Ghostbusters Paranormal Blast Review

Our Review by Blake Grundman on August 15th, 2012

Rating:

:: SCARY BAD

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The only thing scary here is the lack of variety.

Developer: XMG Studio Inc.
Price: $0.99
Version: 1.0
App Reviewed on: iPad 2

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"Who ya gonna call?" This has been the war cry of wanna be Ghostbusters for nearly thirty years. Since the first film debuted in 1984, the Ghostbusters brand has found a home on many different gaming platforms. While some were much more memorable than others (Don't even get me started on the original Atari 2600 and NES versions), recent installments for the current generation of consoles have proved rather fruitful. So does this mean that the recently released Ghostbusters Paranormal Blast is a guaranteed hit, or a slimy green mess?

For those that were hoping for a fully featured Ghostbusters game on iOS, complete with narrative, prepare to start sharpening your pitchforks. Unfortunately, Paranormal Blast is an augmented reality game where ghosts are overlaid on the input from the device's camera. Players must then rotate and contort themselves in order to land the ghosts in the crosshairs of their neutrona wand.

There should really be a disclaimer for the game that states the only way to succeed is to play in a swivel chair. Apparitions will dart and fly around the player, requiring a near three hundred and sixty degrees of rotation in order to bag the transparent twits. After weakening them with several blasts of the neutrona wand, players will then have to wrangle the creatures into a readily awaiting trap. There is even a need to whip back in forth to keep the beasts from escaping.

And that is about it. Seriously. Sadly, the game is about as deep as a wading pool. All that is left after catching a ghost is going through the same process all over again, while trying to catch a different ghost. The only additional component is the ability to improve the character's gear, but really it is just a superficial boost in stats at best.

If you have been waiting with baited breath for Ghostbusters to finally grace iOS, you may be better off continuing to wait. Ghostbusters Paranormal Blast is a one session play that will keep players occupied about as long as a commercial break. "We ain't 'fraid of no ghost," but you should be scared of getting bored. Download the Ray Parker Jr. theme song from iTunes instead. At least that purchase won't come back to haunt you.