“On the desolate moon of Lorian, a long-dormant Deadsuit awakens from slumber — armed and combat-ready, memory clear of purpose,” says the imposing and genuinely intriguing blurb for the game. “But something new is stirring.” The game tasks you with striking out beneath the surface in search of answers. Whether you’re edging carefully through winding caverns lit only by bioluminescent flora or going toe-to-toe with strange and powerful creatures, Ghost Song hits on all the stuff that made Dead Cells, Hollow Knight, and Carrion such Game Pass hits. As you’d expect in a game from this genre, you need to acquire new abilities as you explore that will help you unearth the long-buried secrets of this unsettling alien world. “Descend deep into the darkness — only then will you learn (or is it remember?) the truth,” concludes the press release. Menacing. Our colleagues over at RPS note that the game is “a moody Metroidvania with enough Hollow Knight DNA to tide you over until Silksong” – great news! – but sadly “it never quite sings in the way you’d hope”. Sounds a bit like Islets, then. “It maybe lacks a little bit of originality to help it stand out from its contemporaries in a rather crowded market,” adds ScreenRant, “but the game does provide a very enjoyable experience.” GameGrin is slightly more complimentary with a full 10/10 rating, saying: “Ghost Song is the perfect mix of Metroid and Hollow Knight, creating a gorgeous-looking game full of exploration, a great story, and a creepy atmosphere.” TechRaptor notes that whilst the game has some gorgeous graphics and feels good in your hands, it does lack technical refinement – a critism I’ve seen echoed in a few other reviews, too. So, though it has some petty complaints, the critical consensus on Ghost Song thus far is, simply, that it is good. It’s siting pretty at 84 on OpenCritic, and even higher on 88 (for PC) on MetaCritic – that’s higher than Scorn, TemTem, Vampire Survivors, and Immortality, for what it’s worth. If you’re a Game Pass subscriber, you’ve got nothing to lose in checking this one out – at the very least, it’s another cool game to play as we wait, ever so patiently, to hear about what the hell Team Cherry is doing with Hollow Knight: Silksong. The game is also available on PlayStation consoles and PC.
