Ghostwire: Tokyo is the latest offering from Tango Gameworks, most well-known for creating the The Evil Within series. Ghostwire: Tokyo is an open-world action-adventure game, which is a significant deviation from previous horror games from Tango Gameworks - though the game does embrace its fear-inspiring roots through its spooky world and wide array of supernatural beings. Making a shift like this is likely to result is some hiccups and Ghostwire: Tokyo has plenty, but none are significant enough to take away from what the game accomplishes and the unique experience that it has in store for players.
Ghostwire: Tokyo wastes no time in showing off its gorgeous open world, featuring an intro cutscene in which Tokyo is covered in a mysterious fog and is missing nearly its entire population. Players are quickly introduced to main character Akito and the slightly more mysterious KK, Akito's spectral partner. Akito was one of the many victims of the supernatural fog that enveloped Tokyo but KK, being a wraith, had chosen his body as a vessel only to discover that Akito's soul was still in his body.
It's at this moment that the game's supernatural enemies, known as the Visitors, appear and introduce the player to Ghostwire: Tokyo's combat. Thanks to KK's special abilities, Akito can summon and use elemental energy in a way that blends Naruto's jutsu hand-signs with the powers and mechanics of BioShock's varied set of vigors and plasmids. Thanks to KK, Akito has access to wind, water, and fire abilities, alongside a spiritually charged bow and a handful of other useful traversal abilities to get around the large recreation of the game's titular city, Tokyo.
Ghostwire's recreation of Tokyo is nothing short of impressive. The city is massive and highly detailed, including real-life restricted areas that are currently home to urban legends about strange disappearances and mysterious spirits. This open world utilizes a variation of the fog-of-war mechanic where the map isn't only obscured by fog, but it will actively damage the player if they do not cleanse a nearby area's Tori Gate.
Unlike other Ubisoft-style open-world towers, the Tori Gates feel more justified in their existence due to the spiritual traditions of Japan. Tori Gates act as a boundary between the spiritual and physical realms; thus, cleansing the gates in Ghostwire: Tokyo seals that boundary and removes the spiritual fog from the physical world. Unfortunately, the events of the story leave the physical world feeling empty and while there are a healthy number of side-missions, it ultimately makes the world feel busy rather than alive.
The Visitors are easily the most dynamic part of Ghostwire's Tokyo, as they roam the streets in groups and always make a statement no matter how many times the player has encountered them. The Visitors belong to a class of Japanese spirits know as Yokai, who are known for being more aggressive or devious - similar to minor demons in Judaic religions. Some of these Visitors stood out to players as potential references to characters from 'creepypasta' horror stories, the most prevalent being the game's Umbrella Man, who bares a striking resemblance to Slender Man. In reality, each of these Yokai are personifications of the negative emotions that people felt once they died or were taken by the fog.
The main theme of Ghostwire: Tokyo is connection, which is primarily represented by the titular wires. Whenever Akito is close to defeating an enemy, there is a moment where the enemy's core is exposed and Akito can finish them off by ripping it out with their wire ability. In Screen Rant's recent interview with the Ghostwire: Tokyo's Director Kenji Kimura and Producer Masato Kimura, they stated that this mechanic is an act of connecting with these negative emotions and, in a way, removing them from the spirits.
This is a theme that becomes more and more complex as the story progresses, both in combat and in the quiet moments. The relationship between Akito and KK are a prime example, as the the two initially oppose each other but grow to know one another more intimately. It's a relationship that is brilliantly crafted and delivered by Tango Gameworks, as the player barely notices that it's happening. These moments occur multiple times over the course of the game, and it is handled beautifully each and every time.
Of every figure in Ghostwire: Tokyo, the most memorable is the skull-faced villain, Hannya. The "skull-face" is actually a Hannya mask, which is used in a Japanese style of theatre called Noh. The mask itself is representative of a specific kind of spirit and is designed to express a wide variety of emotions based purely on lighting and how the head is positioned. While Hannya's character is a bit shallow and undercooked, his presence and impact are anything but. His mask, character design, demeanor, and displays of power are more than enough to make him a memorable and intimidating enemy, something that also extends to his close circle of powered individuals.
The three figures that follow Hannya serve as Ghostwire: Tokyo's main bosses. They serve as a wonderful test of the player's ability and while they pose a challenge, none are particularly difficult. Rather than try to pummel the player into dust like 's Margit and Radahn, these bosses test the player's quick thinking and ability to synergize their abilities. Defeating them instills a sense of power and progression for Akito's character and inspire the player to push forward to the next boss.
Combat itself is a mixed bag and has a few issues that likely stem from Ghostwire: Tokyo being the studio's first action-adventure title. The primary issue is the camera control and aiming, both of which feel sluggish and stuttery. While the player does adjust to this and the aim assist helps greatly once figured out, it puts a mild stain on what is otherwise an enjoyable, unique, and impactful combat system that is a blast to use thanks to the DualSense. Each elemental ability serves a specific purpose, where wind is the average rapid-fire DPS attack, water is the low damage crowd control weapon, and fire is the powerful DPS attack with a wide blast radius.
Overall, Ghostwire: Tokyo has a unique combat system, fantastic narrative, and a recreation of its titular city that is intricate and immersive, even if it feels a bit empty at times. For those looking to binge the main narrative, it only takes four hours to complete the game's five chapters - however, the side-missions are well written, and players are highly encouraged to play through them to gain extra unlocks such as outfits and ability upgrades. Ghostwire: Tokyo exceeds expectations and to anyone that is even slightly curious about this game, it is well worth the time and money.
Ghostwire Tokyo is available on March 25 for PlayStation 5. Screen Rant was provided with a PS5 digital code for the purpose of this review.
Ghostwire: Tokyo
- Released
- March 25, 2022
Ghostwire Tokyo is a 2022 release developed by Tango Gameworks. The first-person shooter/action and adventure release has players traveling through a terrifying ghost-infested Tokyo and doing battle with an array of spirits.
