EBENEZER the Invisible World

EBENEZER the Invisible World is a Victorian Metroidvania set in fog-covered London. Scrooge controls ghostly allies with distinct movement skills, explores interconnected streets, fights Unrepentant spirits, and solves spatial puzzles. The appeal: every new spectral ability reopens previous areas, making the city feel like one continuous puzzle box.

Ghost Abilities Change How You Read the Map

I spent the first hour thinking this was a linear action game. Then the Reed sisters arrive, and the real design reveals itself. Their rooftop swings are not a gimmick; they are the key to half the shortcuts in the early city. In EBENEZER the Invisible World, every spectral companion carries a movement trick, from Victoria Peak's vertical climbs to Haley Hall's time-based switches. That is what makes it a true Victorian Metroidvania rather than a typical Victorian London exploration game. The game expects you to remember a locked gate and return later, instead of drawing a dotted path to the next objective.

Combat Is Functional, Not the Main Draw

Fighting Unrepentant ghosts works, but do not expect deep combos. I used the same light-attack rhythm for most encounters, and the challenge came from positioning and knowing which ghost to swap in. Some enemies require an aerial strike, others need a heavy-hitting brawler, and the game does not tell you which one is effective until you get hit. The battles serve as a pacing tool between puzzles, not as a skill ceiling. If you arrive from a combat-first game, this part will feel thin. But the group-swapping mechanic keeps it from becoming pure button mashing.

Where the Game Tests Your Patience

The hand-drawn animation is gorgeous, but it occasionally works against the gameplay. I died more times than I would like because a foreground lamppost or bush blended into the background, hiding an enemy attack. The map is also less helpful than it looks. It marks general regions but not which doors need which ghost ability, so backtracking can mean checking the same wall twice. The early game is the hardest part in a different sense: Scrooge starts without mobility, and the starting streets all look alike. I had to rely on memory for the first few hours. The absence of fast travel in the opening chapter further slows the loop.

Practical Advice Before You Start

Talk to every ghost with a question mark over its head. Several side quests open after you backtrack to a specific alley with the correct spectral ally. Also, do not hoard Ether or Mugwort early; crafting upgrades for the double-jump and heavier strikes makes the mid-game smoother. If you come only for the story, the game respects your time by placing save points near major landmarks. But if you are the kind of player who refuses to leave an area until every hidden room is found, expect a few evenings of corridor-by-corridor searching. The last thing I will say is about the ending: it depends on how many side arcs you finished. EBENEZER the Invisible World rewards completionists, not just progress-spammers.