Ghost Masters Review

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Ghost Master

Review by Old RoosterOctober 2003

Boo!

At my age, one thinks about the afterlife. Having been a civil servant most of my working career, it’s not a far cry (or howl) to believe that I may find my heavenly(?) self in charge of teams of ghosts—specters, banshees, ghouls and spirits—all with the goal of frightening my former earthly human companions. If you’re in the mood for a really different game, have a twisted sense of humor, and enjoy horror films, then Ghost Master may be the game for you.

Let’s dispel one misconception right away, though. Many who have not played GM view it as an adventure title. That’s not the case, I’m afraid. GM is primarily a real-time strategy game, with strong simulation overtones, and some RPG components. It’s Ghostbusters (or “Peoplebusters,” really) meets The Sims. One might think of GM as “haunting management.” It’s original, creative, funny and graphically lovely; but it’s not an adventure.

Discworld

Ghost Master comes to us from Sick Puppies, a British development house. In doing a little research, we find that one Gregg Barnett is not only responsible for this inventive title, but also had a major hand in all three Discworld games! I may be a bit biased, with my English wife, but I do feel that, except for peculiar spelling, the English have a wonderful talent for subtle and off-the-wall humor (or humour). Given GM, I’m very much anticipating further products from Barnett and company.

Haunter Committee Handbook

The presentation of Ghost Master, from the 39-page manual to basic design and interface is excellently done. Clearly, time, patience and care were “exorcised” (get it?) with game production. It installed (750 MB) and ran smoothly on my moderate 1.8 GHz, nVidia 3 system.

As mentioned, the basic premise of GM is simply to scare the living daylights out of the poor, unsuspecting denizens of Gravenville.  You’ll employ about 50 ghosts of various types and descriptions, using 130 powers, all within 15 levels set across 12 different locations.  This is a game where the manual needs to be read and the fine tutorial taken seriously. It’s tough, and very different, if you don’t play many real-time strategy titles.

In each of the locations, you begin with a recommended team of spirits, or a group selected by you. Your goal is typically to frighten the characters—whether in a sorority house (I used to frighten them just by showing up), police station, hospital or barnyard (“Poultrygeist”).  As nicely outlined in “Twenty Steps to Easy Haunting,” your individual ghosts need to be “fettered,” or bound to a specific place within the location in order to do their ghostly work. They also need “plasm,” or energy; this energy being increased by successful haunting, thereby giving them more power.  The particular mortals who are your targets have varying degrees of weakness—termed as Terror, Belief, and Madness—all colorfully depicted on the interface. So, to sum up, much like some of the Rainbow Six kind of titles, you need to select a squad, trying to tailor it to your particular destination and goals, being watchful of the squad’s health (plasm) along the way. As you may guess, there is considerable replay opportunity available, given the multitude of ghosts eventually available (not all are there up front), and once all of the levels are opened. In addition, some missions have extra puzzle elements and challenges, such as finding two hidden corpses—nice stuff like that.

Spooky Hollow

The range of locations, as well as names, are inventive and highly entertaining. We have Spooky Hollow, where you try to create rain, winds and thunder; the Blair Wisp Project; the Unusual Suspects, set in a police station; the Calamityville Horror; the Phantom of the Operating Room; and What Lies Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, just to name a few.

Within each setting, you’ll find little Sims-type people, going about their routines, not suspecting the horrors you’re plotting.  Once members of your team are in place, the fun begins. To some extent, you can sit back and watch, but there is also a need to exercise some degree of management.

The graphics are all in 3D, with special effects from your ghosts providing the highlights. Unleashing spider hordes, controlling mortals like a puppet, creating storms inside a room, making walls bleed—all are beautifully enacted. Further, the house, for example, can be rotated completely, with each floor examined in detail using a zoom feature. Indeed, a la Dungeon Keeper, the camera can even enter the character of the spook or victim, showing you what he sees in grisly detail.

As evident from mission titles, homage is paid to classic films, horror and otherwise. This homage is also evident with the incredible music and sound effects. From the title screen to the missions themselves, one can’t help but smile, remember, and be properly inspired by the aural quality of Ghost Master.

Spooktacular

Ghost Master is unique, creative, colorful, challenging, and a good deal of plain old fun. If you’ve ever wanted to enter the puerile world of your Sims with a team of bizarre spirits, then this is the game for you. If you’re up for a hard, but satisfying, puzzle/strategy mission objective game, Ghost Master should fit the bill. Heck, it gets “10 extra points” just for being so weird and different!

My raves don’t lead me, though, to award a coveted Gold Star. Although the settings are different, and ghosts/powers are considerably varied, there is still a redundancy that sets in after three or so “exorcises.”  The game engine is terrific, yet I wish there was more of a story or adventure involved. Considerable discussion is evident on GM fan sites regarding more missions or add-ons in the future, but nothing is yet in the works. To some extent, the game may be the beginning of a work in progress, but it is also very possible that this will be all we see of Ghastly, Shivers, Weather Witch, Electroplasm, and all of the other ghostly fiends and friends we made during our tour of Gravenville. The End

The Verdict

The Lowdown

Developer: Sick Puppies Publisher: Empire Interactive Release Date: August 2003 (PC); November 2003 (Xbox)

Available for: Windows Xbox

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Screenshots

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System Requirements

PIII 450 MHz (PIV 1.5 GHz recommended) 128 MB RAM (256 MB recommended) 16 MB video card (32 MB recommended)

Where to Find It

Links provided for informational purposes only.  FFC makes no warranty with regard to any transaction entered into by any party(ies).

      Copyright © Electric Eye Productions.  All rights reserved.  No reproduction in whole or in part without express written permission.

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14 Responses to Fear Factor

  • Fear Factor | Tap-Repeatedly.com | Reality Topics Blog

    […] nobody@flickr.com (graftedno1) wrote a very interesting post today.   Here’s a quick excerpt:My greatest fear is to be trapped alone in a confined space with a blind human, in total darkness. They have a heightened sense of smell and hearing, and. […]

  • Matt "Steerpike" Sakey

    Lewis, you made me think of the scariest moments I’ve experienced in gaming, and we’re very similar people.

    Bioshock had two moments – the dentist and the flooded room filled with mannequins.

    Thief had Return to the Cathedral, which was terrifying to me. Thief 3 had Shalebridge Cradle, which is so scary it ought to be fined.

    System Shock 2 kept me on the edge of my seat, but it was more lonely panic than true fear.

    Korsakovia was so scary that I uninstalled it.

    And STALKER. Oh, god, the haunted labs in STALKER. The latter two games don’t have scares like that. Few games do.

    It’s especially rare for a game to have more than mere “moments” – for a game to be scary from beginning to end, that’s a triumph.

    Wonderful article. As if Gregg’s review wasn’t enough to convince me that Penumbra is not something I have the courage to play!

  • DPenn

    I’m with you Lewis … I’m a bit of a puss. I just have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of dread as entertainment.

    Still, I’m drawn to dark stories when they have something interesting to say, whether it’s a game like Thief or a film like, say, Gaspar Noe’s Irreversible. So I’ll push through, sometimes peering through my fingers.

    The trouble with games, though, is that if you look through your fingers, you’re probably just going to have to play through the scenario again. :~)

  • Mike "Scout" Gust

    I wanted to play this game. I downloaded the demo but the controls were just too wonky for me to get my head around. I liked the atmospheric vibe a lot. I think I’m a bit desensitized from an overdose of horror movies in my youth so I don’t so much get the dread thing from these games as a nice creepy vibration. If only the controls were better…

  • Lewis B

    @ Mike, what’s wrong with the controls bud? As someone who despises poor control schemes, Penumbra’s is just like any other FPS, except to examine things you right click on them.  To use things you left click.  I’m not sure that can be considered difficult 🙂

  • Gregg B

    @Steerpike: Yeah my greatest shit-scared moments were with those games too. A few spoilers below people, so beware.

    Bioshock – Haha, I remember the dentist. I didn’t really find the game that scary overall but the bit where you go into the wine cellar and notice a mannequin facing the wall and after upgrading your weapon it’s stood directly behind you motionless and quiet just for a moment before attacking you. I shat a brick. I also missed that bit originally until Lew told me about it.

    System Shock 2 – same as you really, more unremitting tension all the way through rather than specific terrifying moments. Oh actually, theres a bit where you call a lift and it breaks then you realise a service droid is coming to fix it… I do remember having sleep issues after my first encounter with the cyborg ninjas though.

    Thief: The Dark Project – The Sword and Return to the Cathedral and Down in the Bonehoard and well, loads of them. The Sword made me break out into goosebumps though because there was a bit where you could hear this creepy giggling which seemed like it was following me about then it suddenly changed to this horrible throaty noise. What made matters worse was that the EAX (bless you Creative) made my foot steps sound like somebody else was there with me. That level was incredible, a bit too incredible as it seems I missed great chunks of it because I was so eager to leave.

    Thief II: The Metal Age – Trail of Blood where you end up in that opening with those damn tree beasts. God the first time I saw one of those hurtling towards me I actually died shortly afterward. Do you remember that Mechanist child walking around on one of the levels? That was a little creepy.

    Then there’s Penumbra: Overture – quite a few bits but I’m not mentioning them here.

    Oh and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. – The brain scorcher lab just because it was so damn quiet. My imagination seriously got the better of me there. Those stuffed animals and heads I’d seen in various buildings led me to believe that those creatures were lurking somewhere in the Zone, specifically that lab.

    @Mike: My control setup was perfect after some tweaking (as well as the simple weapon swing fix). If you ever fancy giving it another go, give me a shout and I’ll let you know my setup.

  • Lewis B

    I’m not sure why guys, but one of my starting paragraphs had gone missing, even though I copied it straight from the original source, and It was fine earlier. 

    Incase you missed it due to some technical issue you might want to re-read just after “Well no she wouldn’t in truth, but in Penumbra: Overture you don’t want to move anyway.” at the very start for those who’ve already read the article. Apologies 🙂

  • Mike "Scout" Gust

    Lewis, it was the weapon swing. It had this terrible, unresponsive feel to it, like trying to hit through molasses. I couldn’t stand using it. I tried the .ini fix as mentioned in the review but it didn’t seem to help. Of course this was the demo…but that shouldn’t have made any difference. I might try the second game instead as I guess they did away with the weapons thing.

    I’m see your first paragraph just fine. It’s the dialogue, right?

  • jdeuel

    I like the argument that weapons can remove fear, but even loaded to the teeth with ammo in AVP’99 the Marine missions were frightful because the enemy was anywhere at any time.

    As for Penumbra Overture, if the controls are anything like the original Penumbra they need to hack in some Wii-Remote 3d controls. I did not like using my mouse for 3d movements.

  • Gregg B

    @Mike: I’ve read that many people avoided conflict altogether in Overture which incidentally is something forced upon you in Black Plague. As somebody who has been renovating a house over the last 6 months with no DIY experience I can safely say that swinging a hammer is significantly easier in real life than it is in Overture without the fix. The fix balanced that for me.

    I’d highly recommend completing the first Penumbra because it’s one big build up to Black Plague which spoils the ending to Overture in the intro. And it’s a great ending too. Just so you know!

  • Lewis B

    @ Steerpike, those moments you mention are all my worst too!!  Do you remember the Robot labs in SS2? Absolutely terrifying, waiting for robots to burst out on you! 🙁 oh and have you ever player Condemned?

    @ Mike, The use of weapons in Penumbra is different to say HL2, where the player is physically holding the weapon, as in Penumbra it floats slightly infront of you.  However, if you change the control method to normal weapon swing, it’s no different!  Speak to Greggi and he’ll tell you what to do 🙂

    @ jdeuel, AVP the original and its sequal were scary however what type of fear do you think it is? I don’t think it’s anything more than sheer tension.  Having a Smart Gun makes you feel incredibly powerful.  I can honestly say in Penumbra the fear is sheer unrivalled terror, where you actually have to force yourself to play on.  It genuinly is that scary! 🙂

  • Jason Dobry

    It’s so true, an arsenal of weapons and ammo rapidly deflates any sense of horror or uneasiness in any game for reasons you already mentioned. Sakey, I thought Bioshock was more “lonely panic,” while I was pretty much always terrified in System Shock 2. I really, really, REALLY did not want to enter The Many’s nursery, and my weapons were so unreliable and ammo so scarce that I never felt safe.

    Silent Hill was terrifying for the same reasons. Ammo was rare and I frequently had to rely on my pipe for self-defense.  Even when I had ammo, the game mechanics prevented my character from being anything other than marginal with any firearm.

    Fear had one moment for me: I was climbing up a ladder, and as I reached the upper platform, my guy briefly looked down as he climbed off. As my perspective looked up again, that Ring-esque little girl was RIGHT THERE, reaching for me. I screamed and she was gone.

    What else…the original Aliens vs. Predator sent me into a locker room and I could only hear the facehuggers scurrying about somewhere within. I had to go in there. I advanced about three steps before the damn thing screamed and filled up my screen with its repulsive underside as it implanted me with its spawn. My roommate made fun of me for weeks for screaming like a girl child.

    Korsakovia–meh.  I was too annoyed and frustrated by the box rearrangement/jumping puzzles to be scared. I uninstalled it after an hour of play, I think. Maybe the scary parts were later, but I doubt it.

    As for Penumbra, I did play through about half of it before other games distracted me. I remember unease and creepiness, but no sweaty fear. I think I’m to blame here, or, more precisely, my daughter, who was still an infant at the time and generally allowed me only to play during the day for 45 minutes at a time. I was denied total immersion and the fear effect suffered. Maybe I should give it another go after I finish Call of Pripyat since she sleeps through the night now. With any luck, Penumbra will keep me from doing the same.

  • Gregg B

    I played the demo of F.E.A.R. but that ladder scare is the only bit I remember. Christ, that made me jump. I’m not too good with cat scares.

    Also I felt exactly the same about Korsakovia. It was creepy at first but then it began to irritate me far too much and it just soured the experience. I stopped playing as a result. Not to mention, when I realised I could bash those smoke-things with my crowbar they didn’t bother me nearly as much.

  • Online Up

    Great article. I look forward to reading more in the future.

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