Walking Simulator is the kind of game that must be a bit more than games, and that is a trip through the corridor levels with a contemplation of the landscape. Ghost in the Shore attempts to draw the player in through a mysterious story that includes ghosts and hidden secrets. If the game can draw the player in, We will find out in our review.
- producer: like Charlie
- Publisher: Application Systems Heidelberg
- Please note: February 24, 2022
The main character in Ghost at the Shore is a girl named Riley on a cruise. A threatening storm forces her to seek out some shoreline of Bestia Islands, at which Riley’s unnoticed travel companion transforms into Josh’s ghost. Josh has retreated in her mind.
The islands that once breathed have since been deserted, with only lopsided homes and abandoned buildings to remind us of the existence of human beings. The islands hold many mysteries and the enigmatic history of Josh, who has forgotten his identity and what he was doing. Riley embarks on a quest to uncover the truth and discover more about the residents of the Bestia.
The two elements of this Ghost on the Shore scenario are positive. One aspect is that there is “chemistry” between the two main protagonists. They’re constantly communicating with each other, reacting in a way to the incidents surrounding them, and developing a bond of affection. I’m not saying that Riley and Josh were complex and multi-dimensional characters, but one can’t be called boring. The dialog system allows the participant a lot of ability to shape the girl’s persona: she could become soft, or on the opposite, adamant and squabble with the ghost, or even agree with him.
One of the best aspects of the game is its graphics. Although it is budget-friendly, it provides a relaxing and light atmosphere that evokes the feeling of a lost world. The places are full of exciting details. The architecture is stunning, and the scenery is beautiful. Many times throughout the trip, I was tempted to stop and take in the beauty of the landscape. Riley shares the same wish that many of the locations in Bestia are documented in her diary.
Unfortunately, this is where the game’s positives come to a stop. Ghost at the Shore is extremely slow, and running isn’t much help, apart from the leisurely walking, the game’s incredibly drawn-out audio diary, dialogue, or even the reading of letters. It’s preceded by dialogue between characters, following which the game lets players skip directly to the text. As a result, the game can be tedious, as I was forced to think of numerous attempts to reach the end. Despite the brief duration, the game was too difficult to move along the plot at a snail’s pace.
Although the other storylines are interesting, the characters are difficult to follow. The evidence they leave behind is scattered across the board and belongs to various periods. When you’re distracted, they can be confused by the interconnectedness of their stories. Diaries can be kept in places that are difficult to access, meaning that parts of the story may disappear from the narrative. The conditions to obtain the outcome, and there are many in this case, aren’t clear, which means that replaying the game might result in the same outcome as the first time.
