Ghostwire: Tokyo by Tango Gameworks and Bethesda Softworks (Publisher)

First, a word from the publisher: “Tokyo’s population has vanished, and deadly supernatural forces prowl the streets. Use an arsenal of elemental abilities to unravel the truth behind the disappearance and save Tokyo.“

How I’d Describe the Game:

Ghostwire: Tokyo feels like a mash-up of Yu Yu Hakusho (or Jujutsu Kaisen for a more contemporary example) and Control by Remedy Entertainment. The former contributes to the setting and fits, while the later contributes the first person game-play. Both add a supernatural edge, even if I wouldn’t describe either as fitting the horror genre. With that in mind, what are my thoughts on the game?

What Worked For Me:

The game’s setting and environmental design were incredible. The game wasn’t a 1:1 recreation of Tokyo (and to be clear, it doesn’t claim to be), but it still hit the vibe. (I say this as someone who’s visited Tokyo pre-pandemic.) It also included many famous Tokyo landmarks (from Shibuya Scramble Crossing to Tokyo Tower), further adding to the verisimilitude.
As the setting would suggest, many of the game’s interactive elements were steeped in Japanese folklore. This included everything from the relics (collectibles) and yokai encounters (Japanese supernatural entities) to the enemy design (the “Visitors”).
The game included cats and dogs that can be pet. Surely, “Can You Pet The Dog?” would be satisfied. The cuteness overload also included the “nekomata” (a type of cat yokai), who acted as shopkeepers. Though you can’t pet them, some allowed the exchange of relics for currency. Some nekomata even displayed or interacted with the relics they were given, adding an extra layer of cuteness.
It was fun to see the primary (Akito) and secondary (KK) protagonist’s relationship develop over the game’s runtime. Though I have lots more thoughts about the story (most of which I’ll be discussing in “what didn’t work for me“), this was definitely a bright spot.
The game included a number of accessibility options. They ranged from difficulty settings to having KK perform certain game mechanics (e.g. rituals that require a somewhat precise movement pattern to register). I also appreciated that these settings were available at all times from the “Options” menu, even if I stuck with Normal difficulty throughout.
The game has drip and allowed me to pick from a variety of outfits. As an added bonus, my custom outfits appeared in every cut-scene (except the last few). This feature, when paired with the photo mode, made for some great screenshots.
It was a refreshing change of pace to play a protagonist that wasn’t another milquetoast white dude. While Akito definitely fell into a different set of tropes (the reluctant shonen protagonist comes immediately to mind), I still enjoyed my time with him.

What Didn’t:

Initially, the game’s world felt oppressive and lonely. It was weird wandering the streets of Tokyo with no one but the Visitors around. To that end, the game’s indoor spaces were among the best at conveying the dread and supernatural shenanigans at play. As I progressed further into the game, however, the world just started to feel empty above all else.
The game only included a handful of “weapon” types, and none of them had secondary attacks (save a “charge” option that added more damage). The game also included a number of “talismans” and a bow to mix up combat, but the game’s arsenal was small compared to other FPSs I’ve played recently (notably: Doom 2016).
While I enjoyed the enemy design, I would’ve loved to see more variation among the Visitors. Also, while I loved the inclusion of a wide variety of yokai in the game, many of the encounters with them boiled down to a simple chase (the Rokurokubi) or annoying “forced stealth” sections (the Kappa, and to a lesser extent, the Karakasa-kozo).
Though the game pointed me toward some of its collectibles (the relics), the same couldn’t be said for Jizo Statues (used to increase the player’s “ammo” count) or Tanuki (another yokai that the player is rewarded for finding). I never found all the Jizo Statues nor all the Tanuki as a result, and I won’t be going back for them either.
The game’s final two bosses were mechanically easy and I beat both on my first try. I’d go so far as to call them too easy, especially since I struggled more with other parts of the game (including a few “arena” encounters with multiple enemies that were required to progress the story).
[Spoiler Warning] The protagonist’s little sister, Mari, is fridged at the end of the game. Sure, Akito promises to “meet her again after living a full life,” but with all the other supernatural shenanigans at play, I was disappointed that she had to die.
The DLC can be skipped. $30 USD for 5 outfits and a weapon (bow) reskin? No thanks.
(nit-pick) It was hard for me to follow the final boss dialogue and fight at the same time. I could’ve solved this by switching from subtitles to English voice acting, but that just didn’t feel right (partly because of the setting and partly because I had already spent the full game using subs).
(nit-pick) I found it odd that songs that played during the end credits didn’t include subtitles.

Conclusion:

Question: how far will top-notch aesthetics and a strong sense of place take a game when the moment-to-moment game-play is “mid?” Answer: about 30 hours in (aka to the end of the game, including plenty of side content). Ultimately, this was about as close to a trip to Tokyo as I could’ve asked for during the pandemic, making it more than worth the price of admission.

Check it out here.