Ghostwire: Tokyohas always had an interesting hook: the citizens of Tokyo vanish andmysterious, otherworldly invaders known as Visitorsbegin to stalk the streets. Game Rant was recently able to play through the first two chapters of the game, and it further develops this hook and builds the world quickly and efficiently.
In the span ofGhostwire: Tokyo’s first two chapters, players are introduced to 2-3 interconnected, yet distinctly intriguing, storylines. Without diving into spoiler territory, what’s impressive is how the game manages to do this, introduce its enemies, develop the relationship between Akito and KK, and more—all without a lot of exposition dumping. Players are thrust straight into the mystery, and just as Akito has to wrap his head around sharing his body with KK and fighting off the Visitors, so too do the players.
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These worldbuilding and story developments bleed into every aspect of the game, including the introduction to gameplay. Through KK,Ghostwire: Tokyoplayers gain access to otherworldly powers like Ethereal Weaving. Using Kuji-Kiri hand movements, further stylized for its ownGhostwire: Tokyoidentity, players unleash special spiritual attacks fused with elements. One could understandably compare it to anime likeYu Yu Hakushoor toaDoctor Strangegame, but the truth is that it feels distinctively its own.
At other times, as players investigate and look for hiddensecrets inGhostwire: Tokyo’s world, one could even argue it’s aBatman: Arkhamgame. All of these comparisons are important, to really hopefully show how the world comes together, but the thing is that none of these comparisons really showcase, or that others will be able to showcase, is the cohesiveness of the experience. Every single aspect ofGhostwire: Tokyoseems interdependent on others, so nothing feels out of place and, despite the paranormal elements, everything feels entirely alive and breathing.
All of this serves the purpose of the game well and still fits itself rooted deeply into a beautiful world. WhereGhostwire: Tokyotruly shines in its opening is the world around players. With no enemies around, it can feel like aGrand Theft Autogame set in Tokyo at night. The streets, avenues, buildings, and more all feel so realistic, and they invite players to search every nook and cranny, to complete the variousside quests inGhostwire: Tokyo. Hooking onto a Yokai to get on top of a building or simply taking the stairs, it’s a world ripe for exploration.
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Toss in the paranormal, and it really takes the atmosphere to the next level. Striking the balance between such a realistic depiction of the city, with paranormal enemies, hooks, and elements seems very difficult. We askedTango Gameworks’ game director ofGhostwire: TokyoKenji Kimura and producer Masato Kimura how they went about finding this balance, and both discussed how they walked around the city, recreating it and using their imagination for the tops of buildings, Torii gates, and more, and having one designer apply the paranormal aspects. On this, producer Kimura commented,
“From there goes a lot of iteration that needed to happen because we had one of our designers that was purely focused on applying paranormal effects in the city. We would try different things out, he would show it to the director, and we’d have a lot of discussions back and forth in regards to like, “This looks too much. We’ve gone too far.”
Indeed, this recreation of the city, applied with the paranormal, shines through every level ofGhostwire: Tokyo. The paranormal adds the chilling atmosphere and effects, while the realism keeps the players rooted combined with the story, gameplay, and enemies of the game. Players may be fighting enemies from another world, but they feel very natural in the game’s version of Tokyo.
Tango described its approach as these enemies feeling normal or natural prior to the approach—from afar,some Yokai look like businessmen. Up close, they have no face, and it really uses that fine balance between paranormal and realism too.
This creates a unique, chilling atmosphere befitting of a horror game—even ifGhostwire: Tokyois not a horror game. It’s an action-adventure game, but it pushes the line between action, adventure, and horror all the same. Some fans of past Tango Gameworks titles, namelyThe Evil WithinandThe Evil Within 2, were understandably upset that this moved away from horror. Yet,Ghostwire: Tokyowas originally pitched asThe Evil Within 3, and it shows.
One important aspect of any horror game is the atmosphere it creates, and those elements shine throughGhostwire: Tokyo. In fact, the game is all the better for them. It may not be horror, but it is chilling, disturbing, and—at times—downright scary. It is this chilling atmosphere that brings urgency to the action and intensity to the exploration. Indeed,Ghostwire: Tokyo’s atmosphereis self-evident throughout the first two chapters, and it’s hard to see how the rest of the game doesn’t utilize these same elements.
Ghostwire: Tokyoreleases March 25 for PC and PS5.
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