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The Ghostbusters franchise just keeps on giving. And, like a bottomless well of ectoplasm, it seems the world’s appetite for silly supernatural sci-fi is endless. It’s hard to believe we’re only two years from the 40th (40th!!) anniversary of the first Ghostbusters film, and the last decade has seen two more movies jump out of the shadows, with more in the works. When it comes to goofy ghost action-based games, more than 15 have been released to date, with 2009’s Ghostbusters: The Game revered by many as the best so far. That could be about to change, however, with the release of Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed. Intel Gaming Access tracked down Jared Gerritzen, Head of Design and Creative at independent developer and publisher IllFonic, to find out whether he ain’t afraid of no ghost!
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Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed is an asymmetric first-person multiplayer action game, playable online or offline, that lets you play not only as one of four proton pack-wielding Ghostbusters, but as the ghost too. It’s the first game that lets players slip into the sticky, translucent skin of a mischievous spirit, and haunt the heck out of everything from stuffed animals to mop buckets. The riotous gameplay takes place in a string of faithfully re-created environments, with the team of four Ghostbusters up against one troublesome spirit. Can the intrepid Ghostbusters close the rifts that let the slimy sucker regenerate, and trap it before it haunts every inanimate object in sight and scares off the last of the long-suffering bystanders? Blast through wild crescendos of ectoplasmic slime and proton streams to find out.
Toys and Stories
While the gameplay is new, there’s plenty in the game that fans will recognize instantly, such as the Firehouse, and Ray’s Occult Books. These locations act as the game’s hubs for choosing missions, customizing characters, and sharpening up proton-pack skills. The game is of course loaded with all the iconic gear and gadgets you’d expect, from proton packs to PKE meters and ghost traps, but playing as a ghost turns the tables when it comes to powers. “Ghosts have multiple abilities in their arsenal, like possessing objects, and, of course, sliming, that make haunting all the various locations a blast to play,” said Jared. 
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It’s not all slime, traps, and nuclear-accelerated fireworks, however. The team at IllFonic is composed of some serious Ghostbusters aficionados and their love for the universe shines through. “There is a really great story that players unlock as they progress through the game,” said Jared. “We’re really excited for fans and newcomers to the universe to play and unlock the cinematics. Being such huge fans, we really wanted to create something really unique in this story. We hope everyone will enjoy it!”
From the start, the team took cues from the entire Ghostbusters cinematic universe. “The 1984 film is our guiding light, being the movie we grew up with. That being said, our storyline picks up right where Ghostbusters: Afterlife ends,” said Jared. “The game is tangential to the movie canon, meaning that while we follow that timeline, things may or may not live beyond the game in the IP, and some things in-game are different because of how it does or doesn’t make sense in gameplay.” One example of artistic license is placing the Ray’s Occult Books store next door to the Firehouse in the game. 
One of the biggest questions with any Ghostbusters game is whether any of the movie talent is involved. Players of Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed won’t be disappointed. “You’ll hear the original film actors reprising their roles as Ray Stantz and Winston Zeddemore, along with some new friends,” said Jared. “Getting to work with these iconic actors was a dream come true. They were beyond amazing!”
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Self-busters
It’s unusual to see a game based on such a huge franchise developed and published by an independent team, and it was a significant learning curve for IllFonic. “I think one of the biggest challenges was learning how to self-publish,” said Jared. “Our last game, Arcadegeddon, was the first title we self-published, and we learned a ton. This time it’s with a larger, known IP, and simultaneously shipping on multiple platforms worldwide, so there are a lot of stressors, but it means being that much prouder when October 18th hits.”
Part of self-publishing is taking the game on the road, an activity that has come roaring back onto IllFonic’s to-do list now that live events are a thing again. “We began traveling again this year and showing the game off to the media and the public,” said Jared. “We hadn’t done that for almost three years, and last time we had an external publisher to handle all the logistics. This time it was on us, which is why we’re so thankful for all of our partners. Their support really helped ease us back in.”
“Intel has been a great partner for a very long time,” continued Jared. “They came in and supported IllFonic in the very early days. It’s great to have good hardware partners for developing games, and showing them off in public. Having new tech to test things on, the team's feedback, and support for our marketing team is beyond beneficial.”
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The creation of Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed has been entirely driven by the passion of the team at IllFonic. “The game was in the works in our imaginations long before it was being developed,” said Jared. “We really want to make games that we’re fans of, and we want our passion to come through in the work. Many of us are children of the 1980s, and Ghostbusters has always been on a wishlist of IPs to work on. So we planned out what the game would look like if we were making it, what the characters and story would be, and then we pitched it; and here we are a few years later, heading into launch.”
<a href="https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/ghostbusters-spirits-unleashed">Pre-purchase Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed on Epic Games Store</a>

Hunt or Haunt in Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed