Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden asks players to fight the dead, and mostly succeeds at it. The game drops players into New Eden, a city overrun by spirits, and hands them a ghost-slaying tool built for close combat. It is a game about chasing down enemies, striking them down, and surviving the chaos that follows. That simple loop carries the whole experience.
Trailer, via Focus Entertainment.
Chasing Down the Dead
The core system in Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is a chase-and-strike mechanic. Players track spirits across streets and alleys, then close distance to strike them down. The game rewards players who move fast and stay alert, punishing those who stand still. Spirits move with purpose, and the best players learn to read their movements and react.
Combat is fast. Spirits can be broken apart with a few hits, and the game encourages players to stay moving rather than waiting for them to stop. The controls respond quickly, and the camera holds steady during fights even when the screen fills with enemies.
New Eden’s Streets
New Eden is dense and alive. Buildings rise high around narrow streets, and the lighting shifts from bright sunlight to shadowy alleyways. The city feels lived-in, with pedestrians and small details that ground the horror. The setting gives the chase-and-strike loops somewhere to happen. Narrow streets force players to choose between two paths, and spirits often wait at the end of each one. The city’s layout is built for movement, and the game uses that space well.
Breaking Apart the Dead
When a spirit is struck down, it breaks apart into pieces. Each piece can be destroyed, and doing so removes the spirit from play. This system adds depth to fights, since players can choose which pieces to target and which to ignore. It also gives the combat a rhythm: strike, break apart, destroy.
The system works best in smaller fights, where players can focus on one spirit at a time. In larger groups, the pieces can pile up, and the screen can get hard to read. The game does not explain the system fully, leaving some players unsure what they are looking at.
Memory and Loss
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden draws on themes of memory and loss, and the story leans heavily on them. Players follow a character trying to save loved ones from being taken by spirits, and the game uses that personal cost to build tension. The writing stays focused on the human stakes, avoiding the usual horror movie clichés.
The story is told through short scenes between combat sections, giving players a chance to breathe between fights. These scenes set up the next mission rather than slowing the pace. The pacing holds together across the full length of the game.
Sound and Sight
The sound design is strong, with footsteps, moans, and distant screams building a sense of dread. The music matches the tone, shifting from quiet to loud depending on what is happening on screen. The lighting changes with the time of day, and the city looks different at night than it does during the day.
The presentation is solid, though not outstanding. Nothing here pushes the boundaries of the medium, but everything works well enough to support the gameplay.
Difficulty and Balance
The difficulty rises steadily throughout the game, with later missions requiring players to manage multiple threats at once. Some players may find the challenge frustrating, while others will enjoy the test. The game does not offer an easy mode, so anyone struggling will need to keep trying.
The balance holds up well across the middle portion of the game, where the difficulty curve feels fair. The final stretch is where things get harder, and some players may need to restart a mission to survive.
Performance Across Platforms
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden runs on Series X|S, PC, and PS5, and the performance is consistent across all three. Load times are short, and the frame rate stays steady during combat. There were no major technical issues during testing.
The game runs at a smooth frame rate on all three platforms, which is notable given how demanding the chase-and-strike combat can be. The load times are brief, and the game rarely stutters when the screen fills with spirits.
What Works and What Falls Short
The strengths of Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden are its chase-and-strike combat, its atmospheric setting, and its focused story. The weaknesses include a difficulty curve that may frustrate some players and a combat system that can get hard to read in large groups. The game does not try to be everything, and that focus shows in its strengths.
The game’s length is moderate, and it does not drag. Missions are short enough to finish in a sitting, which keeps the momentum going. The variety of enemies and locations helps keep each mission feeling fresh.
The Final Word
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is a solid action-horror game that delivers on its premise. The chase-and-strike combat is satisfying, the setting is atmospheric, and the story stays focused on its characters. It is not a perfect game, but it knows what it wants to be and executes it well.
The game’s approach is deliberate. Rather than sprawling across every genre, it sticks to a single idea — chasing spirits down narrow streets — and builds its entire experience around that. That focus means there is less here than some action-horror games attempt, but what is here is executed with care.
The difficulty curve is the biggest swing. Players who rush in without reading spirits’ movements will die fast, and the game does not hold anyone’s hand. That can frustrate players early on, especially since there is no easy mode to fall back on. But for players willing to learn the rhythms, the challenge turns into a reward.
The combat system’s weakness is also its strength. Breaking spirits apart into pieces rewards careful targeting, and the rhythm of strike-break-destroy gives fights a clear shape. Larger groups test that patience, but the system remains intact underneath the chaos.
The setting deserves credit on its own. New Eden is a lived-in city, not a flat horror backdrop. Pedestrians and small details make the streets feel occupied, and the shift from bright sunlight to shadowy alleyways sells the fear without leaning on jump scares. The city’s narrow streets force players to choose between two paths, and spirits often wait at the end of each one — a design choice that makes the chase-and-strike loops feel natural rather than forced.
The story keeps the stakes personal. Players follow a character trying to save loved ones from being taken by spirits, and the game uses that personal cost to build tension. The writing stays focused on the human stakes, avoiding the usual horror movie clichés. Short scenes between combat sections give players a chance to breathe, and the pacing holds together across the full length of the game.
The sound design supports the atmosphere. Footsteps, moans, and distant screams build a sense of dread, and the music matches the tone, shifting from quiet to loud depending on what is happening on screen. The lighting changes with the time of day, and the city looks different at night than it does during the day.
Presentation is solid but not outstanding. Nothing here pushes the boundaries of the medium, but everything works well enough to support the gameplay. The game runs at a smooth frame rate on all three platforms — Series X|S, PC, and PS5 — which is notable given how demanding the chase-and-strike combat can be. Load times are short, and the game rarely stutters when the screen fills with spirits.
The game’s length is moderate, and it does not drag. Missions are short enough to finish in a sitting, which keeps the momentum going. The variety of enemies and locations helps keep each mission feeling fresh.
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden earns a 7.8 out of 10. It is a solid, focused action-horror game that knows exactly what it wants to be and executes it well.
Key Facts
– Platforms: Series X|S, PC, PS5
– Genre: Action-horror
– Score: 7.8/10
– Focus: Chase-and-strike combat, atmospheric setting, memory and loss themes
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