Ghostlore

Ghostlore is an action RPG by Singaporean AT-AT Games, consisting of two unrelated creators sharing a last name - Andrew and Adam Teo. The game is heavily inspired by iconic hack'n'slashes such as Diablo II and Titan Quest, as well as by Southeast Asian folklore.

Plot

Although Ghostlore mostly emphasizes gameplay, it also offers a story campaign. The game begins with creating our character in a simple creator. Afterwards we must find out master - a ghost hunter, who defended Seaport Islands from the mogui (hostile spirits) for years, now having been kidnapped by them.

The search is short and fruitful, as we find him in the first story mission. After taking him back to our base, the old man asks us to take on his position, defend Seaport from ghosts and train future hunters. On our quest we'll be helped by one of his apprentices - Nadir - and the guiding compass which shows us objectives on the minimap and lets us instantly return to base after completing a quest.

Mechanics

Combat in Ghostlore is reminiscent of other action RPGs. Wielding kris, parang and kukri blades, spears and bows, the player faces hordes of enemies on procedurally generated isometric maps. To come out on top we must avoid enemy attacks, dispatch groups and defeat mighty bosses.

To increase our chances we can use magical talismans, amulets and awaken spirits enchanted in certain objects. When woken up, they task us with a quest related to their lives, such as exacting revenge. Fulfilling their request makes the spirit enhance part of our gear with new properties.

Ghostlore stands out among other action RPGs with its character progression system. From the very beginning of the game we collect glyphs that affect our stats - increase damage, health regeneration, attack speed, etc.

Curiously though, the game doesn't have a skill tree - we create one ourselves by using these glyphs. It's done through a grid, expanded by leveling up. Weaker glyphs occupy one space, while stronger ones up to five - with four slots being empty, letting us insert smaller glyphs into them to enhance their properties.

That's not all though - Ghostlore also lets us combine character classes (somewhat reminiscent of the system from Grim Dawn). Upon reaching a specific level we can choose one of six classes - Adept, Exorcist, Feral (a blood mage able to transform into a weretiger), Geomancer (a master of elements), Hashashin (an assassin) or Sentinel (able to talk to animals). On higher levels we'll face this choice two more times. This lets us mix-and-match abilities from three different classes. Their effects can then be modified and chained into deadly combinations.

Game modes

Apart from its story campaign, Ghostlore features several other modes as well. A single player can either complete randomly generated missions - with an additional option letting them change maps - and try the Hell Gate Island's Endless Mode.

There are also two asynchronous multiplayer modes available. The first one lets you share an item with another player to receive part of their loot in return. The second lets you play as a ghost, joining a friend's game (similar to how it works in Elden Ring or Dark Souls).

Ghostlore also supports local co-op for up to four people.

Trivia

As mentioned above, Ghostlore is heavily inspired by Southeast Asian folklore. The player will encounter over forty monsters known from their mythos. These include Jiangshi (Chinese hopping zombies), Rakshasa (shapeshifters), Pontianak (female ghosts living on banana trees) and Penanggal (creatures from Malaysian mythos, consisting of a disembodied head and hanging innards). Curiously, the ways to defeat them were also borrowed from regional culture.

The in-game cookable meals, which the player can consume before battle to increase their stats, are also delicacies well known in Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.

Technical aspects

Ghostlore features charming, pixelart visuals reminiscent of the 1990s. The animations and visual effects were made with the use of modern technology, making them much prettier than the ones from the past.

Last updated on 01 June 2023