Impressions: We test Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed in its new version for Switch

Now that we have a date for the arrival of Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed on Nintendo Switch, it doesn't hurt to know what kind of supernatural threat we'll be facing in this new version of the game. I say new version, because the Ecto Edition we'll see on October 19 includes the base game and the four DLCs released to date.

We've seen other ports in the past that have, to a greater or lesser extent, proven the graphical gulf between Nintendo Switch and last and current-gen consoles, with honourable exceptions such as Persona 5 Royal and The Witcher 3. But Illfonic may now have once again found the magic key to wizardry on Nintendo's hardware, delivering not only a graphical experience true to the Ghostbusters franchise, but also solid online support where I didn't notice too many bugs with either latency or general local multiplayer performance when I tested this version of Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed at Gamescom.

If you've played Spirits Unleashed, you can skip this paragraph, except to remind you that all the DLC content is available: new ghost types, maps and accessories to date will be here too. In Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed, Ray Stantz and Winston Zeddemore open the doors of the Fire Station to the next generation of Ghostbusters, of which we are a part. And the depiction of every object, room and light is carefully transported from the films and series to the video game. And while there is a story behind this "new" group of paranormal eliminators, the game's strongest point is the gameplay loop, consisting of four-on-one matches in which a team of Ghostbusters takes on a Ghost controlled by a fifth player and other lesser AI-controlled entities.

The full arsenal of ghost-catching tools is available. From detection instruments such as the PKE meter, proton packs, to light traps. With all of these we must prevent the opposing Ghost from killing us or completing their victory objectives, which could be, for example, possessing all the civilians on the map. As we progress, we unlock new outfits and accessories for our recruits and for the wraiths.

But none of this would make any sense if the experience isn't smooth or the servers fail. And here's the crux of the matter: is Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed up to the task as a multiplayer title on Switch? Well, at the moment I can only half-heartedly answer yes. I say half-heartedly, because I was only able to try out a few rounds of local multiplayer with the Illfonic development team in Cologne, as it was an incomplete build. However, in this local experience, the game ran smoothly and I noticed no lag or stuttering. It remains to be seen if the performance holds up when paired with other players in online multiplayer, but at least we know that regardless of whether you find four other players for your game, non-human characters will be handled by the AI. Pretty solid AI, I can tell you that too, although there's nothing quite like feeling the chaos caused by an ectoplasmic player on the opposing side. Being a Ghostbuster is cool, but being a ghost in Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed is even better. I hope to confirm my good paranormal vibes in a few days with a full review of the game.