Ghostwire Tokyo arrives in all your favorite shops this March 25 on PC and PS5. We were able to see the end of the adventure on console a little ahead of ordinary mortals, and we’ll tell you right away if we are in the presence of a future “killer app” for the PS5, or a ghostly exclusive!
Resident Evil, Dino Crisis, Devil May Cry, Resident Evil Rebirth, PN03, Viewtiful Joe, Resident Evil 4, Killer 7, God Hand, Vanquish, Shadows of the Damned… and more recently, The Evil Within. The resume of Shiji Mikami has positions of high responsibility in the video game is as long as the arm, and strewn with unforgettable nuggets, entries in the pantheon of the video game.
He returns with his Tango studio with a new game: Ghostwire Tokyo. Will it live up to the legend of the aforementioned titles? Will it hold up to other recently released open-world games like Horizon 2 or Elden Ring? These are all questions that will be answered in this TEST!
Who are we calling?
After an elliptical introduction to the possible which sees the streets of the Tokyo district of Shibuya invaded by a mysterious mist which consumes its inhabitants, Akito seems to be the only one still alive and KK, a ghost of his condition, will try to possess the young man. The two will have to live together and the beginnings are stormy. But the objectives of Akito and those of KK will come together: the first wants to save his sister, and the second, to take revenge on the villain, precisely the one who kidnapped the sister of his host. And he will share his magical powers with the latter.
The past story will reveal itself as it goes (why is KK a ghost?). This scenario is not necessarily very inspired but can be followed, but as we will see a little later, it finds itself a little ruined by a rhythm broken by many pirouettes of exploration gameplay which drag out the quests. . You see, in the movies, when we worry about seeing the hero leave without having locked the door: Here, we almost feel the opposite phenomenon!
What is the other Ghostwire Tokyo application that is available on the store?
A prologue in visual novel form is available for free as a standalone application. We went through it, but it really doesn’t add much, remains made like the most basic of visual novels and shows little interest: the start of the game is still just as cryptic!
Is there Killer 7 in him?
The story is available with French voices, but also Japanese, English, and even Russian. The atmosphere of the city remains in Japanese no matter what, but this is not a guarantee of sound success. Between the crows that grow near the unbearable main objectives and the music that is as generic as possible, the audio part is very easily forgettable.
Visually on the other hand it is very worked. The city shines with 1000 neon lights and other giant advertising screens, the light effects are up to par, and the staging effects evoke PT, Matrix or The Evil Within. We can even have fun with a photo mode! It’s really very stylized and the cinematics sometimes offer some beautiful scenes. The monsters are not left out with their empty faces. On the other hand, all this is not very scary, if at all!
6 display modes will be available as long as you have a compatible screen: 4K Ray tracing and tutti quanti limited to 30 PFS, and performance limited to 60. Then, the two previous modes but without framerate limitations. Finally, we use the same two modes with an additional technology that removes the crazy tearing caused by the high framerate in quality mode. Either way, whatever you choose, on PS5 it works really well, loading super fast, and the game’s shimmering colors are backed up by near-flawless technique: it’s beautiful, as is the overall wrap.
Finally, know that the DualSence is well used, with discreet vibrations, gadget triggers but a loudspeaker which transcribes part of the dialogues – the voice of KK – and which warns of nearby secrets when you walk around the map.
Desmond MilesTokyo
If from an artistic and technical point of view Ghostwire Tokyo is therefore very convincing, the same cannot be said for the gameplay. On the action side, already. The game adopts a first-person view. With KK’s powers, we’ll be able to shoot with his hands. Wind, fire, water attacks… Each works like a basic FPS weapon: pistol, shotgun… A bow is also available and the sensations remain very basic when faced with hordes of enemies who are often content to load. We can play it infiltration with spectral vision, but the method quickly shows its limits. Other options such as talismans are available, the improvement of skills via basic trees, as well as three levels of difficulty, but overall, it is not with the fights, moreover functional, that we took our foot. The boss fights, for example, are quite tasteless. Ghostwire Tokyo remains a very basic and generic action game.
What about the open world?
What about its open world promises? Well imagine that we weren’t seduced by this aspect of the game either. If the city of Tokyo is faithfully represented and it’s a pleasure to play the tourist, the sometimes tortuous level design of the dungeons is offset by the yamakasi capabilities of the hero, who can even use a grappling hook, the open world mechanics are outdated. They refer to old Ubisoft creations such as Far Cry or Assassin’s Creed, and the progression is more basic. Quest objectives lengthen the scenario by making you visit the city for a yes or a no, and sometimes the main mission objective forces you to explore the “temples” which will reveal the map and chase away the surrounding fog… Count 10 good hours to get around the main storyline, and nearly double that to properly explore and do a good chunk of the side quests, which sometimes stand out with some interesting storylines. But despite everything, we still feel a lot of redundancy and repetition in the activities offered on the menu! And it’s not the few… 245,000 souls to be collected that made us want to chase the trophy! 245,000!
Ok, we pick them up in packs of 100 and the follow-up is almost effective, but the traumas of Dead Rising and Gears of War are surging back!