Ghost Blade HD

 Xbox One
Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 8
  3. Negative: 1 out of 8
  1. TrueAchievements
    Mar 6, 2017
    70
    Ghost Blade HD is exactly what it appears to be: a bullet hell shmup emulating the pinnacle of the genre in the mid-nineties. It's visually chaotic and over before you know it, but this is to be expected from an homage to a much loved niche. Some display customisation options, 2-player local co-op and a slightly easier Easy mode give the more casual gamer a chance to at least see out the game's short campaign, but ultimately Ghost Blade knows and delivers to its core audience: arcade addicts looking for a hit of nostalgia.
  2. ZTGD
    Mar 9, 2017
    65
    Ghost Blade HD is a niche game for a specific crowd. Most people know long before booting it up if it is their thing. There is really nothing special about this game, but what it does, it does well. Fans of the genre have yet another hidden gem to check out.

User Reviews

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User Score
6.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 7 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 7
  3. Negative: 2 out of 7
  1. JohnnyK98
    Mar 1, 2017
    8
    Good to see another shmup game arrive on Xbox One. There's only two at the moment, the other being Raiden V (as far as I'm concerned). PrettyGood to see another shmup game arrive on Xbox One. There's only two at the moment, the other being Raiden V (as far as I'm concerned). Pretty strange considering the Xbox 360 had a plethora shmup games to choose from, including region-free games from Japan. It was the console of choice for this niche genre.

    Ghost Blade HD is a very simple bullet-hell shooter. There's two firing modes: Spread shot, and forced shot. Forced shot being the most powerful, but slows down your ship - and it also collect most points (nothing new here). There's 3 ship types available, all are fun to use - each with its own unique shot type. The scoring mechanic is equally as simple, kill your enemies quickly. The more consecutive enemies you kill the higher your score. Each of the 5 stages are fun to play, with great enemy/bullet patterns and detailed environments. I especially love the enemy design and the animations - they're absolutely top notch. Ghost Blade HD is a good looking game. The music is also catchy and hyper-energetic. There's the typical options you'd find in any good shmup game, like alternate music, graphics settings, monitor type (yes, you can flip your monitor 90 degrees), etc. And of course, LEADERBOARDS. The game runs smooth at 60fps, but when things get hectic the game slows down but it's intentional. I've seen some reviewers that are new to the genre count this as a negative, but it's a core mechanic of most bullet-hell type games (imagine playing Mushi Futari with no slow down!)

    If you're new to the genre, it's a good place to start, and for shmup veterans they'd be interested in the hard mode and 1cc'ing the game. Ghost Blade HD also fixes a lot of the problems the Dreamcast version had, making it the definitive edition. For $9.99 this game's a steal.    … Full Review »
  2. Siddhartha19
    Mar 30, 2017
    7
    Suddenly the Xbox one has a nice library of shmups! (Especially if you count backwards compatible games like Guwange, Strania, Ikaruga,Suddenly the Xbox one has a nice library of shmups! (Especially if you count backwards compatible games like Guwange, Strania, Ikaruga, Triggerheart Exelica, R-Type Dimensions and Omega five) This is a very solid game, from the graphics to the music its all solid, like most people I do feel its a bit short (even for shmup standards) but like most shmups it still has excellent replay value, especially for those of us that aren't the best at these games. Its just a tad easier than most cave games.… Full Review »
  3. whynogoodgames
    Mar 14, 2017
    8
    Great game for the $9.99 I paid for it they don't make a lot of games like this anymore if I was going to complain about anything it would beGreat game for the $9.99 I paid for it they don't make a lot of games like this anymore if I was going to complain about anything it would be the length it could use a extra level or so still a must for fans of shmups.… Full Review »
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