New horror from the creators of The Evil Inside

The highlight of Ghostwire Tokyo The urban character that gives the game its title. The city speaks to us, expresses its consciousness and grandeur, walks side by side through the neon-lit streets, among the piles of rubbish thrown on the edges of the streets, in the glorious holy places, the symbol of the distant past, and in the sterile skyscrapers the emblem of the luxurious gift. Hopping between buildings, entering the complex managed by Yokai felini, visiting apartments decorated in typical Japanese style or sliding from rooftops, admiring the Tokyo skyline and taking in the city’s smallest cultural and artistic nuance are precisely the activities that give Tango Gameworks a unique charm, in balance Continuous Between Realism and Folklore (Learn more here, Ghostwire Tokyo Special: Between Japanese Mythology and Folklore).

The ultimate spirit imagined by the authors of The Evil Whitin It is far from being a flawless product in all aspectsHowever, the sum of its components is greater than the hilarious pebbles that sometimes appear during exploration and battle. Ghostwire Tokyo exudes an all-Japanese vibe, filled with humor, psychodrama, social criticism and a hint of horror. And in this combination of materials and shades lies all its strength.

Yokai camp

Yes, Tokyo is uninhabited, but not without dangers. The yukis who fill its streets aren’t all in the same danger, but none of them are worth underestimating. There are those who act slowly, creatures that attack from afar, spirits that strike from above, monsters that fight hard and demons, despite their overwhelming size, attack quickly and violently. Different types of brutal actions do not require a special tactical fighting style, but it is advisable to always keep your guard to avoid timely strikes while avoiding entrapment.

To defend ourselves from the abominations of the underworld, we will be able to rely on the forces of the ether, the spiritual energy associated with wind, water and fire. Through the motions of the hands, animated with colossal hypnotic elegance, we will cast initial bullets, long-range strikes, and grenades from our fingers, weakening the enemies to reveal their essence, To extract it afterwards with an equally fiery terminator and bring Yokai back to life afterwards. Choreography is replacing tactics, but this flair for fantasy isn’t necessarily due to its set of flaws: Ghostwire Tokyo aims to set up a smooth game without being raw and intuitive without establishing itself as too cliched. Each power has its own amount of magical ammo, and we won’t be able to bring it down to the bitter end without first reloading it by eliminating demons during battle. In short, throwing yourself into a fight with your head down does not guarantee a clear victoryAnd already in the advanced stages (and in the most complex challenges) it may be effective to combine the use of ether with the effects of spells, some of which temporarily impede opponents’ progress or cover their field of vision.

In some cases, the best solution to avoid feeling tired may be to act stealthily, avoid direct conflicts, or strike at a distance with an accompanying bow. The opportunities offered by the combat system are certainly not limited, but they are not all equally satisfactory.

The fight against hordes of demons rarely puts you in a crisis, and in most cases the sense of accomplishment comes from the dynamics of the action and surrounding influence, not quite from the degree of motivational difficulty. We do not deny that during the second half of the experience, once you unlock all the powers and make the most of the skill tree, The taste of clashes becomes less palatableTherefore, we believe that a more balanced level of complexity will make the adventure more satisfying.

Explore the city

How Tango Gameworks Captured Exploration of Tokyo She looked smart enough. With the desire not to propose an action-packed world, or a not-too-obvious expanse, the studio under the direction of Shinji Mikami presents a map of small dimensions, not completely accessible at once (here you’ll find our Exclusive interview with Shinji Mikami).

In fact, a mist of supernatural origin swept through the city and prevented access to certain areas: in order to move more freely, we must clean the torii gates scattered throughout the city, located next to the streets and on the roofs of the city. buildings. buildings. In this way, the team suggests that we visit every corner of Tokyo a little at a time, even vertically, and switch between going to the main task by completing a few secondary tasks, letting us feel each macro area by heart.

Beautiful city to see and hearAs we told you before Ghostwire Tokyo . TestThe visual beauty of the game lies not in the artistic component but in its artistic direction. Six graphics options are available: Quality (with packet tracing at 30 fps), Performance (with 60 fps), High frame rate and performance, and HFR Quality and Performance with V-Sync enabled. However, none of these looks offer a captivating look at the tech avant-garde. On the other hand, what often makes you speechless is the undoubted charm of the capital, which despite being uninhabited, ironically appears to be very “alive” and dense. Thanks to careful artistic and vocal selections, with Yokai music, sounds and verses that help nourish anxiety, and excellent dubbing in Japanese and Italian. Finally, the applause goes to DualSense, whose use follows the same philosophy that characterizes nearly every aspect of the game: moderate, never insulting or exaggerated, but unquestionably attractive.

Plus, even with the fully unlocked map, it won’t take long to get from one extreme to the other, as designs at all levels are designed to encourage moderate and very intense exploration of triggers. This is made possible by the excellent reconstruction of the city, where each street has its own distinct characteristics, as well as by the skillful use of horror by Tango Gameworks. Although horror is not the primary matrix of Ghostwire Tokyo, No shortage of brushstrokes to worry aboutWhen menacing shadows fall on the walls as we walk through the neighbourhoods, or when infernal marches suddenly appear before our eyes, they engulf us in a parallel dimension from which we can escape only after each opponent has been eliminated. The logic behind Ghostwire Tokyo’s narrative and exploratory development lies in this balance between content and extension, linearity and freedom, fear and lightness: a balance that can be at least partially expelled into the current spectrum of repetition, which sometimes traces back to the difficulties of our games.

What can you do in the capital

Since Yokai invaded the city, there is a lot of work to be done. First of all, it is necessary to save lives that cannot “pass” scattered in every corner of Tokyo: to do this we need several katashiro paper dolls that serve as containers for alcohol. The more we buy, the more orcs we will be able to combine at once, after which it will be necessary to empty the contents of the special phone booth that serves as a bridge between our world and life afterwards.

The process of recovering these lost lives is the least disguised activity in all production: they are hundreds of thousands, and the feeling of repetition begins already after a few rescues; Not to mention that transforming souls rewards you with a large number of points and experience points, Helps us get up too quickly (maybe too much). Fortunately, at the end of the game, an ability is unlocked that can significantly speed up this assembly process. The rhetoric is completely different when it comes to secondary missions: when we clear an area of ​​fog, new optional missions will always appear on the map, all containing (some more, some less) with a cool Japanese look.

This means that we will be able to find ourselves in situations that are peppered with deep drama, and others peppered with Gilardia. Even with a certain qualitative deterioration, The side activities are quick and well calculated, not only because of the very limited duration and therefore fortunately not at all claustrophobic, but also because it has sufficiently diverse gameplay mechanics. In a few minutes we will be facing stages of platforming, ghost hunting, investigative analysis with our superhuman skills, battles in the last Yokai, and very strange demands of some queer spirits.

And along the city we will also encounter cats and dogs, which will be fed and followed for great rewards; Or we will have the opportunity to enter into groups or buy stocks, katashiro, spells or foods for regeneration and health. Not to forget that a careful exploration of the capital will reward us with statues or jewelry that are not only fancy collectibles, but also valuables that some Yokai cats pay us generously. That’s why Ghostwire: Tokyo likes to be smart: without exaggeration , for 15-20 hoursTango Gameworks suggests tasks that are mild, carefree, and effective now, but unite them all with a splash of craziness.

Tokyo stories

Tokyo is a wonderful narratorA container with stories ranging from deep social problems to everyday fun. There are many layers to the story in Ghostwire, and they are all worth discovering.

First of all the main story, the story of Akito and KK: the first is a 22-year-old student, the last survivor of Hania’s plan, a man who has taken the souls of the townspeople and kidnapped his sister. The main character, for reasons that you should find out in the course of the work; KK is instead the spirit of a former mysterious hunter, who infiltrates Akito’s body to continue the search for his old rival Hannya. The relationship between the two characters is the very powerful driving force behind this well-written supernatural drama, which constantly oscillates between irony, tragedy, horror, and dystopia. Between a well-defined supporting role and valuable visual choices (the result of Tango Gamework’s horror experience), Ghostwire story: Tokyo continues with a sequential rhythm, then slow down a little towards the end. The playful tones of the story and the quality of the text are also reflected in the secondary quests, which in short indicate how fun it is to reveal all the subplots of the city, full of tormented souls, unfinished business and the elimination of phobias and unresolved fears.