Developer: Exact Publisher: THQ Release: 12/02/97 Genre: Action
During the late 90s as anime began to rise in popularity Ghost in the Shell was one of the biggest animated films of 1995 with ridiculous production values and a theatrical release in the US. While it was a box office failure it would go on to do gangbusters on home video. Although it took 2 years a video game loosely based on the property itself would release on the PS1, from THQ no less. This was surprising as licensed video games were falling out of favor for a bit. While anime licensed video games were (and still are) of dubious quality Ghost in the Shell remains one of the best on the system and is highly underrated. Seek this one out, its awesome.
Ghost in the Shell follows Public Security Section 9 as they deal with the Human Liberation Front, a terrorist organization responsible for blowing up the Megatech Body Corporation. As a nameless rookie your job is to assist the various members of Section 9 as they track the leader of the Human Liberation Front and stop their activities around the city. The plot unfolds through numerous anime cutscenes from Production I.G. and also features the full voice cast from the first feature film to boot. It lends an air of authenticity to the game and luckily it lives up to its production values as well.
Ghost in the Shell benefits from its story being written by series creator Masamune Shirow. As such the tone of the story and its cutscenes are more in line with the manga and slightly comedic. This was a bit of a shock for me; I am more familiar with the deadly serious animated movies and TV shows. While it is surprising it is no less enjoyable even if your favorite characters are goofier than you might remember. You also need no prior knowledge of the series to enjoy this game which shows they did a good job making it accessible to newcomers.
As the rookie you pilot a Fuchikoma, mobile think thanks with individual personalities and massive agility. Ghost in the Shell is the work of Exact, the makers of PlayStation launch title Jumping Flash. That lineage is immediately apparent in the controls. Your Fuchikoma can jump from great heights like that game although this is third person. However you can stick to practically any surface and the viewpoint shifts to follow. This was Spider-Man before Neversoft would grace the platform with that title in 2000. The controls are smooth and responsive with my only quibble being the propensity to stick to walls unintentionally. That is minor and usually only happens indoors. Weapons are light as you only have your machine gun, unlimited heat seeking missiles tha charge first and limited grenades. Considering the game’s ease that is probably for the best if a little disappointing.
Each of the game’s twelve missions gives you a specific task and there is a great deal of variety throughout. The first level is a simple hunt of four enemies for their key codes. The following mission is a maze in a sewer, a task made easier with the game’s radar. Stage 4 & 6 are high speed auto-scrolling shooter levels for a change of pace. I like stage 5: here you face the end level boss repeatedly as he uses stealth camouflage to change location after taking major damage. Most levels like mission seven are an open playground you can explore at your leisure. It is here where the ability to scale the entire environment truly comes in to its own. The maps are large for the time with plenty of hidden power-ups to boot.
There are only a few stinkers in the bunch. Stage three is a race to destroy time bombs in three small arenas. The timer is very tight and it becomes obvious quickly if you have screwed up and must start over. Normally replaying a level to plan an optimal route is fun. But I found it frustrating. The last few levels all take place inside the HLF skyscraper. These stages are very similar and take place indoors and heighten the game’s few flaws. However they stick the landing with the finale.
For the most part I found Ghost in the Shell easy. Technically you have a single life. But there are unlimited continues. Most stages are short enough that restarting is a painless process. The game is liberal with its health and grenade power-ups so death is not common. I only encountered a few choke points. The stage two boss battle is in a circular tunnel and it is hard to see its attacks. You will have to replay mission three numerous times as I mentioned before as the clock is aggressive. But outside of that you can easily destroy most bosses and enemies by circle strafing. The easy difficulty cannot hide the fact the game is short overall. Despite twelve missions you will probably finish this in two hours or so. But it is a hell of a time while it lasts.
In Closing
Ghost in the Shell for PlayStation is a unique and nostalgic gem that stands out for its marriage of solid gameplay, an excellent license, and its cyberpunk setting. While its graphics and controls may feel old by today’s standards the game remains entertaining, especially for fans of the series. I had a lot of fun with this one but that comes as no surprise. The reviews at the time were solid and even today fans still sing its praises. There were not many quality anime licensed games for the PS1 in the US and Ghost in the Shell is one of its best.
