I’ve long felt like Don’t Nod is the video game studio equivalent of M. Night Shyamalan. The highs–like Life is Strange 2 or Vampyr–are really interesting, and the lows–like Twin Mirror or Remember Me–are usually at least weird, even if they’re ultimately not so good. With the studio’s next game, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, coming out in just a few weeks, I’ve been hoping to find out more about this new IP. What would Don’t Nod do this time, and how might it come together? As it turns out, Banishers isn’t as weird as some of the team’s other games, at least not at first glance. With time, my hope is this ghost story can stand out from the shadow of its blatant inspirator.
I got to play about two hours of Banishers recently, and after an introduction that begins in a small New England village, the game’s focus quickly came together: Banishers is Don’t Nod’s take on an action-adventure game in the mold of 2018’s God of War. This becomes evident in how you move through the world with an ally, collect ample crafting elements, upgrade your gear and weapons, solve environmental puzzles to get past obstacles, and routinely slice apart fantastical monsters with colorful combos, both figuratively and literally–even God of War’s favored use of bright orange is repeated.
When it occurred to me that Banishers is Don’t Nod playing it safer than it has with games like Remember Me or Twin Mirror, I was a bit let down. I thought I was getting something weird and novel, not a familiar action romp where I fling bladed weapons around to dispatch vile creatures while my NPC ally jumps in to aid me in battle. But by the time the demo was over, I started to notice and appreciate Banishers for the things it does do differently.