Ghost Song review: a melancholy Metroidvania with a hint of Hollow Knight
Ghost Song is a 2D Metroid-like that's always a feast for the eyes, but a frequent frustration for your head and hands. Its gorgeous art direction depicts a vibrant alien world that bubbles and throbs with bio-mechanical life, where spore clouds and fleshy organic tunnels live side by side with floating metal skulls and impenetrable thickets of wires and cables. It's a fascinating place that seems to morph and change with every passing map segment, calling to mind the animated techno gunge of Akira and Metropolis one minute, and the flowering brilliance of Alex Garland's Annihilation the next. Its roots sink deep, creating a world you'll want to explore every last nook and cranny of as you delve deeper into its underbelly to find out why you're here.
But Deadsuit, your android-like protagonist, makes for a slightly rusty-feeling companion at times, lacking the grace and elegance of Nintendo's Samus Aran, and the nimble dexterity of Team Cherry's nameless knight. It will tide you over until Silksong arrives, for sure, but it also never quite sings in the way you'd hope.