Back at E3 2019, Bethesda and Tango Gameworks revealed their next project titled Ghostwire: Tokyo. At first glance, and based on what the developers have done in the past with The Evil Within series, you may think that it’s another survival-horror series. But as the developers revealed, Ghostwire Tokyo is an action-adventure game where you have to fight back against supernatural forces after a dangerous occultist named Hannya and his followers known as the Vistors causes Tokyo’s population to vanish in an instant. The main character named Akito allies with a powerful spectral entity known as KK to discover what happened and fight back against the invasion of hostile Vistors. We had the opportunity to see a hands-off demo of the game to see how the main character and his new spectral ally fight back against the supernatural threat using a combination of upgradeable elemental powers and ghost-hunting skills.
What makes Ghostwire Tokyo unique is its focus on Japanese legends, folklore, and tales. Players will go up against entities that populate Japanese culture. Some of which many may know about, others maybe not so much. Players will come across a variety of mythological beings known as Yokai such as kappa, ittan-momen, rokurokubi, and many more. The other thing that makes the game unique is how the supernatural element affects the world. Landscapes may shift, entire areas may be changed and have to be traversed in a different way similar to the Oldest House in Control. These are called Utena Spaces. The only way to power through these strange distortions in reality is to power through them. Both give Ghostwire: Tokyo its own aesthetic.
Another thing that makes Ghostwire: Tokyo unique is its combat. It’s nothing new or anything. It plays like a first-person shooter, but instead of firing guns, players have to master the art of Ethereal Weaving. This allows the main character to fight while using the elements. Players can fire off quick wind gusts at enemies, a fireball, or utilize water. You can shift between the three elements depending on the situation. Once a spirit has been weakened enough, you can grab its core and essentially reload on power for attacks. Players also have access to other equipment to help as well like talismans which trigger various effects when thrown and a bow and arrow.
The demo we saw was focused on closing a gate that are scattered throughout Tokyo. These are how the supernatural forces are getting in and wreaking havoc. In typical open-world fashion, closing these gates lifts the literal and metaphorical fog off of the veil and opens up the map. It also highlights different points of interest in a section revealing side quests, convenience stores where you can purchase arrows, consumables, and more. A side quest we saw showed a spirit needing help driving some evil entity from their home. This led to an Utena Space where the home started to shift, as the hostile vistor occupying the space kept changing things in order to escape. Eventually, Akito captured the hostile Visitor. Prior to getting to the gate, KK wanted Akito to go to his home where a special bow and arrow was waiting for him. You can use the bow either stealthily or during combat. The demo concluded after Akito and KK closed the gate.
As players fight back against the supernatural forces and explore Tokyo, Akito and KK will gather spirits that need to be sent back to where they belong. This is important because they act as currency for leveling up. Once you gather spirits, they have to be transported. You do this in phone booths throughout Tokyo. After they have been sent back, you get a certain number of XP which levels the player up and provides skill points which can be used to upgrade abilities, Etheral Weaving, and equipment.
Ghostwire Tokyo isn’t doing anything new or trying to reinvent the formula. While it may be a different type of game for Tango Gameworks, focusing on Japanese legends, folklore, and tales as well as the combat makes it unique.