In about ten days, players around the world will be able to discover Ghostwire: Tokyothe new production of Tango Gameworks for PS5 and PC. Between the trailers, the preview of gameplay broadcast to the public and the presentation to which we were entitled (read our impressions hands off), there was only one element missing to give us a good idea of the title before its launch: take it in hand. Thanks to Bethesdawe can already play it, the opportunity to give you our first hot opinion after discovering the beginning of the adventure, waiting for our full test soon. And as much to say at the outset, we were clearly not disappointed with this trip to the Japanese capital.
Ghostwire: Tokyo is shaping up to be a pleasant surprise.
Following a traffic accident which took place at the famous crossroads Shibuya Crossingthe main character Akito must live with KK, a spirit in search of a body with which cohabitation is not without difficulty during the first moments. To top it off, the population of the district vanishes in contact with a mysterious mist, leaving behind only clothes on the ground. And while strange Visitors straight out of urban legends appear in town, they are greeted by a man wearing a mask ofHannya showing up on the giant screens in the area, which our new partner seems to know well. The stage is set and the first chapter consists of go to the local hospital, where Akito intended to visit his sister. Inevitably, things are not going to go well since our masked man and his companions have plans for the young girl, at least her mind. The second chapter was already a little familiar to us since the presentation we had had used it to explain the basics of the game to us. Faced with such a mystery as to Hannya’s projects, we can only want to discover more , the narration being quite effective, mixing simple dialogues between the duo and well-worked cutscenes.
What struck us right from the start, right from the title screen, is intelligent use of DualSense by Tango Gameworks, which is nice to see. So navigating the menus emits vibrations, while the haptic touch immerses us more in the scene while it’s raining and we somehow feel the drops falling on our character or when we use our powers. KK is heard by him via the loudspeaker, a constant companion. Coupled with a first-person view, there’s not much missing to feel like you’re playing tourist. In addition, removing a seal requires replicating the gesture seen on the screen, either with the right joystick or directly by reproducing the sign on the touchpad, simple and effective.
In terms of gameplay precisely, we were a little worried that it would be too rigid, but it went pretty well in the endeven if our environment is quite static (a bicycle or a chair will not move on contact with us, for example). The handling is immediate and rather intuitivewith R2 used to shoot using our bow or the Aetherweavinga wheel allowing to select with R1 the active capacity, here the wind during our debut. Aiming aid via L2 is present if necessary and we quickly unlock a charged shot to undermine the strange creatures that have appeared in the streets. If they come too close to us, a parade with L1 saves us from losing life, while we can we sneak behind them while being discreet and squatting, before performing a Rapid purification, an elimination if you will. Otherwise, by dint of shooting from a distance, we make their hearts appear, which we rip out thanks to L2 (a very versatile trigger) in a stylish way. Our abilities consume PMa gauge that has not worried us for the moment, since their recovery by killing enemies or breaking objects is substantial. Akito is also able to jump (cross) and to call on the Spectral Vision (Square) to play detective and reveal hidden elements. Everything works wellto see how the gameplay whether or not it will become more complex afterwards. The famous fog propagated throughout Shibuya acts as a barrier delimiting our playing area, first in the corridor before opening up by purifying Toriia good way of not immediately getting lost in this open-world urban, which makes us walk the streets, but also the roofs.
Before concluding, a brief word on the visuals and the artistic direction. The graphics here are quite correct without being exceptional, with a notable contribution from ray tracing, reflecting well the neon signs in the puddles. The reproduction of this district of Tokyo is a real invitation to travel, with a whole host of perceptible details (drinks in vending machines, products sold in shops, indications in Japanese, etc.). The studio has not gone too far in terms of graphic modes, moreover, with the two main options Quality (up to 30 fps with ray tracing) and Performance (up to 60fps) both declining in HFI (High frame ratei.e. without limitation of frame rate with adjusted graphics) and HFI with VSync. This last option is useful to avoid image tearing on a 4K screen. For the moment, we have preferred Quality (HFI VSync) and the game runs like a charm. Finally note that a wide choice of languages is available on the dubbing side, including Japanese obviously, with subtitles, but also French, and a whole host of options for adjusting HUD, including color blind settings for accessibility. The frequency of automatic backups can also be set.
Our new impressions: Strongly!
Ghostwire: Tokyo is shaping up to be a pleasant surprise at the start of 2022, already well stocked with significant new video games. Our thirst for curiosity has not yet been quenched and the desire to immediately continue our exploration of Shibuya while discovering the rest of the intrigue surrounding Akito and KK is present. Hard to pick upso we’re going back there. Mata ne.
You can pre-order Ghostwire: Tokyo for the price of €64.99 at Fnac.
| Alexandre SAMSON (Omega Law) Responsible Corrector – Editor | ||
| Addicted to Assassin’s Creed and Destiny, great fan of RPGs and passionate about video game experiences in general. Reader of comics (DC) and various manga (One Piece!). Chemist by training and Whovian at heart. | ||
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