Video Guide for Ghostrunner Walkthrough
Video Guide for Ghostrunner Walkthrough
I thought GRID 2019 and Monster Energy Supercross The Official Videogame 3 were tough enough on Hard mode, but this one really tests my endurance in Normal mode.
I just bought Ghostrunner yesterday, so I’m still getting used to it. I wasn’t expecting it to be a nice break from the pressure of hitting every rhythm and whoop section near perfectly at MESX 3’s Nashville track, especially when facing the AI.
Despite losing hundreds of attempts on my first run, the game keeps me hooked. I usually play a bit nervously, particularly when there are shielded opponents—having to reach their shield battery before they can attack is tough.
On the other hand, I’ve discovered that sometimes you can bypass shielded enemies and eliminate them safely, retreat to a secure spot, then sneak back in to take out another player hiding behind cover. Activating certain buttons can reveal shortcuts to the next area while leaving one foe behind.
Sometimes it’s possible to dodge entire groups of enemies because there are often several platforming routes, and choosing the right one can lead straight to a path forward.
It’s clear though, Ghostrunner is built for serious players, and I’m not confident I’ll make it through without getting frustrated. It’s an all-or-nothing experience—one hit can end your session instantly.
Still, once you find a rhythm, it becomes an engaging puzzle of platforming. The game’s design as a One Hit Kill experience adds to the challenge, rewarding skill with quick kills but punishing mistakes.
The character you control in Ghostrunner feels like a Ninja Batman, and his grappling system is quite enjoyable. However, if you’re not comfortable with intense wall running, this might not be your cup of tea.
This content was recorded after playing through the level once before. I reduced my losses significantly compared to the first attempt, though still well above 100. The new challenge features an enemy that attacks from a long range, capable of causing serious damage on the ground. While manageable at close distance, it becomes difficult when combined with other enemies. The level also brings Cybervoid Uplinks, which increase your speed and slow time perception, along with powerful vent fans. You navigate these fans using the uplinks, and there are additional points that aid in overcoming obstacles.
I also gained new abilities and enhancements that lengthen uplink duration, improve projectile reflection, and assist with aiming. The Deflect Reflect skill is reminiscent of bouncing shots in Jedi games, though it requires manual timing rather than automatic execution.
Here's Level 6, Road to Amida, which introduces enemies that have a half circle shield that always stays in front of them as they rotate. Another new thing in this chapter is being able to hack quickly rotating objects in order to jump through them, or use their surfaces for platforming. For some reason they do not assign a skill, ability, or even name to this. Whisper just mentions you can do it.
It also introduces the Shuriken, and they can be used on electrical junction boxes that can turn off electrical hazards and open doors. Frustratingly, the very first Shuriken puzzle is by far the hardest. It involves 3 panels to wall run, the latter 2 of which require turning off electricity arcing through them.
Spoiler
The trick to getting past these panels is to hit the junction boxes on either side of the wall with a shuriken one right after the other so they stay off long enough to get through them. The other is to use sensory boost after the first 2 panels at the height of your jump, then dash to get to the next one. Otherwise you cannot get enough height and distance. The game gives you literally no onscreen hints for the technique required on these panels, despite no prior wall run panels being anywhere near as hard. As a result I failed the jump numerous times.
Lastly, at the end of the level, it gives you the Tempest skill. Tempest is sort of like a Force Push, which can kill groups of enemies, or send their projectiles back at them if timed right. This level started out feeling very difficult. I soon found though if you use the many grapple points available, you can make the shield enemies look geriatric. With Tempest now in my arsenal, I expect them to throw a much tougher enemy scenario at me in the coming levels.
Level 7 Run-Up is remarkably concise and straightforward, less challenging than anticipated. The final playtime was below 16 minutes, even after adjustments, totaling just under 3.5 minutes. I had planned to rely heavily on the Tempest ability from the previous level, but found it more difficult to master compared to Deflect Reflect, which redirects projectiles by striking enemies with the sword. This demands careful aiming.
The stage features demanding platforming sections, notably a part that merges grappling mechanics, sensory boost jumps over rotating grinding cylinders, and precisely timed wall runs between laser panels. It also brings mechs into play, which I expected to appear. These are large bipedal units firing broad beams; mastering timing is essential to slow-mo dodge or slide beneath them.
A key factor in the level’s accessibility is that most human enemies use single-shot pistols, with only a few equipped with assault rifles. Even the mechs become manageable once timing for slides and dodges is understood. The main hurdle remains the challenging platform sequence.
And here we have Level 8, The Gatekeeper, which is the first official boss fight. This is a huge security device with lasers and fire rings. It takes precise timing to grapple between the lasers and Sensory Boost wall run and jump along the perimeter wall panels to avoid fire. So this level is relatively short and has no human enemies at all.
OK, One More Level! Seriously though, it's Level 9, Dharma City. Saying One More Level seemed appropriate though, because it's not just the name of the dev team that made the game, I actually felt like this was the last level I wanted to play due to the fatal error crash bug many have reported hitting me for the first time. It's also the first level I've noticed signs in the game with the dev name on them. This level crashed anywhere from every 3 to 10 min, but oddly enough, the first time through it when I was seeing what it was like where I just kept respawning after deaths, it didn't crash once. It's not an extremely hard level, just one I felt I could finally do nonstop with no deaths. This level introduces a rail system you can hang from and zip along, and powerups that allow you to do super jumps.
So I finally after a couple days managed to pull off a no death run, but wasn't quite satisfied with the 4 min 10 sec time. I then experimented a bit with a less cautious approach, evading enemies where I could, and taking out only those in my path, or ones that needed to be cleared to open a door. The result was a MUCH better time of 3:42:70. Another goal was to finish with a full energy meter, as that's what enables you to use skills like Blink when you need them. I honestly did not know if a full meter even carries over to the next level, because mine is generally depleted at the end of a level. Turns out it doesn't, and while I could feel short changed by that, levels generally start with a few easy kills you can refill it with, so it's no big deal.
Other than a combination of evasion and kills to speed things up, tactics wise I stuck to Deflect Reflect to bounce projectiles back at enemies, and used Blink very minimally. While I CAN tell you also using Reflect Boost, which makes it far easier to deflect projectiles back at enemies, does in fact make it a lot easier, I also died several times attempting to deflect a closer range shot from that drone at the final battle. There's definitely a learning curve for adjusting from long to short range shots timing wise.
The level is named Echoes and I'm pleased to say I faced no crashing issues as I did in the previous stage, Dharma City. It's a significant improvement, being at least five times longer and featuring new elements like Ninjas and Snipers. While they don't pose challenges in one-on-one encounters, combining them with other enemies demands careful strategy.
Occasionally, I complete a substantial portion of the level without any ninja interaction, but other times I encounter confusing dialogue that I struggle to interpret. One moment felt like they were trying to turn me into sushi, and I firmly declined, cutting him in half. Snipers require stealthy approaches; once they lock onto you, it's over quickly—only a brief exposure is possible.
Beyond that, the initial navigation can be tricky, though the platforming itself remains manageable, mainly in terms of movement. I didn't attempt a deathless run or continuous capture, as I've heard the developers have greenlit a sequel. I'm hoping they'll improve the checkpoint system.
My main concern with checkpoints isn't their scarcity, but rather the excessive number and the fact that progressing to the next segment after dying can fragment your capture. This forces you to either endure long waits or risk losing progress.
Despite facing numerous setbacks, the overall experience felt smooth. To ease confusion, I added a few death respawns, though I still faced challenges when advancing through segments while dying. I'd appreciate if future versions offer more flexibility—choices for checkpoint frequency, or at least the ability to advance without dying.
This stage is named Faster and serves as a setup for the subsequent boss within the game. You're essentially pursuing it throughout the entire level. It also includes some demanding platforming sections, which are more intense than the enemy encounters. It's no surprise I struggled to avoid death attempts, with a few adjustments made to highlight the fatalities for smoother transitions.
If I'm truthful, I might attempt this stage again, knowing the warnings and required safety measures in the two sections displaying enemy deaths. However, it wouldn't alter the reality that I frequently lost due to the challenging platforming. The difficulty primarily comes from the reduced speed of the train when moving on top of it, emphasizing the impact of wind resistance.
Overall, considering everything, the outcomes have seemed quite typical for me so far. I'm also confident the upcoming stage will be significantly easier, potentially even another no-death run. By the way, pay attention to the dialogue at 1:06—The Architect clarifies how the hero's role in the game led to the name Ghostrunners.
And here’s the next boss stage I mentioned in the previous video’s details. This stage is named In Her Own Image. I was a bit taken aback by how simple this stage feels. It has been significantly easier compared to what I’ve faced before in the game. You’re only dealing with the boss itself, and the main risk of losing comes from the tutorial for the weapon you receive after defeating it.
The boss in question is HEL, which has a female look but is essentially a robot. You just need to block 4 of her attack sequences, then strike once at the end while she’s stunned. You essentially mirror her movements when her sword flares up. It took me several tries to get it perfectly timed, but once I succeeded, it became much simpler. The tutorial for using her Surge weapon actually turned out to be more challenging.
The toughest part of her Surge attack was the final test. You had to jump onto a platform across a gap, line up three enemies on a high point, and eliminate them all at once. The issue was that the weapon’s lock-on was somewhat unreliable during that phase, and the jump pad on the opposite side of the chasm could sometimes send you only halfway back after landing, causing you to fall and die.
This unusual jump pad chasm death scenario happened to me at least three times, each time after I easily defeated the boss. In the video, it took three attempts to land that triple Surge shot. However, this attempt was a success—no deaths—and I achieved a perfect result against HEL, hitting every counter. It’s also my fastest level so far, with a completion time of 2:36;22.
Another trick with her is being aware of the direction she moves after you land an attack. You don’t want to waste time searching for where her Surge attacks are coming from, as they can kill you instantly.