Ghostrunner: Project_Hel

Ghostrunner impressed us all upon its release in October 2020. It managed to deliver on the promise of an immersive cyberpunk setting, while also providing frenetic action and precise platforming. Picking up speed, clearing jumps, sliding under obstacles, and running on walls hasn’t felt this good in many years, and the developers at Splitgate Ironworks and One More Level must be very proud of their final product. However, they weren’t satisfied with the original 17 missions that Ghostrunner shipped with, because they have also been working on Ghostrunner: Project_Hel. Let’s take a look at some of the features of this stylish, action-packed expansion to the original game.

Better, Stronger, Faster

In Ghostrunner: Project_Hel, you play as Hel, who players of the original Ghostrunner will recognize as one of the most difficult boss fights from that game. Hel, in keeping true to her original appearance, is able to take two hits before being killed, making her tougher than Jack, who would fall after a single hit in any situation.

Hel will also grow stronger over the course of her story with her own upgrade tree, which will be filled out by the experience points you gain from utilizing her more aggressive combat style. Unleash flurries of powerful, vicious sword attacks that will slice and dice enemies up, leaving a trail of blood and robot parts in your wake on your way to your ultimate goal. If you learned anything from playing as Jack, it's that Hel is not one to be trifled with.

New Missions, New Enemies

Dive once again into Dharma Tower, the hulking terrarium that reaches high into the sky of a post-cataclysm world, while housing what could possibly be the remainder of the human race. Uncover and explore new areas of this massive ark when you embark on the six new missions that make up Ghostrunner: Project_Hel. Each new mission holds the possibility of being faced with never-before-seen enemies while also dealing with the standard grunts from the original game.

Fantastic Gameplay, Revisited

Engage in a violent dance of blades while the six fresh new music tracks fill the new environments with the bumping bass and sonorous synth sounds that highly regarded electronic music artist Daniel Deluxe is known for. While Ghostrunner’s Jack was climbing the imposing Dharma Tower, the mostly mechanized hellion Hel will be working her way down the tower for unknown reasons.

Pros

• The Ghostrunner gameplay loop is addictingly fun
• Fantastic graphics aided by great lighting and textures
• The new protagonist is extremely cool
• New music in Project_Hel is the perfect soundtrack for sci-fi action

Cons

• The mix of platforming and combat can be quite difficult
• Only six missions mean getting through all the content shouldn't take very long