When Grandmaster Shinji Mikami releases a new IP, the Invader editors are shaken to their core. Though the man’s last excesses shone— The evil in and its sequel – especially in mediocrity if you are the father of resident Evil hot, you will always be remembered as an unadulterated legend. In Ghostwire: Tokyo It trades pure survival horror for an action-packed first-person adventure. But don’t worry: the Japanese carousel works overtime here too.
strange couple
Welcome to Tokyo, the most impressive metropolis in the world, where neon reigns and disaster is about to happen. Each inhabitant mysteriously disappears during an invasion by mysterious and disfigured beings called visitors. The body of the young man Akito, the protagonist on duty, is poisonously attacked by the ghost detective KK, who blesses him with magical powers. While both have their own agendas, this odd couple must willingly join forces to rid the metropolis of all its demons and stop the supernatural gang behind it all, a sinister group clad in traditional Hannya masks.
Ominous atmosphere
Anyone familiar with Mikami-san’s oeuvre knows that he’s cheesy and eschews deep character development (because while they’re timeless classics: resident Evildrowns in the cheesiness). It’s the same here: the plot rarely reaches us and the interaction of the mischievous lead duo rarely goes beyond silly one-liners. As far as the mood is concerned, the Japanese shows himself to be a genius. The beautifully landscaped misty streets of Shibuya and Co. Get the most out of your PlayStation 5 and immerse yourself in an ominous atmosphere that alludes to the many fiendish creatures that cross your path at all times.
Ethereal Weaving
Luckily you’re not a helpless bastard, but KK offers you an arsenal of magic tricks called Ethereal Weaving based on wind, fire and water. With the trigger buttons you shake the most spectacular elemental projectiles from your sleeves, with the all-searing fireballs on your head. When a spirit has suffered enough damage, you can rip their souls from their bodies, after which they are gone forever.
Combat is as eye-catching as it is satisfying, and there’s a feeling of learning moves that means there’s little chance of boredom. The only blemish on the heraldic shield is a lack of dodges (or do we have too many elden ring play sitting?). A block option aside, it’s pretty difficult to get out of a confrontation with an army of wild visitors unscathed, especially since the ammo isn’t exactly rampant. So Shinji hasn’t completely left the survival aspect behind.
In theory, Ghostwire: Tokyo an open-world game, although it didn’t feel like it for us, as many locations are only accessible if you clear the fog by clearing the many torii gates, and the dialogue continuously pushes you towards the main missions. But if you wish, you can indulge in the many side quests that Tokyo at night has to offer, or use your katashiro to rescue lost souls. Both actions increase your XP, which in turn grants access to additional and/or stronger abilities. Improving Akito’s skills is very smooth, so grinding isn’t an issue here. Not unimportant for those who are struggling with time pressure.
Also for the faint hearted
Also not unimportant: How scary is this death march? Because anyone who uses the word “horror” quickly ends up in a niche of daredevils. Well, while Tango Gameworks’ enemy design once again deserves credit for its cunning monstrosity, we never really squeezed it thanks to Akito’s multiple ways of destroying visitors. Action comes first, so hesitant cowards can confidently book a one-way ticket to virtual Tokyo, even if the dark metropolis is perpetually claustrophobic.
Above all, different Ghostwire: Tokyo stands out from the rest because of its uniqueness. Yes, we may have seen every single element in previous games, but Mikami’s blend of Japanese horror folklore, a beautiful recreation of ultramodern Tokyo, and magically assisted first-person shooter action creates a never-before-seen experience that we can only imagine , to applaud. We never felt like we were immersing ourselves in an instant classic, but we didn’t get bored for a second, even if the shine fades a bit towards the end. Great addition to the increasingly impressive PS5 library.
Source: invader.be
