Geist is an action-adventure game for the GameCube released in 2005. Developed by n-Space and published by Nintendo. When faced with developing a game within a genre that has been milked as much as sitcoms featuring sassy smart-assed wisecracking children, it’s not a bad idea to get as creative as possible. Geist tries to set itself apart from the pack and the end result is more satisfying than frustrating.
Start Off Strong
Players take the role of John Raimi, a disease-control agent with the federal government, on loan to an elite counterterrorism unit. The team is sent to investigate the shadowy Volks Corporation. When the operation goes horribly wrong. John is captured and subjected to a ghastly experiment that rips his spirit from your physical body. He now roams the halls of the Volks Corporation compound as a spectral phantom. Using his powers to scare and possess any human or animal that crosses his path.
Players will start the game as us soon to be tragic hero, John Raimi. John is flesh and blood the moment you press the Start button. The first level of the game provides the backdrop of the story but only when Raimi is snuffed out, does the actual quest for knowledge, and thus, the real gameplay.
As a ghost or Geist as the Germans call them, Raimi must search the evil Volks Corporation for answers that pertain to both his dire situation and ones that are far more important on a global scale. Since the pix on the back of the box detail that familiar FPS viewpoint complete with weapons of mass destruction.
Geist Gameplay
Raimi will take on spirit form and will need to possess humans to gain access to their guns. Players will also learn that they can possess animals and inanimate objects as well. As weird as it seems to possess a ladder it pays off in a creative game like Geist. Humans are not easily taken over so players will have to scare them first.
Most of the time players will have the opportunity to possess inanimate objects and make them misbehave. Which will help set off a chain of fear thus allowing human possession to take place. Some of the puzzles in the game require some forethought to figure out how to do this, but once players put two and two together a couple of times, the entire equation becomes as transparent as Raimi himself.
Possession is Key to Geist
In spirit form Raimi has to keep his life force filled by continually possessing humans or feeding off plants. Since boundaries are a natural part of video games, Raimi won’t even have all of the usual powers associated with a spirit. He can’t walk through walls, and he can’t float high into the air for some reason. So, in essence, it’s like he’s a Bonafide FPS hero who can take possession of people and objects. As it stands, the limitations forced upon the player’s abilities seem to exist for the sole purpose of artificially elongating gameplay. For example, since Raimi can’t go through any wall he wants, he will need to figure out how to gain access into various sectors of the complex.
Graphics Hold Up to Scrutiny
Geist’s visuals run the gamut between impressive and shoddy, mostly due in part to the inconsistent framerate when too many enemies appear on screen. For the most part though Geist is an above average game. There are detailed environments and lots of cool dynamic lighting effects. The game sports voiceovers and text. Musically Geist is very solid, and the soundtrack helps to capture the game’s most suspenseful moments.
Great Multiplayer Mode
N-Spaced created some very imaginative multiplayer games that completely complimented Geist’s supernatural premise. The only drawback to these modes is that they must be played in 4 player split screen. The modes included are possession deathmatch, hunt and capture the host. For the friendless among us, Geist even boasts bots that will flesh out your multiplayer games if players’ friends have currently ousted them. With bots and 4 friends they can have up to 8 players at once. The bots also have adjustable difficulty levels.
Last Thoughts
Toss in the multiplayer hijinks and players get a game they can play with their buds till the big blockbusters start rolling in. Thanks to some new mechanics tossed into an old genre, Geist delivers an FPS experience that players never had before and that definitely counts for something. With that said, if players haven’t had the chance to play Geist it is definitely the game to check out.