Ghostwire: Tokyo is the latest game from developer Tango Gameworks. Tango Gameworks is famous for developing both Evil Within and Evil Within 2. From one horror game to another you can tell that Tango Gameworks has refined the horror experience to ensure you will have the maximum scare enjoyment. Let’s take a deep dive into the game.
Ghostwire: Tokyo is about two individuals Akito and KK. KK is a spirit who was looking through the streets of Tokyo to find a host and it so happened that he found Akito unconscious in Shibuya’s Scramble Crossing. He soon realized that Akito wasn’t dead and they initially struggled to take control of Akito’s body. Soon thereafter people in the streets start disappearing when a mysterious fog rolled in. Akito and KK had no choice but to work together to fight off the threats known as Visitors.
The dynamic between Akito and KK is very entertaining to watch. They are two individuals from different walks of life. Akito is very calm, collected and heroic while KK is crass, irrational and just want to wreak havoc. To see them grow their relationship throughout their misadventures in the streets of Tokyo makes you want to root for them both as the protagonist and see their journey to the end. They often banter here and there while you are exploring making the game come alive in such simple moments.
In a world where everyone has disappeared and danger lurks at each corner, you never really feel alone while playing the game. Throughout the game you can find cats and dogs to pet and feed and then spirit cats that will sell you items that will help you in your journey. With two people inside one body there is never a quiet moment with these two. For a horror game, you don’t really feel that you should be scared about what’s lurking in the dark corners because you have a badass spirit that can kick their ghostly asses.
Speaking of powers, with KK inside Akito’s body, he gains access to a wide variety of powers and abilities. He gains access to three spirit powers that taps on the elements of wind, fire and water. Akito also has the ability to cleanse spirits and purge the Visitors using the ghostwire. The ghostwire is basically a spirit wire that flows through Akito’s hands that comes from KK being a spirit. With ghostwire, he not only purges Visitors but he can use it as a grappling hook to grapple to flying Tengu allowing him to reach high places.
Speaking of reaching high places, traversing the world of Ghostwire: Tokyo is very fun and engaging. There are just so many things to discover and explore and scaling buildings makes you feel like you’re literally on top of the world. You can even jump from one building to another with the use of gliding. Climb ladders and obstacles just by darting over them. It’s like the world is your very own playground and nothing can stop you from exploring it.
Each spirit power also has its own uses in combat. The wind element feels a lot like firing bullets. The water element feels like using a slash weapon. The fire element feels like you’re using a grenade. Wind element is most suitable when you’re trying to quickly get rid of an enemy while the water and fire elements are most useful when you are dealing with many enemies. This really adds another layer to the combat gameplay, making you think on your feet on which element you should use against the enemies.
Each spirit power has limited uses but you can increase the limit by praying to Jizo statues scattered about the city. The more Jizo statues you pray to the higher the amount of spirit power you can use. You can easily find Jizo statues just by praying at offer boxes in Torii gates that you have cleansed. You can also pray to find special items that the cat shops will want to trade for money.
Aside from the spirit power, Akito will also have access to equipment to fight the enemies, these are the Talismans and Bow. The talismans have a wide variety of uses, from stunning the enemies to using them to stealth around. Sneaking behind the enemy allows you to instantly kill them which the game calls instant purge.
The controls for this game is very easy to learn and you can even opt to having hints to remind you what each button is for. For most of the game it is played like a first-person shooter as you use your spirit powers like bullets to hit the enemies. Managing your spirit power is very important because if you’re not careful you will just run out of power while fighting enemies.
You also want to be careful not to get too close to enemies because there are enemies that can pull out KK from Akito’s body leaving you powerless. However, you can still fight the enemies with your bow and the talisman and you can still quick purge enemies if you sneak behind them. This adds another layer of gameplay and strategy when you have to fight without KK.
Aside from the main quest, there are also many activities that you can participate in. These are side quests, collecting spirits and cleansing Torii gates. Cleansing a torii gate clears out the fog around you because stepping into the fog damages your character. Some cat stalls will also ask you to fetch an item for them in exchange for money. Complete a set and you will gain a bonus item. With these many activities to do, these really provides additional time for you to play the game.
Speaking of which, completing the main story of Ghostwire: Tokyo will only take you about ten to twelve hours but with the many contents and side quests that you can do, it will probably take you 20 hours to complete the whole game. Something trophy hunters will be pleased at because then it will be relatively easy to platinum the game. Why do I say it’s easy to platinum? It’s because the trophies are not tied to a difficulty level so you can complete any of the trophies by just playing to the easiest difficulty.
The only thing that got me disappointed was because I felt the main story is a bit too short and I felt like there was more to the story than what was shown. Sure the side missions adds up more depth to the world but it really doesn’t provide a complement to the main story. There is so much more about how it all started and why it came to be that needed to be explained so I felt like I was robbed of that story.
The beautiful landscape is very awesome and just fun to explore. The game even has a photo mode so you can capture some memories. The detail that they have provided makes it as close as possible to the real Tokyo. Add to that the soundtrack that just fits the bill. You can also get rewarded with music that you can play while exploring the city.
Overall, Ghostwire: Tokyo has a great story that is easy to follow and understand. Characters that you will fall in love with. An environment setting that’s both eerie and calm that you just can’t help but explore every nook and cranny. Being able to scale buildings and just looking at the beauty of Tokyo in the red moonlight makes you want to jump on a plane and go there right away.