Ghostrunner 2 review for PS5, PC, Xbox Series X

If nothing else, I’m glad to play Ghostrunner 2 on a system that can actually run the game. I tried playing the first Ghostrunner on the Switch, and…it was not good. The game never fully crashed, but there were certainly times where I felt like I was watching a slideshow. So experiencing the sequel on PS5 is a huge step up.

Mind you, playing Ghostrunner 2 on a system where the game doesn’t stutter and freeze up every few minutes has made me face up to the fact that I’m just not very good at it. It’s a game that prizes quick reflexes and fast decision-making, neither of which are skills that I possess. I look at how the game looks in its launch trailer (which, admittedly, is perhaps a little idealized), and I compare it to my slow, plodding playthrough, and it just drives home how bad I am. Sure, the game is fairly generous when it comes to checkpoints, but I still died a lot.

That said, the good news about Ghostrunner 2 is that if you liked the first game, then you’re pretty much guaranteed to like this one too, since it’s basically the same. You’ll still parkouring through a cyberpunk world, slicing and dicing and sliding and wall-running your way through hordes of enemies who can kill you with one hit. There weren’t many points in the game where I came very close to achieving the kind of constant, frenetic action that Ghostrunner 2 promises, but every so often I’d achieve a perfect jump of a billboard, a dash through the air, and a slice through a cluster of enemies, and I’d feel like I’d achieved something that looked incredibly cool.

Just about the only time the game slows down is when you go into its hub world, where you talk to your fellow rebels. Your mileage here will vary: while it’s nice to see the game flesh out its characters and its story, it’s a little odd to go from flying through levels to walking up to people and having a chat.

But again, if you were a fan of the first Ghostrunner, it’s pretty much a sure thing that you’ll love the sequel. It takes everything that made the first game good and ramps it up a few notches – and, thankfully, it does it all on hardware that doesn’t have too many issues running it.

505 Games provided us with a Ghostrunner 2 PS5 code for review purposes.