4/5 ★ – Imzzzy's review of Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden.

oh how this game held me at its grip for almost 40hours, was not something i had initially expected. thoroughly surprised and wholly happy, banishers gave me an embracing hug full of redemption, forgiveness, love and retribution. your master and lover has died, and as a ghost who equally haunts and assists you in your journey of uncovering a really interesting and captivating narrative. the secrets you come across to the truths that are unveiled, add amazingly to its deep and rich story. whether its in the snowy mountains, murky woods or creepy meadows, the game brings an extra attention of detail to each and every place, giving you a unique and distinct experience as you pace through these areas. graphically gorgeous, although there were jitters here and there unfortunately, not sure if it was due to the game trying to do too much, or pushing PS5 to the max, luckily it was never in any cutscenes or when it mattered. i loved hearing certain effects they conjured up, banishing a ghost to smashing enemies to pulp with your ghost never got old. the side missions weren't too great sadly, however the optional cases were superb, not every one was as good as each other, but confronting personal stories of different people with different backgrounds and encounters, was such a breath of fresh air. digging up various peoples skeletons shoved in closets, to then forcing them to face their truths, was something i never got bored of. the morally ambiguous decisions you had to make on whether to blame one or another, makes you think, and isn't something senseless. this was easily the best part of the game! plenty of little puzzles to scour through to keep you busy, however they definitely put one too many activities inside it. exhaustion was something i felt, but perserved through a couple of times in the game. the combat wasn't too deep, but it was just about enough to keep it fresh, as you could swap between you and your master, and the tree further expands as you go through the game. the abilities were cool, and the boss fights, satisfying. at the end of the day though, this wasn't the objective, so i wasn't too fussed about it. what i loved a ton about this, is that the choices you made, even in the side missions, had an impact on dialogue you'd hear from certain people, or how you run into other people, even a couple of treasure chests changed locations! and finally the very ending would change based on how you played the game. asked twice to make an oath, as you battle with the push and pull of love, the ending can either be peaceful or shattering. it could be what you had wanted, but not what you necessarily need, and that constant tug is a rollercoaster. all in all a wonderful little game, that definitely deserves more players, for a peek into its expedition of unwavering, painful love. - 4/5.