Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime Review

In 2009 Ghostbusters fans received a real treat – an all-new Ghostbusters video game that included voice work from the original film cast plus other hands-on involvement during the games’ development period. Two years later, Behaviour Interactive is working with ATARI to bring us Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime.  Does bustin’ make you feel good, or should this title get locked in the containment unit for all eternity?

[nggtags gallery=GhostbustersSanctumOfSlime]

HERE’S WHAT’S GREAT ABOUT IT…

4 PLAYER COOPERATIVE

The most notable point surrounding Sanctum of Slime is its four player co-op mode which can be played both online and offline. However, unlike most co-operative games presently being developed, Ghostbusters does not support drop-in/drop-out play, therefore if I player needs to leave mid-level, you need another player to take the controller or you’ll have to restart the level.  Co-op seems to run smoothly depending on the connection of players involved, but I did experience a few disconnection issues while trying to get into a game.

AND THE NOT SO GREAT…

LAZY LEVEL DESIGN

If you’ve played the demo or for some reason bought the full game then you have had a taste of the general design that follows suit through the entire game. You start in a room and you will notice you move in a circular pattern and after busting all the enemies in each room you’ll find yourself in the initial room where you began, and a new door opens to do another circular trip around the level. The design just isn’t interesting in the slightest and when partnered with sub-par graphics it doesn’t make for an entertaining experience.

REPETITIVE, FRUSTRATING GAMEPLAY

If you’re expecting anything similar to the 2009 Ghostbusters game, be warned, it’s completely different. Sanctum of Slime plays in a top-down isometric view and the game itself is a twin-stick shooter. Sure, it sounds like a cool concept but it gets old… quickly. You get three functional weapons from your proton pack and the color of each weapon relates the color of your enemies. Weapon effectiveness is immensely increased when the color of the weapon matches the enemy you’re attempting to kill. The majority of the game follows a simple formula: Enter a room, get locked in, defeat all ghosts, repeat. You actually kill the ghosts, rather than trapping them… wait, what?! Some enemies move in fast unpredictable patterns making it easy to get knocked down and this can generate a lot of frustration later in the game. Each level will feature a boss that basically is just one large enemy with a larger than normal health bar. Deplete the health bar using your proton pack, and hit R2 to automatically trap the ghost when the blatant notified appears on your screen. It’s a very anti-climatic experience, and was done much better in the 2009 retail game.

[nggtags gallery=GhostbustersSanctumOfSlime1]

IT’S A FORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE

Sanctum of Slime offers twelve levels of ghost bustin’ to “enjoy” but frankly after the third or fourth level you’ll be wishing it were over. Aside from the popular Ghostbusters main theme playing on the main menu, the soundtrack is very limited and forgettable, and there’s not a shred of voice acting in the game. The story is told through a comic-strip format, but lacking the original Ghostbusters team  just doesn’t grab my interested. I’m a slight Ghostbusters ‘fanboy’ though, so this may appeal to others looking for this sort of experience. The visuals as mentioned above are extremely sub-par and you won’t find any eye candy to write home about. Basically, if you’re buying this game then it will be for the gamescore boost, rather than a form of entertainment.

LET’S WRAP IT UP

Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime is one of those games that I severely urge you to play a demo for before you purchase it. The graphics aren’t going to be eye-catching whatsoever, and the musical tracks become repetitive somewhat fast. The gameplay is decent for a few minutes but it quickly comes to feel stale lacks any sort of fun factor. If you play the 4 player co-op it could grasp your attention long enough to get 200GS or all the PSN trophies, but I doubt you or your friends would care to go back to it a second time. If you’re limited on cash, save it for something else because Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime is headed to the containment unit.