Saturday, Nov 7, 2026

Combining Speed and Guile: Ghostrunner

A review of Ghostrunner, a game that thrills and kills

By Aditya Deshbandhu

Published Date - 7 November 2020, 06:47 PM

Some games are all about speed, Ghostrunner is that game. Set in a futuristic world, where every section of the landscape is digitally surveilled; the scope for stealth is minimal and thus speed is of the essence.

The formula for Ghostrunner isn’t unique, at times it almost feels similar to Mirror Edge Catalyst as you slide, jump and pick up momentum but the refinement of gameplay and the genre is evident and the action at times, blinding. This is a game where you die a million times (on the highest difficulty, of course) and thankfully it loads almost immediately after.

The strength of Ghostrunner lies in its incredibly quick AI as the game doesn’t give you the time to ponder, plot or strategize. Here you either map out your next move between respawns or let your instincts take over and go with the flow. Ghostrunner can be quite challenging and the controls take some getting used to but once you have internalized them you quickly settle into a neat pattern where you slide, jump, dodge and slash repeatedly. Just when you get comfortable though, the game’s terrain changes and you must adapt again.

With the right hardware, this game can be experienced in all its glory. On a screen with a 300Hz refresh rate I felt the instantaneity and the blur as I sped up in the game. The dopamine courses through you, as you pick up speed and I was soon doing everything to maximize it.

Ghostrunner isn’t perfect though, it still needs optimization as the game at times can’t keep up with the sheer speed. You are at times ahead of what the software can render and it can all quickly get confusing. However, for the most part it is a great game that can be a lot of fun with a steep learning curve.

For all those who crave a high amount of speed and don’t let dying a million times get to you, Ghostrunner is perfection.

What Stands Out

The incredible speed is addictive, as you get used to the game you try every way to speed things up
The need for adaptation is high and this is a great game for the quick thinking/instinctive gamers