Ghostlore

About

Ghostlore is a single player and multiplayer hack and slash game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by ghostlore and was released on May 17, 2023. It received positive reviews from players.

Ghostlore is an 'Eastpunk' Fantasy Hack and Slash Action-RPG, where up to 2 players can team up in local co-op mode to fight supernatural monsters from Southeast-Asian folklore. With detailed character customization, procedurally generated maps, and authentic 90's retro graphics, Ghostlore boasts an exciting plot, good mechanics, and real scares. However, it has lots of bugs and is quite grinding, which might affect the overall gaming experience.

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87%

Audience ScoreBased on 436 reviews

story18 positive mentions

grinding26 negative mentions

Unique setting inspired by Southeast Asian folklore, providing a fresh take on the ARPG genre.
Engaging gameplay with a deep customization system for character builds through the glyph and skill systems.
Satisfying combat mechanics that allow for a variety of playstyles and strategies.

The game suffers from performance issues, including lag and crashes, especially during intense combat scenarios.
Inventory management is cumbersome, with limited space and no sorting options, making it tedious to manage loot.
The story content is relatively short, and the endgame can feel repetitive with a lack of diverse challenges.

story
113 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
81%
3%
The story in Ghostlore is generally considered to be underdeveloped and simplistic, often described as a series of straightforward fetch quests with minimal character development and resolution. While the game draws on Southeast Asian folklore and features an interesting setting, many players find the narrative lacking depth and engagement, with some noting that it serves primarily as a backdrop for gameplay rather than a compelling storyline. Despite these criticisms, the game's unique world and lore, combined with enjoyable gameplay mechanics, keep players engaged, especially in the endgame content.
- “If you ever wished Diablo had a Southeast Asian twin who listens to vaporwave, carries garlic in their inventory just in case, and can actually tell you a good ghost story—Ghostlore is your jam.”
- “The story is fairly quick and set in a nice world and lore that you don’t see often in any games.”
- “After playing the entire story, and with more endgame on the way, you can tell there's a lot of love put into this game.”
- “The story is laughably shallow; monsters are typical tank or rush swarms of utterly forgettable mooks.”
- “The story is so light it barely exists, and that's an enormous shame.”
- “The story isn’t complete yet, and most of the characters so far are just quest givers, so it feels like going from point A to B, with little to do in between such as side quests.”
gameplay
102 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
61%
5%
The gameplay of Ghostlore is generally praised for its satisfying mechanics and engaging action RPG elements, blending traditional systems with unique cultural themes and innovative features like cooking and character builds. While some players find the gameplay loop enjoyable and the mechanics deep, others note issues with polish and repetitiveness, particularly in the endgame. Overall, it offers a fun experience with a mix of complexity and accessibility, appealing to fans of the genre despite some minor flaws.
- “It’s a game that embraces cultural specificity while delivering a familiar gameplay loop, offering something fresh without straying too far from what action RPG fans love.”
- “The gameplay offers diverse options, with six classes that each bring distinct abilities and playstyles, from the psychic adept to the rogue-like Hashashin.”
- “Killing mobs feels good, the gameplay loop is fun - slay mobs, organize glyphs to modify your skills, watch numbers go higher.”
- “Gameplay feels janky and unpolished.”
- “The gameplay can get a little samey once you get past a certain level and your character progression starts to slow down, usually around level 40-50 when you are about to finish the campaign.”
- “But the game mechanics are just so trivial.”
graphics
86 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
55%
3%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming pixel art style that evokes nostalgia, particularly reminiscent of retro titles. While many players appreciate the unique Southeast Asian aesthetic and vibrant visuals, some criticize the graphics for being cluttered and occasionally hard to read during intense gameplay. Overall, the art style is seen as a standout feature, though opinions vary on its execution and clarity.
- “It doesn’t just borrow from Southeast Asian aesthetics; it’s steeped in them, resulting in a setting that feels both authentic and deeply atmospheric.”
- “Ghostlore is an innovative diablo-like with beautiful throwback pixel art graphics and a rich mythology-inspired setting.”
- “The graphics are simplistic, but gorgeous.”
- “Bad movement, overpriced, cluttered graphics.”
- “The only gripe I have is the graphics look a bit muddy and the sounds and music are lackluster.”
- “On the topic of crowdedness, the graphics tend to make one think that way with the environments, characters and everything else having lots of detail; it does look messy when a lot is happening and appearing on the screen.”
music
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
44%
9%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its atmospheric qualities and cultural inspirations, particularly the use of gamelan instruments and ambient tones. However, several players noted that the soundtrack can feel repetitive and lacks depth, with a limited number of tracks that loop frequently, leading to a monotonous experience in certain areas. Overall, while the music contributes positively to the game's ambiance, there are calls for more variety and impact in the sound design.
- “The world feels rich and handcrafted, and the atmospheric soundtrack—layered with gamelan instruments, soft ambient tones, and traditional melodies—further grounds the game in its cultural inspirations.”
- “The mix between modern day and the occult, the music and color scheme all come together to create a wonderful atmosphere that's just pleasant to behold.”
- “The music is *chef's kiss*.”
- “The sound design lacks depth, with music often too quiet and sound effects that could be more impactful.”
- “The soundtrack has about 10 different songs that all feel like they loop after less than a minute.”
- “The music definitely exists, but it's very monotonous and gets lost in the background.”
grinding
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with many players finding the endgame tedious and lacking polish, particularly in inventory management and usability. While some appreciate the opportunity to farm for perfect gear and enjoy the dopamine rush of experimenting with builds, others feel that the grind is excessive and repetitive, especially given the limited content available. Overall, the game may appeal to those who enjoy grinding, but it requires significant balancing and refinement to enhance the experience.
- “The endgame is horribly tedious, and when doing things over and over again, the lack of usability polish is noticeable.”
- “I finished the campaign and then noticed that the endgame is going to be a very long time of farming while the game lacks the polish to make it enjoyable.”
- “There's not a whole lot to say because the game is quite barebones as is; there's a handful of zones in the story, then the postgame hits at level 20 and you're just grinding the same zones with increased monster level.”
stability
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
93%
The game's stability is a significant concern, with numerous users reporting bugs, glitches, and unpolished elements that detract from the overall experience. While some players note that the game runs well at times and the developers are actively working on fixes, many aspects, including co-op functionality and UI, feel janky and underdeveloped. Overall, the game shows potential but requires further refinement to reach the quality of AAA titles in the genre.
- “Runs very well with no glitches or bugs so far.”
- “The game maintains a smooth performance throughout, ensuring a stable experience.”
- “I've encountered no crashes or issues, making for a consistently enjoyable gameplay.”
- “This game is very buggy.”
- “There's so many unpolished, buggy or imbalanced things; calling co-op an afterthought would be quite generous.”
- “At the time of this review, the game still has quite a few bugs and glitches, but that's to be expected for open beta games.”
optimization
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
42%
25%
The game's optimization has seen significant improvements since early access, with developers actively addressing performance issues, balancing, and bug fixes based on community feedback. While players report generally good performance and a variety of settings options, some still experience memory leaks and frame rate drops during busy scenes, particularly on controllers. Overall, the game is progressing well, but players should remain cautious of ongoing optimization challenges.
- “The developers have also shown a strong commitment to updates and community feedback, continually improving performance, balancing skills, and fixing bugs since early access.”
- “Great performance and settings options.”
- “Performance is way better than it used to be and endgame got redone vastly with more to still come.”
- “The only downside is the game is about 90% optimized for controllers.”
- “Be wary, it's an early access game, so there are optimization issues galore in the form of really bad memory leakage and frame rate drops when the screen gets busy, and the ever-looming possibility it will never be totally finished.”
- “I do hope they fix some of the stuttering that seems to happen when you use a skill; sometimes you can shoot them off, other times there's a delay even though I have charges and mana, so I found that a bit jarring.”
replayability
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
46%
27%
Overall, the game offers significant replayability through diverse class combinations, satisfying skill setups, and procedurally generated maps that ensure each playthrough feels unique. While some players feel the single-player campaign may limit long-term engagement, many appreciate the potential for varied experiences and the ability to experiment with different strategies. With further balancing and additional challenges, the game could enhance its replay value even more.
- “These provide plenty of replayability and challenging content.”
- “This is a really cool game with lots of replay value.”
- “Build a good stack and the entire game is butter, but I don't see a lot of replay value here that will keep me playing past the single-player campaign.”
- “Nevertheless, it is a replayable game since there are several class combinations to experiment on.”
- “I was impressed with the maps being auto-generated; this means that whenever you play the 'level' with another class, it's going to be a different playthrough every time, which increases the replayability.”
atmosphere
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
86%
14%
The game's atmosphere is deeply rooted in Southeast Asian aesthetics, creating an authentic and richly handcrafted world enhanced by a culturally inspired soundtrack featuring gamelan instruments and traditional melodies. Players appreciate the originality and unique graphical style, which, despite initial reservations about its retro look, ultimately contributes to a refreshingly engaging atmosphere. Overall, the combination of art, music, and fluid gameplay creates a captivating and immersive experience.
- “It doesn’t just borrow from Southeast Asian aesthetics; it’s steeped in them, resulting in a setting that feels both authentic and deeply atmospheric.”
- “The world feels rich and handcrafted, and the atmospheric soundtrack—layered with gamelan instruments, soft ambient tones, and traditional melodies—further grounds the game in its cultural inspirations.”
- “It's got a very unique atmosphere and a graphical style I've not really seen before.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers appreciate the game's stylized graphics and the intriguing concept of ghosts, but they express a desire for more engaging and unique designs for the main characters to enhance character development.
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users feel that the emotional aspect of the game may require further refinement, expressing hope that the developers will address these concerns in the near future.
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its absurdity, with players finding amusement in the broken balancing that leads to unexpectedly cheap deaths, adding a lighthearted twist to the experience.
- “Some of the deaths can feel cheap because of how hilariously broken the balancing is, but in a fun way.”