Busting ghosts is hard work, and putting in the long hours as of late means I've been spending most of my downtime hanging around the Ghostbusters HQ in Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed. 

The iconic firehouse is where Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed begins, and stepping into it feels like walking through a piece of history. Winston bought the building more than 40 years ago, Ray moved his bookshop next door, and now the old location's been retrofitted to help support new recruits. It’s a constant waystation, our mission hub, a safe haven in the spectral storm that is New York, and an aged building that is starting to feel like home.

There is that initial rush of returning to a familiar place, of course, but this spot also has substance—ectoplasmic or otherwise—and it’s more than just a kick of nostalgia. Illfonic, the developers of Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed, are obviously fans and seem to be extremely familiar with the broader franchise. They’ve taken inspiration from the movies, cartoons, and comics, and even visited the site of the real firehouse, Hook & Ladder Company 8. This landmark has been recreated in-game to show its future, as a work-in-progress for a new generation of Ghostbusters, while honoring its past.
 

Past, present, future, Ghostbusters forever

The firehouse was constructed in 1903, and many of its greatest moments are celebrated throughout the interior. Behind the desks are clips of the Ghostbusters' accolades, from small philanthropic acts to times when the gang saved the city. The firehouse's original calling gets a nod as well though—in the middle is a picture of when the station first opened, featuring a horse-drawn fire engine. There’s something awesome about looking over this scattered timeline pinned to the back wall. 

For an office, the place is cluttered and seems disorderly, but many of the items are from past adventures, Easter eggs for those who've heard the stories over the years. Some may see a simple yellow safety helmet, not realizing it was worn while the team investigated the river of slime. The same goes for the festive hats in the basement, just like the one Dana Barrett wore for the New Year's party.

There are personal keepsakes from former members of the team, some no longer with us, like Egon’s chess set and stethoscope or Janine’s whale figurine on her old desk. Certain items stand out, like the colander helmet for the Aura Video-Analyzer or the random toaster on the pool table that the gang made dance long ago.
 

Paying respects in hallowed halls

There are plenty of other references neatly tucked away, many of them pulled from the movies—such as the original firehouse sign and another for the Shandor Mining Company, as well as a Stay Puft Marshmallows advertisement in the alleyway. A slightly more obscure fan-favorite may be the logo from the 1984 licensed Ghostbusters game for the Commodore 64. 

Throwback props like the Ghost Sniffer aren’t the only things worth noticing, though. Some of the original touches have been preserved out of respect. The row of lockers still has the nameplates for Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, Egon Spengler, and Winston Zeddemore, right where they belong, while upstairs, we see one of the boys' original arcade machines (next to a few new ones), and equipment from Peter’s job at the Paranormal Studies Lab.

Enough of the fan service—this building has a soul, too, and not just because of the ghosts that show up from time to time. The 1903 structure was originally twice this size until it was narrowed by the city a decade later to facilitate a large street-widening effort. 

This may have actually helped the firehouse, accenting some of the Beaux-Arts features of its architecture and giving the building a sleeker look that helps it stand out in the Tribeca neighborhood. The design is classical, almost regal, with broad arched windows and imposing doors large enough to drive the world through. Everything is accented by ornamental molding that lines the exterior walls and parts of the interior as well, like a crown lifting everything. Simple, yet majestic and recognizable—the firehouse is visually captivating.
 

Living in my working space

Inside it’s usually quiet, unless a job sets the bell ringing, or Eddy is doing one of his weirder experiments, making the orb-shaped light fixtures flicker repeatedly. The place is a little cluttered—there are Yellow Cake Logs, little desserts, stashed everywhere—and very lived-in, owned and operated by packrats who can’t let go of anything potentially useful. 

There are many workstations and tons of equipment, giving most areas an industrial quality. The whole building feels in a constant state of flux, continuously being upgraded to meet the challenges of each new night and the needs of the employees. Sometimes it's hard to see where the original polished wood fixtures end and the updated fixtures begin.  

This is obviously meant to be a place of work, with everyone putting in the long hours, and it doesn’t actually offer much in the way of comfort when exhaustion sinks in. There are some chairs and couches, but it isn’t uncommon to catch a trainee napping at one of the desks. 

Stress relief is hard to find, as the pool table is rarely set up, the arcade cabinets don’t seem to work quite right, and we lost a few of the darts. The developers of Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed wanted us to be able to play with more of these things at launch, but so far that hasn't happened. Sometimes it’s easier to get that slight recharge by sliding down one of the fire poles or just hanging out in the basement, zoning out to the hum of the containment unit. 

Most of us avoid the sub-basement though, which has a weird makeshift rift gate in it. And though the whole building has a slightly eerie presence to it, that red-lit stairway leading down to the deepest part is somewhat terrifying. 

The Ecto-1 is the centerpiece of the main bay, and sometimes it’s tempting to just go turn the siren on, a type of noise expression, but it’s hard not to think that would annoy everyone else.
 

A gentle reprieve and love of the game

 
If we need to get out for a moment, just a change of scenery, it’s easy to head over to Ray’s Occult Books. It has that perfect vintage bookstore feel—a little smoky, dents in the walls, and that inescapable smell of old paper. The floor is littered with twice-owned carpets, most donated or discarded from their previous residence, hiding the damaged hardwood floors. 

The nook in the back corner is a popular place to take a load off, relax, and just read. Most new people go for the two couches near the front, but often end up sitting on a random tome someone stuffed between the cushions—or getting poked by a spring. 

Trinkets lay all around the place, junk to the casual observer, but everything in this area has a story that the owner is eager to tell, especially the framed verse from Revelations hung up behind the counter. There’s even an Aztec Death Whistle sitting right next to the pencils. Ray makes a good sounding board, too, when we get frustrated or can’t figure something out. Seems like he has a specific book for every problem.

In between these two businesses is a small alleyway, a chance for crisp night air or a smoke. We’re the only ones here, but somehow there always seems to be new graffiti. There’s enough space that they set up a practice range near the workbench to test out our Particle Throwers. Just have to be careful we don’t do it for too long or in the wee hours of the morning—some of the neighbors have called the cops with noise complaints.

Seeing the tall buildings surrounding the spot makes the firehouse feel pretty nestled away, a speck in a vast city, but an important place that we couldn’t do without. A hub—no, a sanctuary. The firehouse is our home away from home, which keeps the machine running. We’re always here when people call.

Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed is available on the Epic Games Store.