Type: Race / Co-Operative

Time to play: 45-60 minutes (Teaching: 10 minutes)

Best played with: 4 Player (2 – 4 Players)

Who you gonna call?! The new squad of Ghostbusters have rolled into town and oh boy is there a problem in this block in downtown Manhattan. Whether you are a fan of the new version of the film or not, this thematic game is based on the simple principle of bustin’ those ghosts before they overwhelm the apartment!

Each round a new ghost, and each round another roll and move – it’s a simple principle that increases the number of ghosts in the building whilst restricting how much each player can move, and hence leaving you with too many problems and too little time. However, it’s okay because this game is not about killing all the ghosts, this game is about racing to capture the eight packs in the building and getting out.

Like many all vs the game co-operatives there are fires burning and there is one singular goal that you need to achieve before those fires get to you! It’s tough to outrun the problems, tough to move quickly enough stop the ghosts and the game can be made tougher with doors snapping shut on you!

The roots through the rooms are like a rat run that takes you to the far corners of the board – rooms where you will find those packs required for the victory. If the trail of small ghosts doesn’t stop you, then watch out for the large ghosts! The green specters lurking in the room and that amass from three ghosts in one room. Those large specters keep you in the room and are extremely hard to kill – a one in six chance on the attack!

Avoiding these specters forming in key rooms is important and possible – get to the rooms when there are one or two ghosts and you can stop them forming. Sometimes you can even remove multiple ghosts from the room in one go. That all helps, but if you do let one form then every new ghost will over-spill into the next and increase the possibility of another specter forming.

Hopefully from what I have said you can see that there is a lot to this little game and it’s simple mechanics. Quick and easy to teach but with a depth and challenge that brings you back to this. Now it’s not got infinite replayability – it’s a puzzle and once you get through it, you will want to play it occasionally, but it would probably take less time to tire than pandemic or other similar games.

I really enjoyed this game and its a good family game – accessible to all and linked to a family film which often helps for the theme. The other thing that really helps this game is that it flows – its got short downtime, thematic movements and a good but achievable challenge.

Of course, if you want more from the game there are a few variants right there in the box which will help make it more of a challenge or just mix up the experience that you have. Less thematic, these feels like variants to increase playability as opposed to a design that naturally slots into the game to extend and expand the rules.

Lastly, I should touch on the aesthetics of the game – against the latest production values it’s not a showpiece but it’s functional and of good quality. It’s a simple solution to keeping the game engaging but without allowing costs to escalate. A good production choice.

Last notes;

  • If you like a co-op where you play against the luck – this is a great race for the tokens!
  • If you hate roll and move….it’s there
  • If you win, then try the expansions