The Gamer Social Club reports that developer DON'T NOD is not impressed with the performance of Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden.

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Couchpotato spotted a demo for Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden:

A free demo of Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is now available!

Tell your friends

Aye Banishers!

Good news number one: Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden now offers a free demo playable on all platforms.

If you liked Banishers and won't play the demo because you already played the game, tell your friends to give it a try!

In this demo, you can play the first mission of the game and get to know Antea and Red's story as ghosts hunters sent to lift the mysterious curse of New Eden...
The demo save files can be transferred to the full game, allowing you to carry your progress over.

[...]

Mp1st interviewed Stephane Beauverger, the Narrative Director of Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden:

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden Took 4-5 Years to Make; Not AAA but AA Says Don’t Nod

If you haven’t played Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, then you might not know just how big the game world is. It’s a massive area that players can choose to scout around for side missions, treasures and whatnot. Not only that, but the game also has more than your run of the mill fetch quests for side missions, with some spanning multiple, interconnected narratives that takes quite a significant time to complete compared to your standard video game side quests.

For something as big as Banishers, how long would a studio take to develop it from start to finish? This was something we asked Don’t Nod in our exclusive interview with the dev team.

MP1st: I have to admit, I was caught a bit off-guard by how big Banisher’s world is. How long did Don’t Nod develop the game from start to finish?

Stéphane Beauverger, Narrative Director: It is not easy to define the full development time for a game, it really depends how you consider it. From scratch? From the very first idea written down with a pencil and a paper during the first conception phase? From the first playable sequence? And even after the release, people are still working on the game, like working on patches. Let’s say that it took between four and five years to create Banishers.

Given how big Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is, and when you factor in the visuals, fully voiced dialogue (even NPCs) and the like, one might assume that it’s a full-fledged AAA game, right? As it turns out, it isn’t, and it’s just AA according to Don’t Nod.

MP1st: For its first AAA project, Banishers is very ambitious. What prompted Don’t Nod to create an open-world game of sorts right away instead of, say, a more linear, single-player game?

Stéphane Beauverger, Narrative Director: Banishers is not an AAA game, it’s a nicely crafted AA game – and we are proud of it. We have the will and passion to deliver a great experience to the audience, hence the large size of the map, and the huge amount of content. The game structure also depends on the nature of the game we make. Story-driven games like Life is Strange or Tell Me Why are more in need of a linear structure. With Banishers, we felt it was necessary to open the world and let the players investigate the mysteries of New Eden at their own pace, and in the order they were more comfortable with. Hence the more open structure of the game.

[...]

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Entertainium checked out Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden:

Review: The dead tell tales in Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden

For over a decade now, Parisian developers Don’t Nod have built a reputation on choice-driven games with rich narratives. Their tenth project, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden doubles down on this focus, while serving as a (literally) spiritual successor to 2018’s Vampyr. This is a confident, expansive action game with satisfying role-playing elements and an enthralling story.

One of the most immediately striking things about Banishers is its setting. It takes place in 1695, in the deeply troubled New England island colony of New Eden. The colony is far more interesting than its boilerplate name implies. It languishes under a deadly curse, and the colonists have scattered into its rugged wilds, which prove a hunting ground for wolves, spectres, and worse.

[...]

With Banishers, Don’t Nod have elevated their craft to a new level. They combine elements from numerous previous games, but always with a new spin on them. They have combined them into a gripping story of life, death, guilt, and responsibility in a novel fantasy setting. Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is a notably accomplished action game that should not be overlooked.

The voice actors of Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden talk about choices in the game (some spoilers):

Banishers RPG - volby / choices / dabéři (CZ titulky/ENG subs)

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More reviews for Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden:

ACG: Banishers Ghosts of New Eden Review "Buy, Wait for Sale, Never Touch?"

WolhheartFPS: My Thoughts On Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden | Review

GameSpot: Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden Review

Couchpotato spotted some reviews for Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden:

IGN: Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden Review

GamingBolt: Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden Review - The Final Verdict

Mortismal Gaming: Banishers: Ghosts Of New Eden - Review After 100%

The Action-RPG Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden has been released:

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is OUT NOW!

Aye, Banishers!

The wait is finally over!

We’re very excited to announce that Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is out now!

Embark on a journey to New Eden, in 1695, where communities of settlers are plagued by a dreadful curse. Antea Duarte and Red mac Raith are two trained spirit-hunters who swore to protect the living from the threat of lingering ghosts and specters. Yet, when tragedy strikes and Antea herself becomes a ghost, you must face a dreadful choice: will you honor your Banisher’s oath to the living or save your departed partner?
As Banishers, step into New Eden’s inhabitants' lives, investigate the source of evil, unravel chilling mysteries, explore diverse landscapes, and interact with unforgettable characters whose fate lies in your hands.

Dive into a powerful and intimate journey in this narrative Action-RPG where your choices wield dramatic consequences.

[...]

Gameffine reviewed the upcoming Action-RPG Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden:

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden Review

If there’s one thing the French developer Don’t Nod excels at, it’s crafting emotional and gripping narratives where human relationships take center stage. The studio proved its mettle through Remember Me, Life is Strange, The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit, Vampyr, Harmony, Jusant, and more. While budgetary constraints always held their games back a notch, their games nevertheless provide reflective, thought-provoking experiences. Banishers: Ghosts of Eden is no exception. Banishers weave an emotional tale of loss, grief, love, and acceptance packed with some powerful performances. Even after my 45-hour adventure through its accursed American frontier had come to a close, the love story of Red and Antea as well as that of the plethora of haunted characters stayed with me. Here’s me, Yemeth presenting Gameffine’s Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden review.

Life to the Living
Seemingly set in the same universe as Vampyr, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden tells the story of Red mac Raith and Antea Duarte, lovers and professional Banishers — ghost detectives and all-around paranormal problem solvers. Set in 1695, the duo travels to the North American frontier, to a fictional New England town called New Eden, tasked with investigating a curse that has befallen the once-booming community. Things do not go as planned and the duo is defeated by an evil force way beyond their banishing capabilities. Antea is brutally murdered and Red is thrown into the ocean, only to be saved by a mysterious stranger. Antea also returns, but as a ghost, something Banishers are trained to get rid of. Torn between their duty as Banishers and vows as lovers, the tragic couple is left with a moral dilemma — do they sacrifice the hapless denizens to bring Antea back to life, or will Red muster up the willpower to elevate Antea from eternal sorrow?

[...]

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden

Hunt ghosts as two memorable characters in a story-driven Action-RPG where your decisions carry dramatic consequences. Torn between honoring your oath to the living and saving your departed partner, how far will you go for love?

Score: 77/100

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Arktix checked out the upcoming Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden:

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden - EXCLUSIVE Gameplay Combat Preview | Essential Tips & Demo

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Couchpotato spotted a developer interview at Trueachievements about Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden:

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden interview: "Emotional material in a rather grim universe"

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden brings its haunting story of two ill-fated lovers to Xbox Series X|S soon, and ahead of its arrival we had a chance to ask developer Don't Nod a few questions.

Born from Don't Nod's desire to create a spiritual successor to Vampyr, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is an action-RPG that tells the story of two ghost-hunting lovers on a mission to outwit death. Ahead of its launch later this month, Don't Nod narrative director Stéphane Beauverger, creative director Philippe Moreau, and lead system designer Mathieu Bourgain, answered some of our burning questions.

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden takes us to the fictional town of New Eden in 1695, located not far from the town of Salem in the Puritan territories of Massachusetts. After the town is struck by a deadly curse, our characters Antea Duarte and Ruaidhrigh "Red" mac Raith, two lovers and professional ghost hunters known as Banishers, are hired to lift the curse. However, after Antea succumbs to a mortal wound and becomes a spirit herself, the pair soon begin seeking a way to save her.

"The concept of this new franchise initially rose from our wish to create the spiritual successor to Vampyr, our previous project, with the same grim and supernatural twists applied to a historical background," Beauverger says. "But with more time and budget to craft a better and more ambitious project."

[...]

Couchpotato spotted a new trailer for Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden:

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden - Official Gameplay Breakdown Trailer

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:23 The Lands of New Eden
01:04 Curse, Choices and Consequences
01:58 Combat Basics
02:48 Red's Advanced Skills
03:30 Antea's Spectral Abilities

Couchpotato spotted a story trailer and a preview for Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden:

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden - Story Trailer

Banishers Ghosts of New Eden Gameplay Preview - Single Player Action RPG

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden - Love, Death & Sacrifice

IGN published a new trailer for Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden:

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden - Official Character Trailer

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is an action-adventure RPG where players embody both Red and Antea to solve haunting cases, battle supernatural forces, and make decisions with major outcomes. Take a look at the latest trailer highlighting what is in store for the romantic and dramatic dynamic between Red and Antea from a narrative and gameplay perspective.

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is launching on February 13 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S|X, and PC.

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Couchpotato spotted a cinematic trailer for Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden:

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden - Death to the Dead Trailer | The Game Awards 2023

Farflame spotted a Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden interview at Wccftech:

Banishers Q&A – DON’T NOD Talks Improving on Vampyr, UE5 Switch (w/o Lumen or Nanite); DLSS 3 Support Possible

French developer DON'T NOD may be most renowned for its adventure games (Life is Strange, Tell Me Why, Twin Mirror, Harmony: The Fall of Reverie), but its first game, Remember Me, was actually an action/adventure game like the upcoming Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden.

[...]

What were your influences on this kind of setting and story?

Stéphane Beauverger - Narrative Director: Once we decided to explore a “ghost, witchcraft, and superstitions” setting, we binged all kinds of material about these themes. The fantasy novel “Kill the Dead” by Tanith Lee has been an early major reference for us. Later on, the movies “The Witch”, “Crimson Peak”, “The Devil’s Backbone” and “Frighteners” also helped us shape the balance between the haunted living and the haunting ghosts we wanted to achieve.

Following the release of Vampyr, what were the main areas you wished to improve for your next action RPG?

Philippe Moreau - Creative Director: At the very beginning of the project, we wanted Banishers to be the spiritual successor of Vampyr and improve on it in every way (visual, gameplay, animation, tech, etc.), but keeping and transposing into a new context its main differentiating mechanic: investigating the lives and pasts of characters with heavy secrets, before deciding their fate through ambiguous moral choices.

We knew this concept was good and full of potential, but we also knew that we needed to step up the overall quality of the game if we wanted to succeed. The combat, for example, has been reworked entirely, with a new approach based on the “look & feel” where the focus is to develop an engaging combat that is easy to pick up, responsive, tight, and with satisfying visual and audio feedback. The goal was to develop a simple yet effective and rewarding gameplay loop, supported by the main idea of playing a couple working in synergy. We have iterated on the combat a lot - until the very last moment of the production - and I think we managed to deliver a much more satisfying combat experience than in Vampyr.

[...]

Prankster101 interviewed Philippe Moreau and Karim Benfares about Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden:

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden – interview with Philippe Moreau and Karim Benfares

Due out on 13 February 2024 for the PlayStation 5, Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X and Series S consoles, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is an upcoming story driven action-RPG where player decisions have dramatic consequences. In the game, players assume the role of Antea Duarte and Red mac Raith who act as ‘Banishers’ – ghost-hunters who have to solve haunting cases whilst also protecting the living. At the same time, players are also able to unlock new gear and abilities, whilst uncovering ancient secrets and mysteries in a campaign that’s promised to be “between 20 and 30 hours, maybe more“.

I spoke to Philippe Moreau (Creative Director, Don’t Nod) and Karim Benfares (Executive Producer, Don’t Nod) about Banishers, and also got to ask them as to what it is about Don’t Nod that allows the studio to make games that are considered to be fairly unique in an increasingly formulaic market. Enjoy!

If you were in an elevator with a gamer who’s never heard of Banishers, how would you describe the game?

Phillipe Moreau: Well, we could say that it’s a story-driven action RPG that’s set in the haunting wilds of the 17th century in New England. We are in an alternate version of history where witches have real powers and ghosts exist. So you play as a couple of Banishers who are basically ghost hunters – named Red and Antea, a male and a female – and you are here to solve haunting cases. But the twist of the game is that one of the characters dies at the very beginning of the game, Antea, and so she comes back as a ghost herself. And so you will play this duo throughout the game, this couple, and you can switch from one character to another very seamlessly. And it’s a game centered around choices, because during the game you will have to make choices, and this will have an impact on how the couple will evolve throughout the game, and how the fate of the human beings will also be altered.

Your studio, Don’t Nod, has also done Life is Strange, and is therefore renowned for its story-driven games that are quite eclectic. Why do you think your studio makes the kind of games that it does, and what is it about your studio that you think makes it unique in an industry where so many other titles happen to be so formulaic. What is it about the creative process of Don’t Nod that separates it from other studios out there and their products?

Karim Benfares: I think that our unique way to do games is because we think about stories first. I’m sure that some other studios will think about gameplay first or art first. Of course we do think about those too, but first we think about stories first. We think about the fact that everything must be logical and make sense about its story first. That’s why I think our games are unique. The second thing is probably because we always try to use a realistic setting that we can then mix with a supernatural aspect. In Life Is Strange, it was about rewinding the time. In Banishers, it’s because ghosts exist. And thanks to that, we can create atmospheres where the players can immerse themselves easily, because we have the realistic aspect, but at the same time, we also have this supernatural aspect as a twist.

[...]

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Gematsu reports that Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden has been delayed to February 13, 2024:

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden delayed to February 13, 2024

Postponed to release "during a less saturated period."

Publisher Focus Entertainment and developer DON’T NOD have delayed ghost-hunting action RPG Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden from its previously planned November 7, 2023 release date to February 13, 2024. It will be available for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam.

“We have decided to postpone the release of this new franchise by three months, as the market is experiencing an intense release cycle for AAA titles on PC and consoles at the end of the year,” said Focus Entertainment managing director John Bert and DON’T NOD CEO Oskar Guilbert in a press release. “We are convinced that a commercial release of Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden during a less saturated period will give it the attention it deserves.”

[...]

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Focus Entertainment posted a new gameplay trailer for Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden:

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden - Gameplay Overview Trailer

Team Farflame published a gameplay video for Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden:

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden RPG - gameplay / ukol / vylepsovani (CZ titulky/ENG subs)

IGN checked out Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden:

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden - The First Preview | gamescom 2023

At a glance, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden owes a lot to Sony’s recent God of War outings. Its close third-person camera perspective, linear-but-open level design, and mix of environmental puzzles and hard-hitting melee combat are all present. But there’s more than meets the eye here. After playing a whole quest I’ve discovered that beneath that surface lies a soul just as connected to the Life is Strange series developer Don't Nod is famed for as it is to Sony’s godly behemoth.

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The action RPG Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden will be released on November 7:

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden - Official Release Date Reveal Trailer

Watch the latest Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden trailer, revealing the release date for the upcoming action-RPG from Don't Nod and Focus Entertainment. Head to New Eden, 1695 and hunt ghosts as Antea Duarte and Red mac Raith. Protect the living from the threat of lingering supernatural beings, and solve haunting cases using Antea’s spiritual powers and Red’s arsenal. Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden will be released on November 7, 2023 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.

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The story driven RPG Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden has been announced for 2023:

Focus Entertainment and DON’T NOD unveil Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden

Following the success of Vampyr, Focus Entertainment and DON’T NOD had announced a new collaboration to bring one of the most ambitious projects in the history of both the publisher and the studio. Focus Entertainment’s participation in The Game Awards 2022 is the occasion to unveil this brand new project, set to release in late 2023: Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden.

Experience a powerful and intimate narrative in this Action-RPG, playing as two proficient ghost hunters and lovers, faced with impossible choices and their dramatic consequences for the living… and the dead. The World Premiere Reveal Trailer showcases the hallmarks of DON’T NOD: a striking art direction, strong characters and plot, as well as a unique fantasy world.

"We're so excited to finally lift the veil on Banishers, a project born from our long-standing partnership with DON’T NOD" says John Bert, Managing Director at Focus Entertainment, "The studio has an unmatched talent for creating worlds that are as unique as they are immersive. They are amazing storytellers who know how to truly enhance an efficient, innovative gameplay with narrative and emotions. That's exactly what they are doing with Banishers. It's a very ambitious project, which is sure to receive a very warm welcome from players all around the world".

"I am very proud of the talented team hard at work developing this exciting new action-RPG and delighted to once again have the privileged support of our accomplished partner Focus Entertainment." shares Oskar Guilbert, CEO of DON'T NOD, "We are very excited to be at The Game Awards for this announcement and hope that this first teaser gives players a glimpse of the deep and intense experience that Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden will offer. We look forward to revealing more in the coming months!"

About Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden

New Eden, 1695. Antea Duarte and Red mac Raith are lovers and Banishers, ghost-hunters who vowed to protect the living from the threat of lingering ghosts and specters. Following a disastrous last mission, Antea is fatally wounded, becoming one of the spirits she loathes. In the haunted wilds of North America, the couple desperately searches for a way to liberate Antea from her new plight.

Immerse yourself in a beautiful, intimate and powerful story between two fated lovers. As Banishers, enter the lives of New Eden’s communities and solve haunting cases in a mystical, lore-rich world plagued with supernatural creatures and ancient secrets. Use your wits or combine Antea’s spiritual powers and Red’s arsenal to defeat and banish the souls tormenting the living.

Challenging decisions will lay on your path, dramatically impacting your story and the fate of New Eden’s inhabitants—be they living people or wandering souls. How much will you compromise your ghost-hunting vow for the sake of your lover who became one of such spirits?

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden will be released end of 2023 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. Wishlist the game on Steam, sign up as a Focus member to get the latest exclusive info and upcoming special offers for Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden and the whole Focus catalog.