Who do you trust when the enemy looks exactly like your friends? That’s the question at the heart of GHOSTLESS, a newly announced sci-fi action-adventure from indie developer Coffeenauts.
Heading to Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and PC, the game combines exploration, combat, colony management and detective work in a post-apocalyptic world where machine infiltrators are hiding in plain sight.
Drawing inspiration from classics like The Thing and The Terminator, GHOSTLESS looks set to deliver a unique blend of action and paranoia, where uncovering the truth could be just as important as surviving another firefight.
At A Glance
- GHOSTLESS announced for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and PC
- Mixes action-adventure gameplay, colony building, investigation and survival mechanics
- Set in an alternate Cold War-inspired future dominated by rogue AI
- Players recruit survivors and expand a resistance base
- Android infiltrators disguised as humans create paranoia within your camp
- Features large-scale “Incursion” battles against enemy strongholds
- Built around a striking 2.5D visual style combining pixel art and modern lighting
A War Against Machines… And Mistrust
GHOSTLESS takes place in an alternate version of the 20th century, fifteen years after an experimental Soviet AI super-intelligence turned against humanity following a catastrophic cyber attack.
Players step into the role of the Envoy, a resistance operative investigating rumours of a secret facility developing a new AI weapon. What begins as a simple mission quickly evolves into a much larger mystery surrounding the collapse of civilisation and humanity’s fight for survival.
Much of GHOSTLESS involves venturing into dangerous ruins, abandoned laboratories and underground bunkers, survival isn’t a solo effort. But as you discover survivors throughout the world, they can be recruited into your growing resistance movement. Back at base, these recruits can be assigned to crafting stations, helping produce better weapons, equipment and resources needed for future missions.
Managing the colony becomes just as important as exploring the world itself. A stronger base unlocks access to larger operations known as Incursions, where players lead groups of fighters into enemy-held strongholds in large-scale battles designed to push back the machine threat and open new regions of the map.
The Enemy Could Already Be Inside
GHOSTLESS also comes with an infiltration system.
The AI doesn’t simply attack from the outside. Android infiltrators known as the “Ghostless” can secretly enter your camp disguised as ordinary humans. One day everything may appear normal. The next, a vital workstation has been sabotaged or a trusted ally has been found dead.
Players will need to investigate suspicious incidents by gathering clues, observing behaviour and questioning recruits through a contextual dialogue system. Accusing the wrong person comes with consequences, while allowing a machine infiltrator to remain hidden could prove even more dangerous.
A Unique Blend Of Genres
GHOSTLESS also appears to pull together elements from several genres.
Exploration and platforming drive the moment-to-moment adventure, while resource gathering and base management provide longer-term progression. Add in detective-style investigations, squad-based assaults and action combat featuring both firearms and melee weapons, and the result is shaping up to be something quite different from the norm.
Coffeenauts describes the game as a hi-fi pixel art experience, blending detailed retro-inspired sprites with modern 3D lighting effects to create a bleak but atmospheric world.
“GHOSTLESS originally came out of the idea of figuring out a scenario for a game where we could capture the paranoia of classic 80s movie The Thing,” explains Coffeenauts Creative Director Fábio Rosa. “Along the way, it’s taken on a lot of other aspects and we think we’ve created something of a unique hybrid that combines elements of exploration and survival games, colony-sims, detective games and action-platformers. We are really excited to offer a first look at it with our debut trailer and can’t wait to share more!”
One To Watch
New IPs are increasingly rare, especially ones willing to take risks with genre combinations. GHOSTLESS looks to be doing exactly that, mixing survival, colony management, action and detective work into a single package while placing player trust at the centre of the experience.
If Coffeenauts can successfully balance those ambitious ideas, this could become one of the more intriguing sci-fi releases on the horizon.
GHOSTLESS is currently in development for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and PC (Steam). Give that trailer a watch.
