It's not easy to stand out at an event like the Xbox Games Showcase. Unveiled as part of the Summer Game Fest, the reveal of dozens of new and highly anticipated games is a thrilling moment for gamers, but an overwhelming one. With one trailer after another, it can be hard to distinguish one game from the next, regardless of how exciting it all feels.
That's something that can't be said of There Are No Ghosts at The Grand, from new studio Friday Sundae and Null Games. It's the kind of game that stands out immediately with its vibrant colours and textures. But it's the content itself that makes it leap out from the bunch.
Checking in
In No Ghosts At The Grand, you play as Chris David, an American who's traveled to England because he's inherited an old, dilapidated hotel called The Grand in his father's will. We're introduced to The Grand's caretaker, who… starts singing.
That's because No Ghosts at The Grand is a freaking musical. A musical! I could never have predicted that the Xbox Games Showcase would be unveiling a game with full musical numbers, and as a passionate devotee of the musical genre, it's a thrill to see. It's not the first game to have songs in it, of course — our Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical review is a testament to that, and recently we've had Baldur's Gate 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty play around with incorporating musical numbers. But No Ghosts At The Grand is taking things to the next level with songs sung by characters throughout the game.
That's just the first surprise the trailer for No Ghosts at The Grand has up its sleeve. During the caretaker's song, he hands David a gun; not a gun for violence, mind you, but a gun for fixing things! It has a charming built-in digital assistant, and you're tasked with fixing up the hotel.
No Ghosts at The Grand doesn't just exist to defy expectations of what a video game can be. It's also going to be a heck of a lot of fun.
You can put the grand back in The Grand by painting the walls, moving furniture, and more. Yes, that does mean that No Ghosts At The Grand is also a riff on PowerWash Simulator. I love a blood-drenched shooter as much as the next guy, but the idea of restoring this funky hotel to its former glory and cleaning up the surrounding village is my idea of a truly fantastic time.
A powerwash-musical hybrid would be enough to entice the heart and mind of any joy-loving human, but No Ghosts at The Grand isn't done there. Halfway through the reveal trailer, there's a twist: David hasn't just come to The Grand because of his father's will. He's trying to uncover a supernatural mystery that's been lying dormant in this quaint little village. By the sounds of it, finding the truth will have serious consequences: "If they find out, they will Wicker Man your ass," a voice warns, one of the many ominous yet hilarious lines delivered in the trailer.
This means that No Ghosts at The Grand isn't just a powerwash sim with a musical bent. It's a *deep breath* musical meets powerwash simulator meets supernatural mystery, complete with fighting off giant spiders and some sort of tentacle monster that looks like it's taking over the village.
Brave new worlds
The idea of restoring this funky hotel to its former glory and cleaning up the surrounding village is my idea of a truly fantastic time.
It's thrilling to see a game that isn't just excited to take risks, but those risks feel baked into its very DNA. If this fantastic trailer is any indication, There Are No Ghosts at The Grand doesn't just exist to defy expectations of what a video game can be. It's also going to be a heck of a lot of fun.
Plus, as an animal lover and parent to two lovely cats, the fact that a feline has a central role in No Ghosts at The Grand is very exciting indeed. GameSpot reported that the cat is named Mr. Bones the Bastard, as if the anticipation couldn't be any higher. And he talks! "In this place, the only one you can really trust is me," Mr. Bones says, and I'm inclined to believe him. There's also a shot of David riding a bike with Mr. Bones in the basket, which is enough for me to anxiously await the game's release.
Bring on 2026, because I am ready to clean houses, vanquish killer spiders, and watch people sing and dance in There Are No Ghosts at The Grand.
There Are No Ghosts at The Grand is one of many upcoming Xbox Series X games on the horizon
