One of the most fascinating and attention-grabbing games revealed at The Game Awards 2022 was Don’t Nod’s upcoming action RPG, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden. The thrilling trailer did not give much away in terms of gameplay but seems to have perfectly set up the story for the upcoming game, and with the potential of the game offering two different playstyles and forcing players into different strategies, there is a lot of potential for gameplay variety. Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden will now need to live up to the hype that is already being built up around it and deliver a game as exciting as the trailer shown at The Game Awards 2022.
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden features two main protagonists, Red mac Raith and his now-dead lover, Antea Duarte, as they battle against various undead creatures across New Eden, a location in North America. The game has already confirmed that players will be able to control both Red and Antea during the game. With Antea now being a spirit, the differences in gameplay between the pair will likely be a big highlight of Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden. This opens up the possibility for Don't Nod to provide a versatile game where players are constantly challenged and must figure out which character is best for each situation.
Two Styles of Gameplay
The trailer at The Game Awards 2022 did not reveal a lot of gameplay, giving fans only a small glimpse at the very end and not going into detail about combat mechanics at all. However, with Antea now being a spirit, and Red still alive and hunting other spirits, the pair will likely have very different gameplay. One of the most noticeable things about the trailer was seeing how Antea moves throughout the world, at times she walks alongside Red but sometimes will even teleport, making traversal with her seemingly very different.
Another big difference comes from the weapons the trailer shows Red carrying and the absence of weapons on Antea’s back. This likely means that Red will have a much more varied style of combat with an emphasis on both weaponry and magic, while Antea may only have her newfound powers as a spirit. With Red being the character that was seemingly being controlled at the end of the trailer, this likely means that he will be the main protagonist that players will control, and the game could be played similarly to God of War: Ragnarok, with players occasionally controlling Antea.
Weapon and Attack Choices
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden’s trailer did not give much away in terms of the combat style of both characters, however, it did give fans a glimpse at the various weapons available to the players. Right before fans saw both Red and Antea charge toward a Bonewalker, a glimpse of the weapons and items on Red’s back was seen. These included a sword on his hip, a rifle, and a torch, but there was also visible magic radiating from his right hand.
Whether this right hand can only be used to banish the enemies he is tasked to hunt remains unknown, but if he can wield it to damage enemies, then he will have a variety of ways to attack. Antea, on the other hand, seems to lead with a punch, which means that her combat will be more focused on using her phasing power as a spirit to get close to enemies or quickly get out of the way of attacks. These differing playstyles in combat will likely give the game a lot of variety and could mean that there will also be a lot of different enemy types.
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden’s reveal at The Game Awards was one of the highlights of the show and got many fans excited for Don’t Nod’s upcoming game. As Red and Antea begin their journey in finding a way to bring the latter back to the world of the living, the game is expected to deliver some fun, exciting, and maybe heart-warming moments. Banishers: Ghost of New Eden still has a while before its final release, but fans around the world are eagerly waiting for another reveal showcasing some more elements of its gameplay and story.
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is scheduled to release in 2023 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
