Ghostwire: Tokyo has been one of the most anticipated games for 2022 and it is set to launch on the Playstation and PC platform on the 25th of March, 2022. The developer Tango Gamesworks showcase an open-world environment set in the famous Shibuya District, Tokyo. The Tokyo we know is no longer the same as they set the tone of a world between the dead and living that gives of unsettling vibes while you encounter different Yōkai (Japanese folklore supernatural beings).
Gameplay
Ghostwire: Tokyo is a stunning action-adventure game in first person view. You will be playing as Akito the protagonist which is fused with KK (a dead ghost hunter) to obtain powers to fight the supernatural. The massive paranormal event causes the disappearance of the population in Tokyo, where Akito survived due to KK’s power. He now has the powers to solve the mystery to save the city and his sister.
To those whom are familiar with Japanese folklore would enjoy meeting all of them throughout the game. You will encounter enemies like headless school kids, office man with no face, a kid in yellow raincoat and many more. Through progressing the game, you would obtain different elements of power to fight these ghost enemies. Powers are not unlimited to use, you will have to obtain ethers from shining objects around the map which is easily available to help you refill during or in-between fights.
You would also pick up equipment like bow or talisman to help you during fights. However, you would have to find refills or purchase from the convenience store manned by cat yokais (nekomata).
Not all supernatural beings you encounter are enemies. The developers incorporated urban legendary creatures that are known to many, like the Tanuki who are famous for hiding by turning into everyday items, Kappa who like to kidnap children, Tengu the bird demon. These yokai often help you complete your goals or give you side missions for rewards.
Players would also encounter certain spirits with request to activate side missions for rewards or experience points to level up. Another we loved about the games was that you are able to interact with cats and dogs in the city. Apart from petting them, reading their thoughts with KK’s powers would allow you to know what’s going on nearby or get certain rewards or to help you find things in the area.
You might find fighting enemies repetitive in the beginning, but as you progress you will encounter different and more powerful enemies that challenges the way you use the skill and items. Boss fights do stand out from normal street fights as they ryuiki tenkai transport you to another dimension to fight till you defeat them. The boss fights often include conversations or background cutscenes that has heartfelt stories to let you understand them more. However, we do stumble on point detection sensitivity issues where the interaction point during fights are either not detectable due to camera angle or limited that we easily miss the opportunity to interact which is rather frustrating after several attempts.
Exploring and unlocking areas allows you to stumble upon many different stories and encounters, keeping you engrossed in the game for more. Keeping myself on track to finish the main story was rather hard as I often got side tracked by side missions and explorations. Some degree of exploration are needed to continue on with the main mission. In the same time, side missions allow you to level up your skills which makes fighting during the main mission easier.
Graphic, Performance and Control
The graphic details did not put us down as it feels as if we are in the streets of Tokyo after being not able to travel due to the pandemic. As Tango Gameworks built the game to complement the power and speed of PlayStation 5, details are beautiful and insanely surreal. Players that plays on the Playstation 5 would have 6 graphic options to choose from: Quality mode, Performance mode, High Framerate Quality, High Framerate Quality with VSync, High Framerate Performance, and High Framerate Performance with VSync.
We kind of have mixed feelings on the haptic feedback we get on the Dualsense Wireless Controller. There’s not much options on the setting screen to adjust the vibration strength. We do love that there is haptic feedback for every ability and character’s action. However, certain haptic feedback is too strong that it disrupts the gameplay experience rather than enhancing it. We felt that it was not fine tuned in comparison to some other games like Little Big Planet or even Death Stranding. But hopefully this would be fixed when the game is officially launched.
The early-access version had a slight audio issue where the voice is being played on both the controller speakers and the TV speakers. However, the experience is enhanced once you put on your headphones and immerse into the spatial audio. The creepy crawly audio paired with appearances of enemies are tuned to perfection. Keeping your attention at bay as you explore places.
Ghostwire: Tokyo PS5 – Our Verdict
Ghostwire: Tokyo is definitely a game to try if you are into action-adventure based games. Don’t worry about not being into horror jump scares, as KK and audio changes do prepare you ahead while still keeping the creepiness at bay in balance.
Graphics are awesome and making us miss traveling to Tokyo very much. To those whom love Japanese folklore and supernatural stories, this game has so many elements and details that you would enjoy looking out for.
Ghostwire: Tokyo is now available to pre-order from PlayStation store and Steam Store (PC version). For PlayStation players, you are able to pre-order your physical copy from Shopee or Lazada.
