Review: Extreme Exorcism

No head spinning here

Four teenagers enter a haunted house and get killed by each other until ghosts show up. No, it isn’t the plot to House on Haunted Hill but the mechanics of Extreme Exorcism, the new couch competitive game from Golden Ruby Games.

It may not be the sexiest, most original game in town, but it still might be worth a poke if you’re a seasoned veteran of the genre looking for something new and challenging.

Extreme Exorcism (PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox One [reviewed])
Developer: Golden Ruby Games 
Publisher: Ripstone
Release Date: September 23, 2015
MSRP: $12.99

If you’ve played one of the many indie couch competitive games that have become popular in the past year or two, you know the drill here: gather three of your friends together and fight to the death. The gimmick in Extreme Exorcism is that winning a round causes a ghost to replay your previous actions, including firing weapons that can kill your enemies, or even yourself depending on the various customizable settings.

By default each player can carry up to three weapons at a time, which spawn in predetermined places around each of over 45 stages. Weapons range from basic punches and kicks to rocket launchers, boomerangs, and magical staffs. While the variety of weapons is nice, nothing really feels original, though familiarity makes the game very pick-up-and-play friendly. 

Matches are fast and furious, especially when playing with the maximum of four players. Each time someone wins a round, a ghost will spawn of their previous win, and ghosts stay on screen until exorcised via the purple wings weapon that spawns from time to time. The fact that you can potentially have ghosts from four different players running around the screen firing off rocks and kung-fu kicks in every direction makes for some hectic games. 

For those of you without friends in real life, there is an arcade mode and the challenge mode. Arcade mode is a series of matches in each level of the game where you’re required to kill so many of your previous ghosts to unlock each level. The first ghost is spawned by killing a possessed chair, which is super simple as the AI isn’t anything special, as it doesn’t need to be since you’re fighting your ghosts. Arcade mode is simple enough to be enjoyable alone, but can be played with up to four players as well, working together towards an enjoyable fight with a boss in the final level. 

Challenge mode, however, is for one player only. In 50 different challenges you’ll be tasked with completing different goals such as killing 100 chairs with three lives, or completing five rounds only using a boomerang. The challenge mode lives up to its name. It is easily the most challenging part of Extreme Exorcism and will test even the most seasoned players. I was able to unlock every challenge, but completing them is a different story, though I didn’t really feel pressed to complete them given that there is no real reward other than feeling accomplished, and achievements if you care about those. 

If anything, Extreme Exorcism is a game for those who have tried TowerFall and Samurai Gunn at their parties and want something even more hectic, and bustin’ makes them feel good; otherwise players new to the genre may feel a bit overwhelmed with the amount of on-screen action. As for me, I’ll stick to the classics for my get-togethers. Simplicity is what appeals to me when I’m trashed and I’d rather not projectile vomit from my eyes trying to keep up with all those ghosts.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}