Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden Review: Story, Characters, Gameplay, File Size & Is It Worth Buying?
Would you save the person you love, even if it meant sacrificing the living?
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, from the makers of Life Is Strange, drops you into the cursed colony of New Eden in 1695. You play as two ghost hunters bound by love, and one of them is already dead. It is a dark, emotional action RPG where your choices decide who lives, who is banished and what love is really worth. Below you will find the full review: story, characters, combat, size, playtime, pros and cons, and our final score.
🎯 Quick Verdict: A moving supernatural story with strong atmosphere and meaningful choices, wrapped in a satisfying (if not perfectly polished) action RPG. If you want narrative and emotion over pure combat depth, this is a great pick.
🎬 Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden Gameplay
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📋 Game Info at a Glance
| Developer | DON'T NOD |
| Publisher | Focus Entertainment |
| Release Date | February 12–13, 2024 |
| Platforms | PC (Steam, Epic), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S |
| Genre | Third-person action RPG, dark fantasy, supernatural |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 5 |
| Install Size (PC) | 52 GB (SSD recommended) |
| Minimum PC Specs | Windows 10/11 · Core i3-8300 / Ryzen 3 2200G · 8 GB RAM · GTX 1050 Ti / RX 580 (4 GB) |
| Recommended PC Specs | Core i5-10600K / Ryzen 5 5600X · 16 GB RAM · RTX 2060 / RX 6700 XT (6 GB) |
| Critic Score | Metacritic 78 · OpenCritic 80 |
| Steam Reviews | Very Positive (English reviews) |
| Age Rating | PEGI 16 |
| Our Rating | 8 / 10 |
📖 Story (Spoiler-Free)
The year is 1695. Two Banishers, warrior-mystics who put restless spirits to rest, arrive in New Eden, a settlement in the New World that is being torn apart by a terrible curse. Red mac Raith and his partner Antea Duarte are not just colleagues; they are lovers. When an investigation goes wrong, Antea is killed, but she does not fully leave. She stays beside Red as a ghost.
This is where the game's central dilemma begins. Red can honor his oath to help the living, or he can use dark powers to try to bring Antea back, and that choice may cost innocent lives. Every case you investigate in New Eden is a small story about grief, guilt and secrets, and how you resolve each one shapes the ending you get.
🧑🤝🧑 Main Characters
Red mac Raith — A veteran Banisher and the physical fighter of the duo. He uses blades and a firearm, and he carries the weight of every choice you make.
Antea Duarte — Red's partner and love. As a spirit she fights with supernatural powers, sees what the living cannot, and often acts as the moral voice of the story.
The people of New Eden — Settlers, outcasts and restless ghosts, each with personal stories. Many side cases feel like short, tragic tales rather than simple quests.
🎮 Gameplay
Banishers mixes third-person action combat with detective-style investigation. In fights you switch on the fly between Red's physical attacks and Antea's spirit powers, which keeps combat varied and fast. Between fights you explore semi-open regions, follow clues, talk to suspects and decide the fate of each haunting.
Combat is fun but not deeply refined, and some enemy types repeat often. That is the main reason for the 8/10: the mechanics are solid, while the story and characters are what really shine.
🎨 Visuals & Sound
Running on Unreal Engine 5, the game has moody forests, foggy swamps and eerie ruins, and the ghosts themselves look both beautiful and unsettling. The atmospheric score by composer Trevor Morris supports the melancholy tone, and the voice acting keeps the emotional scenes believable.
✅ Pros & ❌ Cons
Pros
• Emotional, mature love story
• Choices that truly matter
• Two-character combat switching
• Great atmosphere and music
• Strong side cases with real weight
• Beautiful Unreal Engine 5 visuals
Cons
• Combat lacks depth in long sessions
• Repeated enemy types
• Some polish issues
• 52 GB install size
• Heavy themes of grief and loss
🤔 Who Should Play It?
If you loved story-driven games like Life Is Strange, The Witcher or A Plague Tale, and you enjoy dark fantasy with emotional decisions, you will feel at home here. If you want a huge open world or ultra-deep combat systems, it may feel too focused. The game is rated PEGI 16 and deals with death, violence and mature themes.
🏁 Final Verdict: 8 / 10
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is a beautiful, sad and thoughtful action RPG. It may not have the sharpest combat, but its story, atmosphere and hard choices stay with you long after the credits. Highly recommended for narrative fans, especially on sale.
❓ Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden FAQ
How big is Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden on PC?
The official Steam requirements list 52 GB of free space, and an SSD is recommended.
Who developed Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden?
DON'T NOD, the studio behind Life Is Strange, developed it, and Focus Entertainment published it.
Which platforms is it on?
PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Do choices change the story?
Yes. Your decisions in each case affect the people of New Eden and the direction of the main story.
Is it worth buying?
If you enjoy emotional, story-focused action RPGs, yes. We rate it 8/10.
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