GHOULS just wanna have fun – and Polterguys: Possession Party offers it up in bundles of colourful craziness for the whole family.
It’s SO refreshing to have a video game that offers up a shot of mindless entertainment for an hour or so – a break away from the intensity and involvement most games now require.
5
Polterguys is a delightfully manic multiplayer which sees you whizz around 10 cleverly created courses with one simple goal – to be the last ghost standing (or floating I guess).
It’s all about the thrill (or shrill, in my case) of the chase. It’s a zany zoom-fest – as if Mario Kart and Micro Machines spawned a supernatural offspring.
The concept is pretty straight forward. You have to sabotage, sneak and race your way through the vivid maps in a bid to escape the deadly grasp of a pursuing giant monster.
5
Grab power-ups, hide or hop into portals to avoid detection and cause chaos for your opponents – it’s haunting hijinks at its best.
But this is a possession game – like a Pep Guardiola team on steroids. There is an abundance of items for your little spirit to inhabit dotted around the courses.
They are kooky and spooky, each with their own special ability to be used to be victorious. Possess a pizza box, which shoots out melted cheese or float to victory by taking charge of a fan.
It’s yet another layer of fun that makes this game stand out from the rest.
5
You can play solo, which involves pitting yourself against bots. They do a good job to challenge you but it does feel a little too easy as you can’t adjust the difficulty.
But Polterguys is at its bonkers best when you play with mates. Up to eight of you can scurry around maps in multiplayer as you hurl abuse at each other after setting booby traps that see you fall prey to the blobby black monster.
The four-player split-screen couch mode is also brilliant and worth the odd hour or two if you fancy a party game with a difference.
5
There are lovely little additions to the game like customising your avatar with up to 20 different outfits. You can do this at your Haunt using hard-earned candy currency from countless rounds with mates.
There are weekly and daily challenges too plus a leaderboard if you want to climb the ranks.
5
It would have been brilliant to see a few more courses but it’s a tiny gripe for such a fulfilling experience.
Developer Madorium has created a wonderfully refreshing game which is easily picked up and an absolute blast for all ages. And it’s scarily cheap too – superb value for money,
It’s never been so fun to be the afterlife of the afterparty.
POLTERGUYS: POSSESSION PARTY
- FORMATS: PS5 (reviewed), Xbox, PC, Switch (out June 6)
- PRICE: £9.99
- PUBLISHER: Amplified Games
- DEVELOPER: Madorium Ltd
- RELEASE DATE: Out now
- SCORE: 4.5/5