atmospheric elements remain a standout feature that captivates players throughout their journey.

    • “Natural ambiance blends with an atmosphere that keeps the tone immersive and full of dread.”
    • “The game has a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere, with stunning visuals and a haunting soundtrack that adds to the overall immersion.”
    • “The atmosphere and world building are extraordinary.”
    • “The graphics are beautiful, the landscapes are even more beautiful, and the music hovered gloomily throughout the playthrough, creating a fitting atmosphere for this damned world.”
    • “From the haunting landscapes to the eerie sound design, the game successfully pulls you into its gloomy atmosphere.”
    • “Overall, 'Banisher' offers a strong atmosphere and story but struggles with some gameplay mechanics and lacks rewarding content in certain areas.”
  • emotional176 mentions

    The emotional aspect of "Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden" is widely praised for its deeply engaging and heart-wrenching narrative, which resonates with players through well-developed characters and impactful storytelling. Many reviewers noted that the game evokes strong feelings, often leading to tears, as it explores themes of love, loss, and grief, making choices feel significant and personal. While some critiques mention issues with gameplay mechanics, the overall emotional experience remains a standout feature that players find memorable and moving.

    • “The story is so well done and deeply emotional.”
    • “It was emotional, beautiful, and a great exploration of anger, trauma, grief, love, and saying goodbye.”
    • “Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden tells a wonderfully written and emotionally gripping story that is hampered by repetitive enemy encounters and stale combat.”
  • optimization171 mentions

    The optimization of the game has received mixed feedback from users. While some players report excellent performance with no bugs or crashes, others experience inconsistent frame rates, stuttering, and crashes, particularly in larger areas. Overall, the game is considered well-optimized by many, but there are notable issues that suggest it could benefit from further refinement.

    • “The game is well optimized and stable.”
    • “The best part about this game is how well optimized it is.”
    • “The game works, feels complete, no performance issues after hours whatsoever, not a single stutter, fluid, yes, finally, someone did the miracle of shipping a working game.”
    • “One of the most poorly optimized games I have ever seen.”
    • “Poor optimization crashing during boss fights would not recommend.”
    • “While the performance is decent, even on lower-end hardware, there are often frame drops while traversing the world.”
  • music146 mentions

    The music in "Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden" is generally praised for its atmospheric qualities, effectively enhancing the game's mood and storytelling. While many reviewers highlight the haunting and immersive soundtrack, some note that it can become repetitive and lacks memorable melodies. Overall, the music complements the game's visuals and narrative, though a desire for more variety and melodic elements is expressed by several players.

    • “The music resonates very well with the narrative being told.”
    • “The game has a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere, with stunning visuals and a haunting soundtrack that adds to the overall immersion.”
    • “The soundtrack is fantastic, and fantastically moody.”
    • “The music in Banishers is fine, though not particularly memorable.”
    • “Wish the music was more varied; 8 hours in it is very dreary, which fits the theme, but it still gets tiring. There are also a lot of physical interactions that produce little to no sound.”
    • “The game's soundtrack occasionally suffers from awkward silences as it loops, breaking the immersion and, at times, leads to an unintentionally amusing moment.”
  • grinding96 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game has been widely criticized for being excessively tedious and repetitive, with players expressing frustration over backtracking, monotonous combat, and a lack of meaningful upgrades. Many reviewers noted that the open-world design, while expansive, often leads to uninteresting and time-consuming tasks that detract from the overall enjoyment. Overall, the grinding elements are seen as a significant drawback, making the game feel more like a chore than an engaging experience.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “I played about 8 to 10 hours, and it got real boring and tedious.”
    • “I find myself not exploring because the combat is tedious and none of the upgrades feel meaningful in the slightest.”
    • “The lack of enemy variety and repetitive encounters make traversing the map a tedious chore, especially during repeated exploration of familiar areas.”
  • stability48 mentions

    The game's stability is a mixed bag, with many players reporting smooth performance and minimal glitches, particularly during initial play. However, some users have experienced significant bugs and performance issues after extended gameplay, indicating that while the game can run well, it may not be consistently stable for all players. Overall, opinions vary, with some praising its bug-free experience and others highlighting ongoing technical problems.

    • “Bug free performance alone makes this worth playing.”
    • “It runs great at 4k with DLAA everything on max at a solid 144 fps.”
    • “The game is gorgeous and tightly made like the games of yore, no glitches found.”
    • “During my next 30 hours of playing after the initial review, I started encountering some serious bugs, glitches, and poor performance.”
    • “I really want to recommend this game, but at its current buggy state, I can't.”
    • “I don't necessarily think this is a bad game, it is poorly optimized and sometimes a buggy mess.”
  • replayability39 mentions

    The game's replayability is generally viewed as strong due to multiple choices, unlockable skills, and various endings, encouraging players to explore different paths. However, some reviewers note that once the game is completed, the incentive to replay diminishes, especially without a new game plus option. Overall, while there is significant content and depth to explore, opinions vary on the long-term replay value.

    • “It has good replayability with the different choices you can make.”
    • “Each choice affects the story and the world, adding replayability and depth.”
    • “The quest system includes main story missions, haunting cases, and activities, offering replayability and depth.”
    • “I would say no replayability here but one time is more than enough.”
    • “I don't think the game will have much replay value once done though.”
    • “Edit after completion - doesn't have a lot of replay value, but with about 50-80 hours of content, who needs to replay it.”
  • character development34 mentions

    Character development in the game receives mixed reviews; while many players praise the depth and emotional resonance of the characters, highlighting the rich storytelling and strong voice acting, others criticize the lack of backstory and relatability, leading to a disconnect with the characters. The unique character designs and immersive graphics are frequently noted, but some feel that the development fails to fully engage or captivate. Overall, the game's character development is seen as a significant strength by some, while others find it lacking.

    • “So much work and love has gone into the character development and the stories exploring human relationships, both romantic and platonic.”
    • “The storytelling and character development in this game are amazing.”
    • “Lore rich, entertaining combat, great character development.”
    • “Character development isn't great: hard to relate to characters where there is a lack of backstory, some lines seem random or contradictory to the character.”
    • “Zero character development.”
    • “The character designs also leave much to be desired, lacking depth and failing to captivate.”
  • humor14 mentions

    The humor in the game is described as a mix of unintentional hilarity and entertaining absurdity, with some players finding the story laughable and the character dynamics amusing, particularly the ghost-human combos. However, opinions are divided, as some feel the humor is overshadowed by a perceived agenda and weak narrative elements. Overall, while the game offers moments of comedic relief, it may not resonate with everyone.

    • “Get lost in a world that is frightening, entertaining, and funny.”
    • “Scottish accent funny.”
    • “Ghost-human combos are funny but don't really work because... spam LMB is enough.”
  • monetization6 mentions

    The game is praised for its lack of microtransactions, allowing for a focused and high-quality single-player experience without the distractions or manipulations often associated with monetization. Reviewers appreciate the integrity of the game, highlighting that it prioritizes narrative and gameplay over profit-driven tactics.

    • “Great action game with an intriguing narrative and no manipulative microtransactions or sacrificing of quality for profit.”
    • “There are no microtransactions.”
    • “There are no multi-player aspects to detract from quality or singular focus; similarly there are no microtransactions.”
    • “The game is riddled with aggressive monetization tactics that ruin the overall experience.”
    • “I feel pressured to spend money to enjoy the game fully, which is frustrating.”
    • “The constant push for in-game purchases takes away from the enjoyment of playing.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

78% average critic score

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Play time

19hMedian play time
27hAverage play time
5-45hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 45 analyzed playthroughs

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