Ghost Master® Review Summary

Fun timeless gameplay and unique reverse horror strategy with a diverse ghost roster shine, but outdated graphics, frustrating puzzles, and frequent bugs and crashes hold it back.

Fun and timeless gameplay: Many reviewers describe the game as a lot of fun and a great experience, with gameplay that remains engaging and holds up well over time. It is praised for being enjoyable even after many years.

Diverse ghost roster and abilities: The game features a wide variety of ghosts, each with unique skills and powers, allowing for many strategies. Players enjoy assembling and customizing their team of ghosts.

Unique reverse horror strategy: Players control ghosts to scare mortals, a fresh twist on strategy games that is highly original. The concept of managing a haunting squad is innovative and stands out.

Scaring mortals is satisfying: The core loop of terrifying humans and driving them out is consistently described as fun and satisfying. Players enjoy the variety of ways to scare and the panicked reactions.

Ghost progression and unlocking: Ghosts can be leveled up, trained with golden plasm, and unlocked by freeing them from chains. This adds depth and personalization to team management.

Outdated Graphics Criticized: Many reviewers note that the graphics are bad, dated, or have aged poorly. Some acknowledge it's an older game, but still find it visually lacking.

Frustrating Scenarios and Puzzles: Certain scenarios and puzzles are frustrating, illogical, or require trial and error. Some levels are impossible without a walkthrough, and later puzzles rely on luck.

Dumb and Frustrating AI: The AI is often described as dumb, annoying, and unreliable, with pathing issues causing NPCs to get stuck or fail to complete tasks. This leads to frustration and hardlocks.

Frequent Bugs and Crashes: Players report various bugs, glitches, crashes, and even inability to play due to technical issues. Crashes are often frequent and sometimes occur when completing levels.

Lack of Content and Sequel: Reviewers lament the lack of additional content such as side missions, mini-games, or a sequel. Many express disappointment that a sequel never materialized.

Scare mortals as Ghost Master: Players control ghosts to scare humans and drive them away or insane. The core objective is to efficiently frighten residents and complete levels by causing fear.

Build and manage ghost team: Players assemble a team of ghosts with various abilities, selecting up to 4-8 ghosts for each mission. Team composition and management are key strategic elements.

Puzzle-solving alongside scaring: Many levels include puzzles as additional objectives beyond simply scaring humans. Players must solve these puzzles to progress or achieve secondary goals.

Unique ghosts with distinct abilities: Each ghost has its own specialty, powers, and personality. Players can use different ghosts for specific situations, and ghosts can be upgraded or trained.

Recruit and unlock new ghosts: Players can free and recruit new ghosts by completing tasks or solving puzzles. Unlocked ghosts can be upgraded and used in future missions.

Game Crashes Frequently: Multiple players report frequent crashes, including crashes upon loading, during gameplay, and at specific moments such as beating a level. One user experienced a crash after losing an hour of progress on a request.

Resolution and Aspect Ratio Issues: Players on newer hardware report aspect ratio problems and resolution issues. The game does not support high resolutions without precise manual manipulation.

System-Wide Crash and Zoom Bug: The game can crash the entire operating system, and one instance caused the PC display to zoom in by 600% upon loading, making the system unusable.

Windows 11 Incompatibility: The game does not work on Windows 11, likely due to compatibility issues with newer operating systems.

Crashes on Last Levels: Players encounter a black screen and crash to desktop when playing the final levels, preventing completion.

Must-play for strategy and Sims fans: Many recommendations target fans of strategy, puzzle, simulation, and light management games, especially those who enjoy The Sims or haunted house themes. The game is praised for combining these genres effectively.

Excellent value at low price: Numerous reviews highlight the game's affordability, with many noting it is worth buying at full price and an absolute steal during sales. Some mention specific low prices like 75 cents, emphasizing that the cost makes it an easy purchase.

Overwhelming positive recommendation: Many reviewers express strong, unconditional recommendations with phrases like '100% recommend', 'would recommend highly', and 'fully recommend it'. This indicates broad satisfaction and a very positive reception across the board.

Great for horror and Halloween fans: The game is highly recommended for fans of horror, paranormal themes, and Halloween. It appeals to those who enjoy scaring others and collecting ghosts, offering a unique horror-comedy blend.

Install Complete Edition and mods: Several reviews provide technical advice to install the Complete Edition for better playability and to use specific launch methods. They also recommend installing ghost mods after a full playthrough for enhanced experience.

Community fair range: $3.99 - $4.99.

Game completion: 20.0h.

Story completion: 20.0h.

Session length: 0.5h.

Players describe the game as enduringly fun, with a brilliant premise, characters, and many ghosts to use, though a minimal tutorial and complex mechanics add early friction. No explicit timing marks when enjoyment begins, so the time-to-fun anchor is unset.

Friction: Minimal in-game tutorial that omits deeper mechanics; Complex learning curve requiring time to master all mechanics; Cannot revisit completed levels with newly unlocked ghosts, weakening progression; Resolution problems on modern systems requiring third-party fixes; Uneven ability costs and availability between different ghosts.

Nostalgic Returning Veteran: Revisits familiar levels with patience for dated presentation and looks for low-cost ways to return to the game. Motivation: Reconnecting with childhood memories and reliving a beloved old PC game. Stance: sale.

Horror-Comedy Role-Reversal Fan: Engages with comedic haunting of NPCs and appreciates horror references and seasonal spooky themes. Motivation: Experiencing playful horror comedy where the player scares others instead of being scared. Stance: buy.

Puzzle-Sim Haunting Tactician: Plans hauntings, manages abilities and resources, and experiments with level puzzles while comparing mechanics to tactics and sim games. Motivation: Solving haunting puzzles and managing ghost powers in a light sim/strategy framework. Stance: buy.

Localization and language issues: Reviewers discuss various localization issues, including the lack of Russian voiceover, missing Traditional Chinese text, and the Polish version being better but only available physically. Some note that Spanish and Polish dubs exist, and Russian localization requires separate installation.

No sequel ever made: Many reviewers note that the game never received a proper sequel. This is often attributed to poor commercial performance, the closure of the developer, or the IP changing hands. Some mention a planned sequel that fell through, and a fan-made Ghost Master 2 is currently in development.

Frequent sales and low price: The game is often available for a very low price, especially during Steam sales. Reviewers frequently mention buying it on sale for just a few cents or a dollar, making it an easy recommendation for the price.

Rich in film references: The game is packed with references to horror and pop culture films, from Evil Dead and Ghostbusters to Scooby-Doo and Casper. These references are woven into the levels, story, and overall parody tone.

Dated graphics and controls: The graphics and controls are often described as dated, with visuals resembling The Sims 2 or early 2000s games. However, some note that the cartoonish art style has aged well and the top-down view mitigates the dated look.