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Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord

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Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord
Developer(s)nDreams
Publisher(s)Sony Pictures Virtual Reality
SeriesGhostbusters
Platform(s)
ReleaseOctober 26, 2023
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord is a 2023 virtual reality video game based on the Ghostbusters franchise developed by nDreams and published by Sony Pictures Virtual Reality for the Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest Pro and the PlayStation VR2.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

Synopsis

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The game is set in San Francisco and features locations from the city such as the Golden Gate Bridge.[9][10] The game follows a new team of Ghostbusters who work together to stop the Ghost Lord and his minions.[4][5][6] A story trailer released in May 2023 revealed that the game's story would have story elements related to the 1984 Ghostbusters film involving Gustav Hookfaber, who was an understudy for the Ghostbusters at Columbia University.[7][11]

Plot

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In modern-day San Francisco, Gabriela, head of the city’s dormant Ghostbusters chapter, detects a sudden psychokinetic (PKE) spike at the mansion of renowned inventor and philanthropist Gustav Hookfaber. With no local agents available, Gabriela contacts Big T, host of the conspiracy radio show *Strange Times Radio*, to find a volunteer. A follower responds and is sent to retrieve ghostbusting equipment left behind by a previous group who fled the mansion.

The player, acting as the new recruit, explores the mansion and finds a PKE meter that leads them to the basement, where a power outage occurs. They discover a ghost trap and capture San Francisco’s first ghost sighting in decades. Deeper exploration reveals Hookfaber’s corpse and a hidden lab containing a ghost-harvesting machine. Gabriela suspects this explains the city’s long absence of ghost activity. The machine malfunctions, releasing several ghosts and unleashing the Ghost Lord—a towering skeletal spirit with a particle staff. Another ghost, resembling a young girl wielding a proton wand, intervenes briefly before being defeated. The Ghost Lord escapes, damaging the proton wand.

Returning to Ghostbusters HQ, the player repairs the equipment as news breaks of paranormal incidents and ground fissures across the city. Gabriela and Big T assign the player to investigate Hookfaber’s factory, where they uncover his secret energy source: tortured ghosts processed for ectoplasmic energy. After neutralizing spectral threats, the player returns to HQ to find a new team of volunteer Ghostbusters forming.

As missions progress, Gabriela and Big T study footage from the mansion and uncover a prophecy called *The March of the Malevolent*, foretelling a Ghost Lord who would turn San Francisco into the first undead city. They determine that Hookfaber, aware of the prophecy, was ultimately consumed by it—his spirit becoming the Ghost Lord after his death inside the harvester.

Municipal officer Ronald Petnik repeatedly confronts the team, angry at the Ghostbusters for damaging landmarks and tarnishing Hookfaber’s legacy. Gabriela suspects a pattern of hidden suffering at Hookfaber’s restored sites. She also theorizes that the girl ghost may be Katie, a missing intern who admired Hookfaber. Through hallucinations, the player learns Katie had spiritual abilities exploited by Hookfaber. When he began experimenting on the living, Katie tried to escape, killing herself and Hookfaber in the process—both becoming trapped within the harvester.

Believing that the Ghost Lord’s summoning staff could be repurposed to stop him, Gabriela sends the team to recover a prototype hidden in the mansion. They retrieve it and attempt to use it against the Ghost Lord, who returns and reveals that leading them to the staff was his plan all along. The staff only makes him grow stronger, and he invites the Ghostbusters to witness the *March of the Malevolent*.

The final battle takes place on the Golden Gate Bridge, where the Ghost Lord towers over the city. Gabriela arrives with the staff. Petnik appears to shut down the Ghostbusters but is thrown into the bay by the Ghost Lord. Gabriela recalibrates the staff, damaging the Ghost Lord’s helmet and exposing his eyes. The Ghostbusters weaken him further before crossing their proton streams to destroy him.

Afterward, Gabriela officially inducts the players as Ghostbusters. Petnik, having survived, apologizes for his interference. Ray Stantz calls to commend the team and warns of a coming “super surge.” The player remains stationed at the San Francisco office, tasked with containing the ongoing paranormal fallout.

Gameplay

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Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord is an action-adventure single-player and multiplayer virtual reality video game.[4][6] The game can be played with up to four players and includes many familiar elements from the Ghostbusters franchise including, PKE meters, proton packs, and Mini-Pufts, as seen in Ghostbusters: Afterlife.[12][13] Players will also be able to upgrade their equipment and customize their character's outfit.[9][14][15]

References

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  1. ^ Wilson, Mike (April 20, 2022). "'Ghostbusters VR' Will Have You Busting Ghosts on Your Meta Quest 2 [Trailer]". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  2. ^ Game Informer Editorial (June 15, 2022). "2023 Video Game Release Schedule". Game Informer. Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  3. ^ Lyles, Taylor (October 31, 2022). "Ghostbusters VR Gets Official Title, and Release Window". IGN. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c Wilson, Mike (November 1, 2022). "'Ghostbusters' VR Game Titled 'Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord', Arriving in 2023". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Whitfield, Joseph (November 1, 2022). "Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord VR Game Coming to Quest 2, PlayStation VR2 Next Year". Game Rant. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c Wilson, Mike (December 8, 2022). "[TGA 2022] 'Ghostbusters: Rise of The Ghost Lord' Gets New Trailer [Watch]". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  7. ^ a b IGN (June 1, 2023). "Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord - Official Story Trailer Meta Quest Gaming Showcase 2023". IGN. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  8. ^ Wilson, Mike (June 2, 2023). "New Story Trailer for 'Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord' Details New Villain, New Ghostbusters HQ [Video]". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Makuch, Eddie (October 31, 2022). "Ghostbusters: Rise Of The Ghost Lord Announced For PlayStation VR2 And Meta Quest 2". GameSpot. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  10. ^ nDreams (June 1, 2023). "Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord Story Trailer". nDreams. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  11. ^ Yonezawa, Bruno (June 1, 2023). "When Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord Is Set On Ghostbusters' Timeline". Screen Rant. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  12. ^ Leri, Michael (December 8, 2022). "Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord Trailer Debuts Gameplay". ComingSoon. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  13. ^ Bonthuys, Darryn (December 8, 2022). "Ghostbusters: Rise Of The Ghost Lord Gets Its First Gameplay Trailer At The Game Awards". GameSpot. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  14. ^ Carson, John (April 20, 2022). "Ghostbusters VR Is Bringing Something Strange To Your Virtual Neighborhood". Game Informer. Archived from the original on April 20, 2022. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  15. ^ Leri, Michael (October 31, 2022). "Ghostbusters VR Game Gets Official Title & Release Window". ComingSoon. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
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