Life is for
the living, and death is for the dead. This is the motto of Red mac Raith and
Antea Duarte, lovers and Banishers tasked with dealing with lingering spirits,
ghosts, and specters—sometimes by force, sometimes by guiding them to move on.
They're the Ghostbusters of their time, traveling to the fictional town of New
Eden in New England to assist a friend in combating a supernatural threat
besieging the settlement. In many ways, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden echoes
Don’t Nod’s Vampy. It's a dark, atmospheric period piece exploring complex
morality and the supernatural. It’s also a superior game and a stellar example
of what double-A gaming can offer. Don’t overlook Banishers: Ghosts of New
Eden; it might end up being one of your favorite games of the year.
In their first encounter with the Nightmare terrorizing New Eden, the Banishers are caught off guard and thoroughly defeated, with Antea killed in the struggle and Red thrown into the icy sea by the Nightmare. Though Red would prefer to die than face a world without Antea, he is saved by a mysterious woman named Seeker, acting on behalf of her Master, a witch. Red’s grief is short-lived as Antea returns as a ghost, bearing unfinished business—the very kind they have dedicated their lives to addressing. Now, Red faces a dilemma: he can use dark magic to resurrect Antea by sacrificing innocent lives, or he can help her achieve her Ascent, allowing her to move on to the afterlife. Either way, they must return to New Eden to recover Antea’s body and complete their mission.
The core of the story isn’t solely the grand mystery of New
Eden or the ominous threat lurking there, though those elements are intriguing.
Instead, it’s the Banishers themselves who drive the narrative. Red, from the
picturesque landscapes of Scotland, and Antea, hailing from Cuba, form an
unlikely but deeply affectionate pair. The game’s most memorable moments are
when they spend quiet moments together, reflecting on their pasts or grappling
with the tragedy that has befallen them.
Russ Bain delivers an exceptional performance as Red mac
Raith, infusing the character with the courage and strength needed to confront
both terrifying challenges and the heartbreaking possibility of losing his
partner once more. The emotional weight of their situation—whether to abandon
their Banisher duties and shed blood to bring Antea back, or to honor their
vows and part ways again—resonates deeply. Amaka Okafor, voicing Antea,
portrays a character who initially comes off as reserved and even cold, but
gradually reveals the profound depth of her emotions, tempered by a steely
resolve. She shows patience towards those who deserve it and coldness towards
those who don’t. Her love for Red becomes evident in the subtle, affectionate
comments she makes, the tenderness in her voice, and her willingness to endure
as a ghost—something she despises—just for him.
As a Scot, I’m naturally drawn to seeing a Scottish lead character, and Red truly stood out to me. Early on, I committed to helping Antea achieve her Ascent and move on rather than remain in the world, but like Red, I found myself questioning that decision throughout the game. Red’s emotional openness, as a former soldier who grappled with depression, is vividly portrayed by Bain, showcasing a man torn between doing what’s right and the desire to be with the woman he loves—the one who helped him rediscover how to live. Faced with the choice of regaining the most important person in my life by sacrificing some strangers, I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t consider it
Returning to New Eden isn’t as straightforward as simply walking through the gates. During Red’s recovery, most of the townsfolk had fled to nearby hamlets, villages, and camps, while the Nightmare tightened its grip on the town. To make a dent in the Nightmare’s influence, Red and Antea must first work to weaken its hold in the surrounding regions. This means embarking on a classic New England-style road trip to gather information about the Nightmare—discovering who it was in life and what tragedy turned it into such a powerful and malevolent force. By assisting the areas around New Eden, Red and Antea gradually piece together the truth, unraveling a web of lies, deceit, and guilt.
Red and Antea are skilled combatants, but their primary roles
are those of detectives. Their work involves speaking with people and
investigating locations to uncover what drives a ghost to appear and the object
they are connected to, so they can either be Banished (removed from the world)
or given their Ascent. Most side missions adhere to this basic approach, though
story missions tend to be grander and more complex, often involving the
unraveling of mysteries surrounding esteemed community figures before passing
judgment.
Similar to Don’t Nod’s previous action-adventure game, Vampyr,
Banishers of New Eden explores morally ambiguous territory where right and
wrong aren’t always clear, and there isn’t always a straightforward
"good" choice that improves the world. You’ll often face decisions
where neither option is ideal, such as leaving a settlement under the care of a
commander who is deeply depressed or someone still fighting but influenced by a
spirit.
The game cleverly includes moments where the moral choice is
more evident. Some spirits are clearly malevolent and need to be banished, but
if you’ve chosen to resurrect Antea, it requires blaming and sacrificing
villagers. In more ambiguous situations, justifying the elimination of someone
can be simpler, yet it becomes much harder when the living party appears
innocent. Sometimes, the person who deserves blame is clearly reprehensible and
directly responsible for others' deaths. As Red laments at one point, it would
be preferable if people could just stop killing each other for a while.
However, administering justice can sometimes feel contrived
and awkward due to the limitations of video game storytelling. The complexity
of real-life moral decisions is difficult to capture fully, leading to moments
where the outcomes seem unsatisfactory or overly simplistic. There were
instances where the resolution felt too straightforward or where more nuanced
options, like ascending a ghost while turning over the living culprit to
authorities for their grave actions, were overlooked.
The main storyline and optional hauntings in Banishers of New
Eden effectively deliver engaging narratives about people facing stressful
situations and doing their best. They explore themes like the pain caused by
ignorance, the ease of assigning blame when things spiral out of control, and
how even well-intentioned individuals can inadvertently hurt others. The strong
voice acting performances contribute significantly to this, with only a few
questionable actors among a large cast, which is quite impressive.
Despite the strong storytelling, the game struggles to make detective work an engaging gameplay mechanic. It often boils down to wandering through locations and clicking on highlighted objects. Red and Antea will analyze their findings and reach conclusions without much input from the player. While some optional elements add a bit more depth to the decisions, you are generally guided to everything you need to find and learn. The idea of combining Sherlock Holmes-style deduction with ghostbusting falls flat here, as many games still struggle to get this balance right.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed the process of solving hauntings. Red performs interesting rituals to reveal memories from objects with strong spectral traces, while Antea can uncover hidden items or clear obstacles with her powers. Although the mechanics are straightforward—burning spectral ivy, moving boxes, and gathering evidence—the investigation remains enjoyable. It’s also rewarding to check back with people and settlements to see their progress. While there aren’t dramatic visual changes, revisiting areas often reveals subtle improvements and increased happiness among the inhabitants.
Combat in the game is relatively simple, featuring Red and Antea battling various spirits and ghostly manifestations. The key feature is the ability to switch between the two characters with a button press. Red is more effective with his sword and rifle, dealing significant damage to spectres, while Antea excels at dealing with possessed corpses and has special abilities like a teleport attack. Initially, players only have access to basic attacks, parries, and dodges, but more options become available as Antea’s powers develop. Unlike Red, Antea doesn’t have a traditional health bar; instead, she can’t manifest if she takes too much damage until Red achieves some successful hits.
The game features an RPG element through skill trees where you
gradually allocate points, providing a range of build options for Red and
Antea. This system works well and, combined with Red’s limited gear choices,
offers diverse customization, somewhat reminiscent of god of war ragnarok: Personally, my build focused on enhancing Red’s rifle, using perks like
automatic reloading after Antea delivers a knockout blow, or triggering Antea’s
manifestation for a head-kick when hitting weak spots.
If “gameplay is king” is your mantra for choosing games, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden might not be for you. While it’s far from terrible, the combat and exploration are fairly basic and somewhat clumsy, struggling to sustain the game’s substantial playtime of over 20 hours for the main story and 35+ hours if you dive into the optional hauntings. However, if you value a strong narrative, excellent voice acting, and a compelling atmosphere, Banishers of New Eden is an underrated gem.
Navigating the game can be frustrating, particularly as the world expands significantly in the middle stages, introducing numerous new hauntings and areas. This expansion also increases the game’s reliance on convoluted corridors that loop back on themselves, a design choice reminiscent of modern God of War games. Fast travel points are limited to campfires, which means a lot of tedious running between locations. The frequent need to clamber over obstacles, squeeze through tight spaces, or awkwardly descend from high ledges makes traversal a chore and often feels like the game is intentionally slowing you down.
Part of the frustration might stem from the enemy encounter design. Ghosts and other foes can appear at any time during exploration, and the game uses environmental obstacles to create small combat arenas. You can’t escape these fights, and neither can the enemies. If you shoot at an enemy from behind a barrier, it won’t register as a hit, and they won’t react. This design seems aimed at preventing players from bypassing encounters by running past them at full speed.
Ultimately, the constant interruptions caused by these traversal obstacles dampened my enjoyment of the optional content. Every time I received a quest marker far from a fast-travel point, I dreaded the long trek across the terrain, the frequent random encounters, and the slow navigation through tight spots or up walls.
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden can feel a bit overlong. It
pains me to say this, given Don’t Nod’s dedication to providing substantial
content, but the main story, which runs around 20 hours, starts to drag, and by
the end, I was eager for it to wrap up. The slow-paced exploration and
repetitive combat struggles to sustain the game’s length, with optional
hauntings further slowing the experience. The game might have benefited from a
more streamlined 10-15 hour narrative. For instance, removing one of the two
major locations you visit—Fort Jericho or the Harrows—could have tightened the
pacing without losing much.
However, the game isn’t without its flaws. Its gameplay, while serviceable, lacks excitement and can struggle to remain engaging throughout. On the other hand, the storytelling, world-building, and atmosphere are outstanding. Russ Bain’s performance as Red is a particular highlight, making the character highly relatable and compelling. Despite some mid-to-late-game drag, the emotional and well-told story makes it well worth seeing through to the credits.
