Ghosting Vandal First Impressions

Developed by Daltair

Story

In the game you play as a character named Mozz, an agent of the Heroic Guild. The Heroic Guild is an agency tasked with stopping the advancement of the Balfere Plague, a radical group of gangs collecting weapons known as Ghosting Cores. In Ghosting Vandal, the story progresses as you complete missions, introducing the player to new characters and settings along the way. The characters, lore, and setting definitely stand out and are unique. One of my favorite parts of the game was meeting new characters and reading the dialogue. Daltair’s artwork and writing really brought the characters to life and I think players are going to have a really fun time with the characters’ quirky personalities. And while there is a comedic element to the dialogue, the story also teases deeper themes, and a nuanced interpretation of which characters are truly good.

Gameplay

Ghosting Vandal is a 2D action platformer. The player is equipped with a plethora of attacks and skills that really give the player options, depending on their playstyle. In the game you have an unlimited supply of normal bullets but also have the option to change to limited special bullets, which requires you to collect ammo that can be collected while progressing through the levels. Mozz also has a melee attack along with the ability to parry enemy projectiles when timed correctly. What really makes the gameplay stand out from other 2D Action Platformers is the Ghost Wheel mechanic. The Ghost Wheel mechanic allows Mozz to spin rapidly, turning herself into a wheel, and has many unique applications in the game. It can be used to help in the platforming levels as you can bounce up and down as well as climb walls. The Ghost Wheel also has combat applications, making you temporarily invincible to enemy attacks. However, the Ghost Wheel does have a timer, so it has to be used strategically. Deciding when and how to use the different skills and options make the game really fun. It also makes figuring out which skills to lean on during boss battles very exciting.

Sound

I really enjoyed the sound design of the game. It is apparent that Daltair put a lot of effort and care into the sound of the game. Each stage has its own music, all of which match the feel of the level. My favorite, for instance, is the tropical style music that plays while playing the Aprion Beach level. The boss battle music is really good as well. One of my favorite parts of the boss battles is the slamming sound effect which signify that a boss battle is about to begin. Speaking of boss battles, the game has voice acting and I absolutely loved the voice acting for the different bosses in the game and for Mozz herself. The voice acting really brought the characters to life and accentuated their quirky personalities; like Grave Sonata’s bad temper and Wolven Mayhm’s blood lust.

Impressions

I had a really good time playing Ghosting Vandal. The different mechanics were so fun to experiment with and finding different ways to combine them was really satisfying. It’s rare to find a game where every character is likable, but I genuinely loved every single character. The character art, dialogue, and voice acting made each character stand out. I would also like to mention that the game is in Early Access. Which means that the game is not in its final form and is still receiving updates, so players can look forward to even more features to be coming to the game, like mappable keys when playing on keyboard. If you’re interested in what you read, you can find the link for purchase below.

Game: GHOSTING VANDAL - Early Access by Daltair (itch.io)