Ghostrunner review – a ninja-lover's dream

PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC; One More Level/All in! Games/505 Games
Frenetic action and precise manoeuvring add to this cyberpunk game in which success wobbles on a blade edge

When one cyberpunk game from a Polish developer is delayed, another surfaces. Ghostrunner, from developer One More Level, puts you in the jika-tabi boots of a sword-wielding cyber-ninja as you dash, slide, slash and wall-run your way to realising your 90s ninja fantasies. It's a game all about speed and momentum: every jump and sword slash builds to a crescendo as you dispatch enemies in Blade Runner-esque environments.

Both you and your enemies die in one hit, so success wobbles on a blade edge. Stand still and you'll be dead before you can blink, but clearing each area requires forward planning as much as fast reflexes. Death is frequent in Ghostrunner, but fair checkpointing and swift load times ensure you'll quickly be back in action. The story is cyberpunk hokum involving an amnesiac hero assisted by a questionable AI, leading a revolution against enhanced soldiers - thankfully, you're thrown straight into the action without an overwrought story scene.