Evil has completely taken over Tokyo and you are the City’s last hope. Ghostwire: Tokyo tells a tale of a man joining forces with a supernatural spirit to put an end to the invasion.
Ghostwire: Tokyo was released initially on March 25, 2022 on both the PlayStation 5 and PC, and with Bethesda‘s sale of ZeniMax Media Media Inc (Subsidiary of Bethesda Softworks) to Microsoft Xbox – Xbox Game Studio’s head, Phil Spencer confirmed that the game will be on Xbox Series X and S a year after. That time has now come, and it’s even sweeter when Ghostwire: Tokyo is also available on Xbox Game Pass. You know the drill – all you have to do is install the game, and then you’re good to go.
Ghostwire: Tokyo‘s The game’s developer Tango Gameworks was founded in Tokyo, Japan by a genius video game designer, director and producer, Shinji Mikami, in 2010. In 1990, he started out at Capcom and directed the very first Resident Evil (1996). It’s fair to say that this guy is big-time. And surely, you know of the games Evil Within and its sequel, right? Well, you can thank him for those as well. Although Mikami is not directing Ghostwire: Tokyo, he was still actively part of the title’s development.
Players are taking the role of the last known survivor of Tokyo – a young and handsome Akito Izuki. The city was cursed by a mysterious fog that turned anyone that it came into contact with – an evil spirit. Akito wakes up from a motorbike accident that rendered him unconscious, only to realise that his right hand is now possessed by an entity named KK. Both form an alliance to put an end to Tokyo’s largest threat, as well as uncover the dark truth behind the events.
Akito learns that the entity has not only given him supernatural powers but was also the reason why he was unaffected by the fog. And because of this, he is able to save his family, but he will have to get past the supernatural underworld. Just because Tokyo’s population has gone doesn’t mean the fog has, either.
Throughout Ghostwire: Tokyo’s map, some areas are covered in giant hazardous fogs that consume a player’s health if they enter and will kill them if they stay in it for long periods. Good thing that players are able to clear the surrounding fogs by cleansing shrines around the map by going up to them and holding LT.
Speaking of the map – it is very large and filled with a combination of gorgeous and grotesque designs all around. The dark, but with hints of brighter colours fits the theme and adds flavour to the horror atmosphere the developer was going for. And because of its size, you are fortunately given the option to fast travel if you don’t wish to travel to long destinations on foot. To do this, press the view button, go to the map, and you’ll see that certain icons allow you to fast travel. When the option is there, press the X button and you’re good to go.
As well as the good-looking design of the protagonist and his mesmerising abilities. Even the enemies look cool. And if you want to truly appreciate and capture Ghostwire: Tokyo‘s artwork, players can press the right direction to bring out the photo mode that includes the camera and the effects, filters, frames and more to suit their photogenic ideas.
This fearful main campaign is split into chapters, and as you progress, you’ll realise that Tokyo has become a sanctuary for terror and what players witness will eclipse a human’s worse nightmares – despite being an action-adventure. The story is well written, as well as immersive, and you’d play just to see what happens next.
Plus, the side quests are almost as compelling as the main missions – some of which are quite spooky, yet intriguing, and with the others, you’d just want to get them done and over with. But your hard work will always be rewarded, with prizes such as XP to help you level up.
Seeing as this is placed in Tokyo, it makes sense that the default audio is spoken in the native Japanese language and is supported by English subtitles. You can only change the audio by going to the options menu in the title menu. Personally, it’s better to keep the Japanese audio because the game would feel more authentic. There is something about the language – you would love to listen to other people speak it all day – and perhaps you’d like to learn it a little yourself.
Think about this, how often do you play an action adventure where your bare hands are your primary and ultimate weapons? It’s quite obvious that the combat is Ghostwire: Tokyo‘s brightest spark, as you are using your given powers with both hands. Albeit, the right hand is the power source, performing a variety of cool movement animations as they’re being executed. It works better because it’s in first-person view – giving the illusion almost if you’re the one actually unleashing the powers yourself.
Akito possesses a decent number of exciting and spellbinding abilities for players to have their way with the evil spirits – the combat is great – mainly by pressing or holding RT to execute ranged attacks, LT to aim, and clicking the right stick to perform melee attacks.
However, the combos’ depth is disappointing. Having to watch the enemies being eradicated from the use of Atiko’s powers is oddly satisfying – you’d need to hold the LT trigger to grab enemies’ cores to finish them off. Your powers do run out, especially if you went trigger-happy, and you’d need SP to start refilling ammo – the ammos of the weapons are located at the bottom right side of the HUD. One way is to simply eliminate enemies – not only are you rewarded with crystals, but also some more XP.
And Ghostwire: Tokyo‘s defence was given as much emphasis as you can block by holding the LB button that releases a large and flashy circular shield. Plus, you can parry attacks by pressing the LB button right before an enemy strike.
However, the shield isn’t very durable, and you will be left vulnerable after it takes a few strikes – especially against tougher enemies. This is why it’s important for players to practice timing the parrying mechanic because not only do they avoid taking great hits, but it’ll knock the enemies down temporarily. Stealth is also included, and to enter this mode, you’d have to press B to crouch, then sneak behind an enemy and hold the LT trigger to quick purge them and they’ll vanish after doing so.
The abilities, ethereal weaving, and equipment skill trees are designed to improve Atiko, and they do well with a compelling number of upgrades they have. Can’t really say the same for the inventory, especially the outfits, which are appealing, but the number of them is pretty low. However, the consumables, music and items are just fine.
There’s the bow and arrow – for which players need to press and hold the LT trigger to steady and aim and hold, and then release RT to fire. The weapon is excellent during stealth modes and saves the trouble of having to go right behind the enemies and stealth taking them down, destroying corrupt sources and eliminating evil flying spirits.
Note that players can switch between the ethereal weaving and the bow by pressing the down directional button, and when they’re in the ethereal mode, click RB to switch between powers. The only issue is that the ammunition is short – even after quiver boosting it.
Ghostwire: Tokyo has other mechanics, like entering spectral vision by pressing the X button. Spectral vision allows players to primarily detect hidden psychic energies. It has other functionalities that include spotting collectibles and uncovering corrupted sources. Players can also use this feature to communicate with animals – yes, you read that correctly.
One instance is when Akito befriends Nekomata, the cat, who is seemingly running the shop where players can purchase rations and holding the Y button to consume them and restore health. Players can increase the spectral’s proximity by heading to the skill shop and purchasing the upgrade in the ‘abilities’ section.
In Ghostwire: Tokyo, players can enjoy mini-games like the Hand seals to break through obstacles. This is how it works. Firstly, you’ll need to press the LT trigger to interact with the obstacle. Then, when a player is given a barrier to unlock, such as doors – players are required to use the right stick to form seals and match the shapes of the signs. After doing so, they need to press both the LT and RT triggers at the same time to release energy to advance.
However, if a player is uncomfortable doing this, they can hold the X button to let KK handle them. Although they aren’t very difficult to do, so KK might not be needed very often, if at all. But it’s nice that this option is available, just in case.
Players have over other benefitting functionalities. Example: If players are in a dark area, they can press the up-directional button to toggle the flashlight. Or absorb and transfer spirits with Katashiros (supernatural paper models that stock spirits) – to do this, players need to be close to a spirit and hold the LT trigger to collect them.
With Ghostwire: Tokyo, players can have up to 50 Katashiros – they are located at any convenience store and cost about 3000 Meika. You can keep the collected spirits or hand them over to any phone booth all over the map – and you can trade for rewards like currency and XP. To get more money, players need to press LT to open objects such as trash cans.
You should know about The Spider’s Thread, a brand-new update with Ghostwire: Tokyo‘s Xbox Series X and S release. It’s also available on PlayStation 5 and PC. Keep in mind that players can’t enter this mode until they’ve completed Chapter 2 of the main story. The Spider’s Thread is a rogue-like mode that constantly tests players in a 30-stage gauntlet. This is a very impressive improvement because this mode includes new stories, extra side missions, locations, skills, enemies and much more.
Ghostwire: Tokyo possesses a culmination of a good story, fun side missions, tightly written dialogues, great combat, and much more to furnish a fundamentally unique open-world action adventure that will surely give you the heebie-jeebies from start to finish. While it isn’t perfect, Ghostwire: Tokyo still a fine project that Tango Gameworks can be proud of, and seeing that it’s now on Xbox Game Pass, it’s a huge bonus. Plus, the inclusion of The Spider’s Thread provides more content to have you sticking around a lot longer.
