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Ghost in the Machine

Ghost in the Machine Game Cover
45%Game Brain Score
Most mentioned positive aspects:music
Most mentioned negative aspects:graphics, gameplay
65% User Score Based on 20 reviews

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Ghost in the Machine Game Cover

About

Ghost in the Machine is a single player platformer game. It was developed by Michael J. Moffitt and was released on April 22, 2015. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Ghost in the Machine is about the player's escape from a run-down factory following a large explosion. In the dark factory there are many dangerous machines that must be minded in order to not be crushed or mechanically separated. Inspired by 1980s platformer-genre games, Ghost in the Machine features true low-res graphics and an original chiptune soundtrack. It is also difficult, yet rewarding.

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65%Audience ScoreBased on 20 reviews
music8 positive mentions
graphics4 negative mentions
  • The game features crisp controls and precise platforming mechanics, providing a challenging and rewarding experience for fans of old school platformers.
  • The soundtrack is highly praised for its quality, variety, and nostalgic retro vibe, greatly enhancing the atmosphere.
  • The minimalist and unique monochrome neon art style fits the game's setting and adds to its distinct aesthetic appeal.
  • The visuals can be confusing and frustrating due to lack of clear foreground/background distinction, limited field of vision, and monochromatic design which hinders gameplay clarity.
  • The large character hitbox and unforgiving level design with blind jumps and spike traps often lead to unfair deaths and trial-and-error gameplay.
  • Quality-of-life issues such as the absence of a restart button, fixed resolution with display problems on some PCs, and repetitive level elements detract from overall enjoyment.

  • music

    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is widely praised for its quality, variety, and nostalgic retro style, with many users finding it enjoyable and integral to the experience. However, some players find certain tracks repetitive or overly loud. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature that enhances the game's appeal.

    • “The music is bona-fide incredible and I genuinely considered giving it a "yes" based on that alone.”
    • “First of all, it needs to be stated the music in this game is good, very varied, and lengthy; I cannot easily spot any looping points.”
    • “Music is blaring and obnoxious, the worst kind of 'retro'.”
    • “Same song plays in the background, which gets annoying fast.”
    • “The music also brings a lot of nostalgic feels from the times of the NES, SNES, Megadrive era of games.”

  • graphics

    11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's monochromatic, retro pixel art style is polarizing; some find it visually striking and atmospheric, enhancing the challenging experience, while others criticize it as low-effort and confusing, making it difficult to distinguish gameplay elements. The visuals often hinder clarity, with character hitboxes not matching sprites, which frustrates players despite the aesthetic fitting the game's setting. Overall, the graphics contribute significantly to the game's unique but divisive appeal.

    • “The art style works well with the game's setting, which is an abandoned factory that blew up.”
    • “On top of that, the graphics and sound serve to create an experience that make it my favorite game.”
    • “This game is immensely challenging throughout, the music is great, and the graphic style is pretty cool.”
    • “The monochromatic visuals are busy and make it hard to tell what’s going on all the time, and, perhaps most significantly, the character sprite does not represent its hitbox.”
    • “This is a very lazy low effort 2D retro pixel platformer with a monochrome graphics theme, originally intended for mobile but dumped onto Steam's failed Greenlight program at the last minute.”
    • “It's extremely difficult to tell the foreground from the background, so the primary challenge of the game is fighting against the horrible visuals as they attempt to mislead you and give you a seizure.”

  • gameplay

    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay offers a minimalist, old-school platformer experience with decent mechanics and unforgiving controls that reward perseverance. However, features like a zoomed-in camera and limited field of vision add artificial difficulty and may frustrate some players. Overall, enjoyment depends heavily on how much one appreciates its unique quirks and retro style.

    • “The controls and mechanics are unforgiving, but as you overcome them, you feel like you can defeat anything.”
    • “It has decent enough mechanics for a platformer.”
    • “The camera is already pretty zoomed in on the protagonist, and on top of that the game uses a limited field of vision mechanic which makes the game even more frustrating to navigate, adds artificial difficulty and really adds nothing else.”
    • “Your enjoyment of it will entirely depend on how interested you are in its “quirks”—almost all the negative reviews seem to blast it for things that very well could be selling points (minimalist gameplay, minimalist presentation, hyperactive chiptunes).”
    • “The gameplay works as you would expect from an old school platformer and there isn't really anything else to say about that.”

  • story

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game’s story is minimal and primarily centers around the theme of "unforeseen consequences," reflecting its origin as a contest entry. Overall, it offers little narrative depth beyond this recurring motif.

    • “The game was originally made for a contest in which the theme was 'unforeseen consequences,' hence the recurring theme in the story and the tunnel vision.”
    • “No story.”
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Frequently Asked Questions

Ghost in the Machine is a platformer game.

Ghost in the Machine is available on PC, Mac OS, Windows and Linux.

Ghost in the Machine was released on April 22, 2015.

Ghost in the Machine was developed by Michael J. Moffitt.

Ghost in the Machine has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked Ghost in the Machine for its music but disliked it for its graphics.

Ghost in the Machine is a single player game.

Similar games include RITE, Neon Space 2, EDGE, Color Symphony, Cube Runner and others.