Unreal 4, Unreal 5" No, no, back to the old Unreal: Facing Worlds (opens in new tab), unbeatable soundtrack, "Yes, this is a screenshot (opens in new tab)". The upcoming FPS "Ghostware" (opens in a new tab) is a reinterpretation and reinvigoration of old classics, a trend of the indie-boomer-shooter renaissance, for Epic's (Megagames) original hit, utilizing the atmosphere and visuals of the classic arena shooter to sneakily present a story-driven single player game.

Waking up in a place in the game's fiction that is a conscious recreation of a 90s shooter. The "wizard," a game master with the charming demeanor of a Simpsons comic book guy, wants to trap your consciousness in this digital world and fight your amnesiac, quirky, cartoon-style fellow prisoners forever.

This setup reminds me of "Neon White," and like "Neon White," the dialogue is a bit, well, goofy. As an ideological sardauker warrior who would take up arms at any time to defend the goofy dialogue of "Neon White" (opens in new tab), it doesn't matter to me.

And I feel that the shooters supporting it are great. There was always something about arena shooters that encouraged me to load up with a bunch of bots and go to town, but adding a story and campaign structure really makes it pop Ghostware emulates the flow of arena shooter gameplay beautifully The opponents all do a good job of representing the nasty and slippery nature of the AI opponents in these games.

Ghostware also manages to blend genres and go off the rails in interesting ways. In between levels, you can chat with fellow players in the hub area, check out collectible lore items, and revisit empty maps in search of secrets. This last feature reminds me of the PS1 Haunted game "No Players Online" (opens in a new tab), similarly expressing the eerie loneliness of being on an empty multiplayer server. A glitchy poltergeist, like the Slender Man, slowly pursues you as you search for the secrets of the Boomer Shooter level.

Similarly, a more puzzle-like/exploratory level is inserted toward the end of the demo and is presented as glitched "unfinished content." The eerie atmosphere is wonderful, and the demo climaxes with a fun boss fight that is a more lighthearted version of Ultrakill's V2 (opens in a new tab).

Ghostware also has a Y2K feel to its menus and UI. The bulk of the interface has a translucent, chunky Aero vibe like the UI elements of Deus Ex, and the main menu is a cheeky mockup of a Windows 98-style desktop Ghostware will be available in Early Access on April 12 and is currently available on check out the wishlist and demo on Steam (opens in a new tab).