While the Terminator franchise has had some incredible highs to match its recent lows when it comes to films, the video games tend to always end up somewhere in the middle. The best game the series has had is Terminator: Resistance, and even that was mostly met with 7/10 scores from critics and gamers alike. Naturally, the desire for a standout game that captures the feel of Terminator is going to be high, as fans of the iconic series have yet to truly be wowed when it comes to game adaptations. Fortunately, while it doesn’t carry the Terminator branding, the upcoming Steam game Ghostless has Terminator written all over it.
However, while the main influence for Ghostless is obviously Terminator — players are literally leading an uprising against a corrupt AI that employs machines disguised as humans to do its bidding — it’s not the only one. Mechanically, this 2.5D action game features shooting, platforming, and exploration reminiscent of Metroid Dread. Additionally, there will be settlement management, with players supplying their digital colony in a way that’s not too dissimilar from the meta game in Last of Us’ Factions mode. For players still mourning what the cancelee Last of Us Online could have achieved in that area, this singleplayer Steam game might help scratch the itch a bit.
Ghostless Features at a Glance
- EXPLORE a destroyed world full of robotic adversaries, survivors to recruit, and resources to scavenge.
- FIGHT your way through enemies using ranged weapons like guns.
- BUILD your base camp up bit by bit, unlocking new crafting size by carefully managing the health of those in your camp.
- DETECT sneaky machines disguised as humans who will try to infiltrate and wipe out your camp if you let them in.
- UNCOVER mysterious lore within the moody pixel art world.
Lead an uprising against AI in a post-apocalyptic world where you’re never sure who is human and who is machine. Scavenge for resources, find survivors to grow your base, root out android infiltrators and lead the resistance in a unique hybrid of 2.5D action-adventure and colony building.
Ghostless’ Metroid-like Action Should Keep Players Busy…
In Ghostless, players will be exploring a war-torn world based on the work of James Cameron, with the game specifically set in an alternate version of the 20th century. In this world, a super AI built during the Cold War turned on the human race, resulting in scattered pockets of survivors. One such survivor, the player-controlled Envoy, is tasked with stopping this AI from creating a new weapon. However, with their ship shot down, they’re stuck scavenging for everything they need. They’ll also be recruiting locals to form a guerrilla resistance than John Connor himself would be proud of.
A large portion of Ghostless plays out like one would expect from a 2.5D game. Players shoot at a range of machines while trying to dodge their attacks, and in the downtime, they’ll solve environmental puzzles to traverse the world and reach new areas. As they explore, they’ll come across both survivors they can recruit for their camp and the resources needed to keep said dwellers alive. In return, these allies will take on jobs at the camp, providing players with benefits like stronger weaponry. However, what makes this recruitment process so intriguing is that Ghostless players will have to be careful about who they trust.
…But The Colony System is Where Ghostless Really Shines
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Just like Terminators wear a human shell in the films, the hostile machines in Ghostless can disguise themselves as friendly survivors. It’s up to players to weed out these deceitful machines by looking out for certain tells before they let them into the camp; perhaps their mannerisms are off, or they keep repeating a certain phrase that doesn’t sound human. If players successfully detect these undercover enemies during the interview process, they can keep their home away from home safe. However, if they let them in, everything they have built could quickly fall apart.
While players won’t be designing a stunning resort in a world decimated by a hostile AI, they will have say over how their upgrade benches and facilities are spread out, placing them wherever they see fit. So long as players regularly scavenge for resources to take care of their camp, they’ll have a safe place to return to until they succeed in their mission, leaning on their fellow resistance fighters to keep them geared up for the battles ahead. With 10,000 people already adding Ghostless to their Steam wishlists, there’s clearly a lot of interest in this neat action-adventure/base-building hybrid. For now, though, all players can do is keep an eye on the title’s Steam page and wait patiently for an update from developer coffeenauts.
