It’s been almost 3 years since Ghostwire Tokyo was announced, but it hadn’t shown much to the public until then, and it does not yet have a release date. But she shouldn’t be too far away, and we’re expecting her for the spring, since we were able to discover a long segment of gameplay of a beta version of the game, and that the studio would be doing the finishing touches. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to play, but the presentation was varied and comprehensive enough to give us a solid idea of what Ghostwire Tokyo should offer players when it releases. Before starting, it should be noted that the game is rather action-adventure oriented in a supernatural atmosphere, and it is not intended to be scary, contrary to what the studio’s previous game might have suggested.
Uber exorcism
The concept of Ghostwire Tokyo is reminiscent of the scenario of a lot of Japanese anime, including the recent and popular Jujutsu Kaisen, by having us embody Akito, a young man who, by a combination of circumstances, becomes a kind of modern exorcist in an urban environment after being possessed by KK, the spirit of a professional exorcist who has just passed away and who counts get revenge. And that’s good, since there are a lot of new customers just waiting for him. Indeed, the entire population of Shibuya district in Tokyo has just disappeared from the real world, and a strange mist has invaded the place. All of these poor inhabitants have been transformed into spirits that serve as food for the supernatural monstrosities that await them on the other side of the veil. It will therefore be necessary to travel through a large part of the city deserted by its inhabitants in order to purify the temples, help the harmless spirits, and obtain the power required to face the masked antagonist responsible for the situation.
On some points, the game is a bit reminiscent of Cyberpunk 2077, there is the first person view and fights of course, the urban exploration too, but also the narration centered on the dialogues between the protagonist and the spirit that currently resides in his head. But the comparison stops there. The atmosphere, the powers and certain obstacles make us rather think of Control, for example, but in the very popular district of Shibuya, and facing different urban legends and Japanese myths. Akito confronts them with his exorcist powers, called ethereal weaving in English, which consists of wiggling his fingers all over the place in a way that is very impressive in game, but which makes you look completely stupid if you try the same. thing in real life. He must then finish off his targets by quickly tearing off their core, otherwise the evil spirits will recover and return to the attack. FPS requires, and as the majority of spirits fight in melee, Ghostwire Tokyo does not seem to rely on dodging at all, at least from what we have been able to see. Instead, Akito must use one of his powers with the right timing to block the attack, or even return it to the sender.
The passage shown in the beta took place at the very beginning of the game, so the fights are a little too easy and repetitive at first, but things seem to be moving pretty quickly, with the addition of a bow, fireballs, and most importantly much tougher enemies. The game also includes a little side infiltration too, which allows you to directly eliminate some spirits by approaching silently behind their backs, it’s fashionable. They have not been detailed, but the different talents to be unlocked by gaining levels should make it possible to approach encounters in different ways.
Ghost of Tokyoshima
The progression seems to mix neighborhood exploration, story missions and the discovery of nearby points of interest. Initially, the Tokyo map is covered in mist, but eliminating enemies near a temple, then purifying it, reveals part of the map, in addition to offering a reward whose quality depends on its size. The most common is a kind of paper talisman called katashiro, which allows you to absorb the spirits of the inhabitants in order to rescue them and evacuate them via a telephone booth (Don’t ask us why). A detail that is intriguing to say the least is that the figure given after the fact was 40 spirits saved out of more than 200,000, or the entire local population. Expect some big story-related shortcuts to save everyone, otherwise the hunt for collectibles is going to be hardcore, but increasing its spirit storage capacity seems important.
Exploration also seems to rely on the local equivalent of Witcher’s scanner/sense, with spectral sight, which highlights important objects, enemies, and hidden items. This allows, among other things, to find weak points in obstacles that block the way or to reveal secrets. The other encounters in the streets are quite varied, such as a sales cat, a ceremony to be interrupted, but also various quests, a friendly spirit who needs his help to free a zarashi barashi trapped inside a building, which triggers a load during the transition. This may disappoint those who hoped for a unified world, but in return, it allows you to do things a little crazier. The few indoor quests shown during the presentation were also quite close to what you can come across in Control, with places that deform and change as you approach, corridors that extend, illusions to undo, etc. . Once the evil spirit is defeated, return outside to complete the quest, with a reward at stake.
Due to the urban environment, buildings in the city center naturally form barriers and obstacles that greatly limit exploration. So we’re not entirely sure how well it will be possible to explore the map ignoring the story, but at least part of the roofs of the buildings can be explored. A kind of spectral grapple is used on a tengu in order to reach an altar at the top of a building. He is then confronted with his colleagues, before resuming the exploration from roof to roof. Akito also has a kind of spectral dash which allows you not to have fun on the macadam like an overripe tomato after jumping from the railing to reach the main street and discover what plot concocted by the main antagonist awaits us then. The latter also seems strongly present, at least at the beginning of the game, since he does not hesitate to provoke Akito and to make fun of him through different visions and television messages, which is a bit think of the dictators from the Far Cry games.
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