Ghost master
| Ghost master | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | Sick Puppies | ||
| Publisher | Strategy first | ||
| Senior Developer | Chris Bateman Gregg Barnett Neil Bundy Nick Martinelli |
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| composer | Paul Weir | ||
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
2003 | ||
| platform | PC ( Windows ) | ||
| genre | Simulation , strategy | ||
| Game mode | Single player | ||
| control | Mouse , keyboard | ||
| medium | 1 CD , download ( GOG , Steam ) | ||
| language | German English | ||
| Age rating |
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Ghost Master is a video game for Windows developed by Sick Puppies and published by Strategy First in 2003 . It contains an unusual combination of elements from simulation , strategy and role-playing , mostly staged as a parody of the horror film genre. The player controls a group of ghosts, with whose abilities a number of different tasks have to be completed and new ghosts have to be recruited.
Gameplay
The player is a necromancer and initially controls a small number of different spirits with specific skills. In different missions ("Spuke") in the fictional US American town of Gravenville, different missions have to be completed with the help of the ghosts. The spooks are partly loosely connected by a backstory that shows the liberation of a particularly powerful spirit as the final goal of the campaign.
Depending on the size of the area, four to eight ghosts can be selected for a haunt. Often the goal of a haunt is to drive all "mortals" (humans) out of a certain area, but sometimes other goals must be achieved as well. During the haunted area, in addition to mortals, one encounters restless spirits who are tied to one place for various reasons. In order to free them, various complex tasks have to be solved, but this is usually not a prerequisite for the conclusion of a haunt. Upon successful completion of a haunt, a "haunted rating" is given, which takes into account the time required, the number of ghosts recruited and the fear caused in mortals. Based on this, “gold plasma” is earned, which can be used to acquire new spirit skills.
Already completed spooks can be repeated as often as you like. When a haunt is repeated, captured spirits can still be freed and the haunted rating improved to receive additional gold plasma.
Game mechanics
Ghosts
Each spirit is assigned to one of six classes, from simple air spirits to formidable horrors. The class determines how much plasma it costs to use the skills of the mind. Within the class, each ghost is assigned a type, for example gremlin or headless rider. This type determines how many and what kind of skills the mind can learn and where it can be used.
binding
Ghosts cannot be placed anywhere on the map, but must be tied to a 'shackle'. The type of bondage depends on the type of mind, for example, gremlins can only be tied to electrical devices and water elementals to sinks or pools of water. As a rule, only one ghost can be tied to each fetter, only fetters that represent areas (inside, outside, passage) can be tied to any number of ghosts. In every haunt there are restless spirits who are tightly bound to one place for various reasons. Until they have been freed, they cannot be bound in other shackles, but most of their abilities can already be used. The liberation of a restless mind can be very simple, for example the destruction of the fetters by another spirit, but it can also be very complicated, for example by creating an access to an inaccessible area and then luring a certain mortal there.
Skills
Both the binding of ghosts and the use of abilities require 'plasma'. This represents the fear of mortals in the haunted realm. At the beginning of a haunt a small amount of plasma is available, additional plasma is obtained by frightening the mortals present. A spirit must be bound in a fetter to use abilities. Binding a ghost and using its ability requires plasma. However, this is not used up; instead, each ability used occupies part of the total plasma. As soon as an ability is deactivated or a ghost is released from its bondage, the occupied plasma becomes free again and can be used for other abilities.
Each skill is assigned a level, with the plasma cost increasing with the skill level. Each mind, depending on its type, can only learn skills up to a maximum level and only one skill at each level. Every mind has a set of fixed abilities. Additional skills can be purchased for Gold Plasma, with the type of spirit determining the skills available.
Most abilities are used for a limited period of time and are then unavailable during the cooldown, but some abilities can be used permanently. Each mind can use at most one permanent and one other ability at the same time. Some skills can be combined with each other to achieve a heightened effect. For example, a combination of rain and storm can create a thunderstorm that leads to lightning strikes.
Ghost development
Spirits that are used repeatedly reach higher levels of experience. They do not become stronger as a result, but can be given increasingly complex commands. This makes it possible to define a relatively complex behavior for each ghost, for example to pursue certain mortals, to only use abilities when several mortals are frightened, or to wait for an event to occur and then use a certain ability. Regardless of the level of a ghost, new ghost skills can be acquired for gold plasma between the haunted.
mortal
Every mortal has three values of fear, insanity, and belief. If he is frightened, the fear value increases, but slowly decreases again over time. If a limit value (very different for each mortal) is reached, the mortal flees the area. Every mortal has a conscious and an unconscious fear, for example of blood or electricity. Skills from these areas are particularly terrifying. These are mostly unknown, but can be revealed by some spirits. How easily a mortal is frightened also depends on his belief in the supernatural. The lower the belief, the less fear supernatural phenomena generate. Belief in the supernatural can also be increased through various skills. Some powerful abilities create not only fear but also madness. When the limit is reached, the mortal just walks around manically.
Some mortals have the ability to find and banish spirits. Both psychically gifted people such as priests , hobby witches and the media are able to do this, as are the 'ghost breakers' equipped with numerous technical aids. If a ghost is banished, it can no longer be used during the haunt, but is available again after the haunt is over.
reception
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The game received mostly good to very good ratings in the PC version ( Metacritic : 81%). The console version, on the other hand, was only rated as mediocre (Metacritic: 59% (Xbox))
The fresh ideas and the unusual combination of game elements, which do not allow a clear classification into classic genres, were widely praised. The humor, including the numerous parodies of popular films and series, is often positively emphasized. The short playing time of the single player mode and the lack of a multiplayer mode are often criticized .
Despite the overall good ratings, the game was not a sales success. A sequel planned by the developers could not be realized after the development studio Sick Puppies of Empire Interactive had been closed.
Trivia
The 'Ghostbreakers' appear in several missions. The uniforms look very similar to those of the ghost hunters in the Ghostbusters films and the names of the ghost breakers Maureen Ramis, Raymond Akroyd [sic] and Lawrence Murray and the receptionist Janine Potts are evidently allusions to the respective actors Ramis , Aykroyd , Murray and Potts in the movies.
Almost all mission names are corruptions of well-known work titles or quotes, such as Seance Fiction ( Science Fiction ), Das Blair Irrlicht Projekt ( Blair Witch Project ), Full Horror Jacket ( Full Metal Jacket ), Calamityville Horror ( Amityville Horror ), Deadfellas ( Goodfellas ), Die Unusual Suspects ( The Usual Suspects) , Poltergack ( Poltergeist ), Phantom of the Operating Room ( The Phantom of the Opera ), Spooky Hollow, ( Sleepy Hollow ), What Haunted the Cuckoo's Nest ( One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest ). The names of numerous mortals in the game are corruptions of characters from films and series such as Obi Wan Shinobi ( Obi-Wan Kenobi ) or Ally McStick ( Ally McBeal ).
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Metacritic to Ghost Master (PC). Retrieved December 12, 2019 .
- ↑ a b Metacritic to Ghost Master (Xbox). Retrieved December 12, 2019 .
- ↑ a b Test of Ghost Master (PC, PS2) with 4Players. Accessed December 12, 2019 (German).
- ↑ Test of Ghost Master (PC) at GameSpot. Retrieved December 12, 2019 .
- ↑ Test of Ghost Master (PC) at Gameswelt. Accessed December 12, 2019 (German).
- ↑ Test of Ghost Master (PC) at PC Games. Accessed December 12, 2019 (German).
- ↑ Test of Ghost Master (PC) at PC Gamer. Archived from the original on March 15, 2006 ; accessed on December 12, 2019 .
- ↑ Test of Ghost Master (PC) at Eurogamer. Retrieved December 12, 2019 .
- ↑ Test of Ghost Master (Xbox) at Eurogamer. Archived from the original on April 3, 2005 ; accessed on December 12, 2019 .
- ↑ Review of Ghost Master at Game Informer. Archived from the original on May 23, 2004 ; accessed on December 12, 2019 .
- ↑ Test of Ghost Master (PC) at IGN. Retrieved December 12, 2019 .
- ↑ Analysis of errors in the development and marketing of Ghost Master by one of the leading developers. Retrieved December 13, 2019 .
- ↑ Empire closes Sick Puppies. Retrieved December 13, 2019 (German).
- ↑ Sick Puppies closed. Retrieved December 13, 2019 (German).