As alluded to in my preview earlier this month, Ghostwire: Tokyo is Tango's first truly open-world game. You're thrown right into a map comprising main missions, side missions, and much more minor activities. The difference here is that the world of Tokyo presented in Ghostwire is relatively dense, therefore the open world isn't vast, overwhelming, or unmanageable. Another key difference is the way combat is performed, using an range of talismans, charms, and unique spells to destroy the enemies you discover within the city. The important theme throughout Ghostwire: Tokyo is thusly so; it does what every open-world game has already done however in this type of uniquely compelling method in which it does not feel as trite because it should.
The combat is the heart of the experience with Ghostwire: Tokyo. Called Ethereal Weaving, it enables Akito to manipulate the elements to defend himself in the otherworldly visitors that Hannya has summoned. The 3 major powers you have behave similarly as weapons would in other games. The wind spell is a quick, handgun-like projectile, and the fire spell is a heavy and piercing explosive, while the water spell is much better for groups and up-close, just like a shotgun. All of them has a appropriate use within battle, depending on how the enemies swarm you. However, charms and talismans may be used to stun enemies and facilitate stealth options should you so wish.
You can attempt to play Ghostwire: Tokyo from the stealthy perspective. Akito also acquires a bow and arrow early on, allowing him to take down enemies without alerting others. In my preview, I'd hoped these mechanics would see some expansion beyond the arrows you get in the opening hours, but it continues to be same from start to finish. Other charms and talismans can be used to distract enemies or perhaps spawn vegetation to hide in, so there are options that encourage stealth too, however the bow and arrow feel undercooked like a mechanic.
The enemies you'll be fighting come from a pleasant pool too. While many of them are all different-looking humans, all of them serve different purposes in battle. A number of them tend to be more vulnerable to rushing you down, while others will stand back from a distance and pelt projectiles to you. Ghostwire: Tokyo's combat shines when it's throwing all kinds of enemies at you, and you have to handle them effectively using the spells and equipment you have on hand. But what's even better happens when it throws mostly of the non-human enemies to you. These demons sense like rejects from The Evil Within with their grotesque appearance and stranger abilities, with some even having the ability to separate Akito from KK.
There are moments when Akito and KK are separated, because of story purposes or during combat. During combat, it's stressful truly manageable enough to just go back to wherever KK's spirit is and reabsorb him. In my preview earlier this month, I was worried that the separation forced on the player during the story would become older fast. Thankfully, it doesn't happen anywhere close enough to become a problem during the main story path, that is a relief.
There's a handful of boss encounters that you'll be thrown into because the story progresses too. Similar to the enemies themselves, these are inspired by yokai but given a bit of a twisted visual update to better suit the vibe Ghostwire goes for. These boss battles are pretty standard – you simply pelt all of them with spells until they die – though one of these is more of the stealth encounter which I particularly enjoyed. That being said, I'd have appreciated if there was a bit more to those beautifully macabre creatures than simply wailing in it until they died.
I think that's the thing about Ghostwire: Tokyo that sticks out probably the most. A lot of the combat doesn't feel totally nuanced, as nearly every encounter merely has me scrolling through my powers and throwing them available until everything is dead. Like I've discussed earlier – perhaps it would've worked better if some enemies were weak to a specific element or if the enemy design was done so in a manner that required certain powers. It's a fun combat system; there's simply not much to it.
What really separates Ghostwire: Tokyo is when much of a joy it is to obtain around the city. In the get-go, you're because of the ability to grapple towards the roof from the buildings of Tokyo wherever a tengu (a type of yokai – more on those soon) appears. Later on, while you upgrade your abilities, you are able to grapple up to almost anywhere. Give a very generous glide mechanic along with a distinct insufficient fall damage and becoming around Tokyo is among the numerous reasons Ghostwire: Tokyo rarely feels tedious even if you're doing something as easy as climbing.
Thankfully, the side missions are just as compelling as the main story missions. All of them is usually associated with a yokai – a kind of friendly spirit pulled from Japanese folklore. Usually, you'll use the yokai inside a side pursuit to solve some small dilemma and be rewarded with collectibles that will enhance your skills. That being said, the style of these side missions admittedly feel like side missions. Most of them perhaps you have sneaking on someone or moving somewhere to find an item, or being transported for an arena to consider down enemies. They are, once more, nothing new for any game of this style, however the stories and activity types are varied enough to help keep things interesting.
Other less elegantly executed optional content comes in the type of the numerous collectibles strewn through the city. Spirits could be absorbed after which exchanged for skill points through the city. Shrines can be prayed at to improve the maximum storage amount or your ethereal weaving spells. There are also items and exchange them for currency in the games many floating cat shopkeepers. These facets of the sport will undoubtedly give players more to complete but have the most by-the-numbers when it comes to their design and implementation – they're incessant (although not compulsory) busywork.
Suppose you choose to do absolutely all things in Ghostwire: Tokyo. If so, you'd probably find yourself spending around 20 to 30 hours doing so, for the way efficient you are. The primary story required about fifteen approximately hours, however i did many side quests early on hanging around. Other difficulty levels provide a little more of the challenge, too, including one that see you run through the game without upgrades, but this seems like a traditional one-and-done single-player experience.
Without any doubt, however, Ghostwire: Tokyo is a visual feast for that eye. The neon-lit cityscape of this alternate world Tokyo is gorgeous – seeing the lights hit the wet pavement with raytracing is one of those experiences that you can't get anywhere else however the new consoles. The creature and yokai designs are all uniquely charming, also it all comes together to offer a world that's truly unlike anything in any other game. The music is similarly fantastic, adding that Japanese flair to an already strong and pounding dramatic score.
Ghostwire: Tokyo is a bizarre game – in writing, it sounds rather unremarkable. However in practice, everything comes together so wonderfully to offer an open-world experience where its resemblance of other games is quick to fade.
