Ghostrunner
A fast first-person cyberpunk action game built on wall runs and dashes.
Where Ghostrunner comes up1 episode or test
Ghostrunner builds its fast first-person action on wall runs and dashes, and the sources give no sales or player numbers. Its slow-time dash lets players realign for a wall run after a bad jump, and levels are designed so movement rarely stops. Lesson: if the core moves are simple, make the environment part of the moveset, and give players a rescue move to recover from mistakes.
- 1Bad jumpPlayer misses the wall run line
- 2Slow timeTime slows to give a moment to react
- 3DashDash realigns the player with the wall
- 4Wall run resumesRescued, and the skill stays in play
From Ghostrunner movement design notes
What was said about Ghostrunner
Ghostrunner lets players slow time and dash to save a bad wall run. Players can slow time and dash to realign for a wall run. This works as a recovery move after a bad jump, so players can save themselves without removing the skill.
It is cited alongside Tony Hawk's board righting as an example of a rescue move.
Ghostrunner turns enemies and projectiles into part of the movement set. Bashing off enemies and projectiles leans on environment use, so the space around the player becomes the movement tools. Clever use of the environment gives a huge advantage over enemies.
Ori is named as a related case of bashing off enemies and projectiles.
Ghostrunner's flow depends on level design as much as on its moves. It is named as an environment-bouncing game where players move through a level without stopping or slowing much. That kind of flow comes from level design as much as from the base movement mechanics.
Sunset Overdrive is the other main example given of environment-bouncing flow.
How to Turn Movement into a Game Mechanic
Bashing off enemies and projectiles leans on environment use. Slowing time and dashing lets you realign for a wall run as a recovery move.
Ghostrunner lets players slow time and dash to save a bad wall run. Players can slow time and dash to realign for a wall run. This works as a recovery move after a bad jump, so players can save themselves without removing the skill.
It is cited alongside Tony Hawk's board righting as an example of a rescue move.
Ghostrunner turns enemies and projectiles into part of the movement set. Bashing off enemies and projectiles leans on environment use, so the space around the player becomes the movement tools. Clever use of the environment gives a huge advantage over enemies.
Ori is named as a related case of bashing off enemies and projectiles.
Ghostrunner's flow depends on level design as much as on its moves. It is named as an environment-bouncing game where players move through a level without stopping or slowing much. That kind of flow comes from level design as much as from the base movement mechanics.
Sunset Overdrive is the other main example given of environment-bouncing flow.
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