Publisher 3D Realms has been on a bit of a tear lately. With last year's Ion Fury, the company proved it had a knack for finding talent and recreating the past. That trend continued with Wrath: Aeon of Ruin, another retro-inspired FPS that utilized older technology to create a brand new game. Now with Ghostrunner, the publisher is looking to the future.
Set in a cyberpunk dystopia, Ghostrunner is all about being a cyber ninja and killing dudes silently. It may share a similar setup to Yacht Club Games' Cyber Shadow, but the execution is very much in keeping with classic FPS design. You could honestly fool someone into believing this was a Titanfall spin-off if you just removed the logo.
After some positive previews from PAX South 2020, patrons to PAX East this year will get the chance to try out 3D Realms next shooter. What can they expect? Aside from the cyberpunk look, players will be greeted by slick combat, fast movement, simple controls, and lots of hiding. You are a ninja after all, so running straight at enemies isn't going to serve you well.
As we can glean from the trailer, Ghostrunner will also feature a ton of platform elements. This is where that comparison to Titanfall comes in. It seems as if players will be running alongside walls and billboards to cross gaps in the sky. Think Mirror's Edge, just with a darker style and you'll be pretty close.
The main thing is that Ghostrunner just plain looks like an old-school 3D Realms title. It may be using newer technology and pushing graphics well beyond the sprites of old, but this is exactly the kind of stuff the company made its name on. It's been far too long since first-person games started tinkering with more than simply grabbing guns and shooting dudes and I'm happy 3D Realms is at the forefront of bringing that back.
There's currently no release window for Ghostrunner, but 3D Realms is confident the game will launch this year. We’ll be sure to bring you all of the latest from the PAX show floor as soon as we learn it.