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Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden (Don't Nod, 2023) represents a different type of game that Don't Nod has been making alongside their popular choice-based narrative games like Life is Strange and Lost Records: Bloom and Rage. With 2018's Vampyr, Don't Nod took a swing a narrative, decisions-matter action RPG, and while I liked Vampyr a lot, the decisions-matter part of it left a lot to be desired. Five years later, they took another swing at that type of game with Banishers, and really righted that specific area. Decisions matter in Banishers in a way they don't matter in most games, and it led to one of the most effective stories I've played in a while.

Guest info: Erik (he/him)

• Listen to Pages of Play podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pages-of-play/id1755937349


• Check out Erik's written work on So Many Games https://somanygames.co.uk/

TIMESTAMPS

• 0:00 Title Card


• 0:32 Intros


• 5:03 Histories with Don't Nod and Banishers


• 8:29 Opening Thoughts


• 16:22 Story/World Setup and Characters


• 28:43 Inciting Plot Event and Choice/Morality System


• 37:51 Tough Choices


• 48:02 Presentation and Side Quest Writing


• 59:00 Combat


• 1:13:37 World Design and Vibes


• 1:22:50 Boss Fights


• 1:27:20 Recommendations


• 1:30:20 Pages of Play Podcast


• 1:36:38 SPOILER WALL and Patron Thank-Yous


• 1:38:06 Spoiler Section- Side Stories Tying Into the Main Story


• 2:17:10 Spoiler Section- The Nightmare


• 2:32:08 Spoiler Section- Endings

Music used in the episode is credited to Trevor Morris. Tracks used: Main Menu, The Harrows, Intimate Moment- Harmony

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Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

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