Ghost Eater Beta Sign-Ups: Manga-Style Hack n Slash

Some games want you to sit through twenty minutes of cutscenes before you swing a single sword. GHOST EATER does not seem to be one of them. This hack n slash action adventure is opening a playtest, and if combo strings and boss fights are your thing, it is worth a closer look.

The pitch is simple. You fight, you build a style, and the story moves along with the fighting itself. No long speeches from the villain, no hour of voice-over. Just action, with plenty of style on top.

A Sci-Fi World Drawn Like a Manga

GHOST EATER goes for manga-inspired graphics. The setting is a dense sci-fi world where the areas are interconnected, and the developers clearly want it to stand out visually. From the description, this is not the usual grey-and-brown future we have all wandered through a hundred times.

An interconnected world is a nice touch for an action game. Many hack n slash titles push you down one long corridor of fights. A world that links back into itself suggests there could be a bit more to explore between battles. How much exactly, we will only know once people get their hands on the beta.

Combos, Slots and Six Big Bosses

The combat is where GHOST EATER puts most of its weight. There are 24 enemy types to deal with. Some fights are scripted, others are randomized arena battles, so you can't always predict what gets thrown at you next.

After all that, six bosses wait for you. Six is a solid number for a game of this type. Boss fights tend to be the moments people remember, so it will be interesting to see how varied they turn out.

Your main weapon has a five hit combo. The fun part is that the final hits, the combo enders, are slot-able. You can swap them around and change how a string ends. That sounds small, but in action games this kind of tweaking is often what keeps you coming back.

Then there are three secondary weapon classes. Each one has its own three hit combo and a unique skill. On top of that you get skills and passives to experiment with, so you can shape your own way of fighting. The game also promises lots of contextual special moves along the way, the flashy situational kind that make a fight look cooler than it has any right to.

Story Told Through Fighting

The narrative branches, and those branches are tied to the combat. The developers say the focus is on stylish action, not lengthy cutscenes or voice-over. For players who skip every cutscene anyway, that is good news. For players who love a big story moment, it might take some getting used to.

I like the idea. Letting the fights carry the story is a bold choice, and if it works, it could make every battle feel like it matters a little more.

How to Join the Playtest

GHOST EATER is looking for testers right now. To sign up, head to the game's beta page and click the "Request Access" button. That is all it takes to put your name on the list.

If you have been following our recent coverage, you will know there is no shortage of playtests at the moment. From the punchy chaos of TIL THEY CROAK to the dice-driven co-op of Chosen by Odin, action fans have a lot to choose from.

Our Take

GHOST EATER looks like a game built for people who enjoy tinkering with their fighting style. The slot-able combo enders, the three secondary weapon classes and the skills and passives together suggest a fair amount of build freedom for a smaller action title.

The choice to tell a branching story through combat stands out most. It fits a wider trend of indie action games trimming cutscenes and letting the gameplay do the talking. Whether that works here depends on how clearly the branches show up during fights.

It is worth watching how the randomized arenas mix with the scripted encounters, and whether the six bosses feel different from each other. The playtest should give the first real answers. If you like stylish action, it seems like an easy sign-up.