Don't let the generic title fool you. Honestly, when Don't Nod first announced Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, a lot of people just shrugged it off as another "God of War" clone with a spooky coat of paint. Big mistake. Huge. If you’ve ever sat through the end credits of a game and felt that weird, hollow ache in your chest because you’re not ready to leave that world yet, you'll get what I'm talking about here. This isn't just about swinging a sword at translucent blue figures; it’s a grueling, 40-hour deep dive into what we owe the people we love after they’re gone.
It’s 1695. North America. The air is thick with superstition, hunger, and a very real, very physical curse.
You play as Red mac Raith and Antea Duarte. They’re Banishers—basically frontier ghost hunters with a heavy dose of occult training. They’re also deeply in love. The hook? Antea dies in the first hour. She becomes the very thing she spent her life hunting: a ghost. Now, you’re playing as both of them simultaneously. Red handles the physical world with his steel and fire; Antea rips through the "Void" with supernatural bursts of energy. It’s a dual-protagonist system that actually feels essential, not just like a gimmick to make the combat look flashy.
The Moral Weight of the Haunting Cases
Most RPGs give you a "good" or "evil" choice that feels like choosing between being a saint or a cartoon villain. Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden tosses that out the window. Every "Haunting Case" you investigate ends with a judgment. You find a settler being haunted by a dead spouse or a vengeful friend. You dig through the dirt, find the "tethers" (objects the ghost is attached to), and then you have to decide.
Do you blame the living person? If you do, Red kills them to harvest their soul essence. Why would you do that? Because it’s the only way to bring Antea back to life.
If you want to stay "virtuous," you ascend or banish the ghost. But doing that means Antea stays dead. She fades away forever. Every single side quest isn't just world-building; it’s a direct contribution to whether your wife lives or dies. It makes you feel like a hypocrite. You’ll find yourself judging a settler for a petty theft, then realizing you're literally planning to murder a dozen innocent people just to see Antea’s smile again. It's dark. It's messy. It's exactly what more games should be doing.
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Why the Combat Hits Different
People compare this to the modern God of War series. I get it. The over-the-shoulder camera, the heavy impact of the hits—it's there. But the flow is totally unique. You’re constantly hot-swapping. You might parry an attack as Red, then instantly switch to Antea to deliver a spectral punch that shatters an enemy’s armor.
Red has a rifle. It’s slow. It’s clunky. It feels like a 17th-century weapon should. You can't just spray and pray. You have to time your reloads, find the opening, and make the shot count. Meanwhile, Antea can see things Red can't. She reveals hidden paths and invisible enemies. You aren't just playing two characters; you're playing a partnership.
The skill tree—called "Evolution"—is actually interesting. Instead of just "5% more damage," you get nodes that change how the characters interact. Maybe switching to Antea right after a parry triggers an explosion. Maybe Red’s rifle shots heal Antea’s spirit gauge. It encourages you to find a rhythm. It’s rhythmic. It’s violent. It’s surprisingly tactical for a game that looks like a standard action-adventure.
The Atmosphere of New Eden
New Eden is miserable. I mean that as a compliment.
The forests are oppressive. The fog feels like it’s trying to swallow you. The sound design is what really does the heavy lifting. You’ll hear whispers in the wind that aren't just background noise—they’re often clues to the lore or hints that a ghost is nearby. Don't Nod, the developers behind Life is Strange, brought that same knack for environmental storytelling here. You find notes, sure, but you also find "echoes." These are little frozen moments in time where you see the ghosts of the past playing out their final, tragic moments.
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It’s not an open world in the Ubisoft sense. It’s more of a "wide-linear" path. You have large zones to explore, but you’re always being funneled toward the next emotional beat. This keeps the pacing tight. You don't get lost doing 500 fetch quests. Everything you do feels like it matters to the core plot.
Technical Performance and What to Expect
Let's talk specs for a second because nothing kills immersion like a frame rate that chugs. On PS5 and Xbox Series X, you’ve got the standard Performance and Quality modes. Performance is the way to go. The 60fps makes the combat swap feel way more fluid.
On PC, the game is surprisingly well-optimized. I’ve seen it running smoothly on mid-range rigs that usually struggle with Unreal Engine 5 titles. The lighting is the standout feature. The way the moonlight filters through the trees in the Mire or how the glow from Antea’s spectral form illuminates a dark cave is just... chef's kiss.
- Platform: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
- Developer: Don't Nod
- Engine: Unreal Engine 5
- Playtime: 25-30 hours for the story, 50+ for completionists
The Complexity of the Banisher Creed
The lore here is deep. You aren't just "ghost hunters." There's a whole philosophy behind what it means to be a Banisher. You learn about the "Second Death." You learn about why ghosts linger—it’s rarely because they’re "evil." It’s usually because of unresolved trauma, grief, or anger.
This gives the game a psychological edge. You’re basically a supernatural therapist with a sword. You spend half your time talking to people, trying to figure out who is lying. And everyone is lying. Everyone in New Eden is running from something. The script is sharp, avoids most of the "ye olde English" clichés, and feels grounded.
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The voice acting? It's incredible. Ben Rowland (Red) and Amaka Okafor (Antea) have genuine chemistry. You can hear the exhaustion in their voices. You can hear the desperation. When they argue—and they do argue—it feels like a real couple facing an impossible situation.
Is It Worth Your Time?
Honestly, yeah.
We live in an era of $70 games that feel like they were designed by a committee to maximize "player engagement metrics." Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden feels like a passion project. It has flaws. Some of the traversal can feel a bit sluggish, and the enemy variety in the mid-game dips a little. But the heart of the game is so strong that you just don't care.
It’s a game about the cost of love. It’s about whether you have the strength to let go or if you’re selfish enough to burn the world down just to stay together. It’s a rare "AA" game that punches way above its weight class.
If you like games like The Witcher 3 for the stories or God of War for the combat, you’re doing yourself a disservice by skipping this. It’s one of those gems that might have been buried under bigger releases, but it’s going to be a cult classic in five years. Mark my words.
Actionable Steps for New Players
If you're jumping in, keep these points in mind to get the most out of the experience:
- Commit to a path early. Decide if you’re going to try and resurrect Antea or let her ascend. Mixing and matching judgments makes it much harder to reach the specific ending you want.
- Don't ignore the Void Breaches. These are optional combat challenges that reward you with permanent stat boosts. They’re tough, but they make the late-game bosses much more manageable.
- Talk to everyone twice. NPCs often have updated dialogue after you finish a major story beat in their area. This is where the best world-building is hidden.
- Focus on "Outfits" early. Different gear sets completely change your playstyle. Some favor Red’s melee, while others make Antea a powerhouse. Find what fits your flow and upgrade it at campfires.
- Listen to the ghosts. Sometimes their idle dialogue during an investigation gives you a hint about which choice is the "right" one—though "right" is a very subjective term in New Eden.
The game is a haunting journey that stays with you. It’s about the ghosts we carry, not just the ones we fight. Go play it. Get the tissues ready. You'll need them.