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Ghostwire: Tokyo is that rare occurrence: a first-person shooter from Japan. Though calling it a shooter feels like a bit of a stretch, or maybe even a tad reductive considering the complete lack of firearms–unless you count finger guns. This does mean Tango Gameworks’ latest title is unique from the get-go, especially when compared to the more predominant Western shooters. Whether its anomalous combat is engaging enough to sustain an entire game remains to be seen, but after playing through Ghostwire: Tokyo’s first two chapters, the early promise is certainly there.
In Ghostwire: Tokyo, you play as a young student named Atiko Izuki, who just so happens to be dead. The game begins with its protagonist lying face down in the middle of the road, succumbing to his injuries after a fatal car accident on Tokyo’s famous Shibuya Scramble Crossing. He’s then saved when a shadowy spirit known as KK merges with his body, restoring him to life. The unnatural union between the two gives Atiko supernatural powers that pulsate from his fingertips, which is ideal considering the rest of Tokyo’s residents have been consumed by a malicious fog engulfing the entire city. Evil spirits now roam Shibuya’s streets in their place, summoned here by an enigmatic man wearing a Hannya mask.
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Now Playing: Ghostwire: Tokyo Video Preview
KK wants revenge on this concealed antagonist, but the question of “Why?” isn’t answered in the game’s first two chapters. Atiko’s motivations are more generic, as his younger sister has been kidnapped by the villain for nefarious purposes. It’s not clear if she’s going to be anything more than an archaic damsel in distress at this point, but either way, the narrative hasn’t grabbed me just yet. That said, there’s potential in KK’s backstory and the mysteries surrounding it, and I’m eager to uncover more. The banter between the two protagonists has been a highlight so far, too, with their natural dialogue and budding relationship adding some levity to the sometimes-bleak subject matter.
For the most part, however, the story has taken a backseat to Ghostwire: Tokyo’s combat and exploration. With KK’s spectral powers running through his veins, Atiko is able to defeat Shibuya’s ghostly invaders by unleashing magical projectiles from his fingertips. In the game’s lexicon, this is known as Ethereal Weaving, with each type adopting a different element such as wind, fire, or water. You begin the game with Wind Weaving, which allows you to pepper enemies with rapid gusts of air by tapping the shoot button. Holding the button down, on the other hand, charges up a more powerful shot, and if you damage an enemy enough, their inner core will become exposed, allowing you to extract their irregular heart for an instant kill.
Your defensive capabilities are limited to a block that negates partial damage, and a perfect block that requires precise timing to parry an attack and nullify all damage. Battles can descend into chaos at times, particularly when you’re fighting multiple enemy types at once, so Atiko’s lack of maneuverability feels like a hindrance on occasion. There are indicators to warn you when enemies are attacking from off-screen, but with no dodge or even a quick turn available to you, your only recourse is to turn around and hope you can block whatever’s heading your way. This takes some getting used to, and I eventually learned to focus more of my energy on positioning in an attempt to keep each enemy in front of me.
By the end of the second chapter, I gained access to both Fire Weaving and Water Weaving. The former lets you shoot explosive balls of fire that deal a lot of damage, but your spectral ammunition for it is limited compared to the other abilities at your disposal. Water Weaving is ideal for close-quarters situations, unleashing a horizontal burst of water that’s comparable to a shotgun blast with its wide spread. You also gain access to a magical bow that’s useful when you want to take a stealthy approach, letting you silently pick off enemies from afar.
Combat becomes much more dynamic once your arsenal begins to grow and you start to consider what the right power is for each situation. Atiko’s animation really sells the whole concept, too. His fingers are constantly contorting into different shapes, pulling off the finger gymnastics required to use these supernatural powers, and the feedback you receive when you connect adds to the satisfaction. Ghostwire: Tokyo mixes Japanese folklore with contemporary touches, and this is especially evident in its enemy design. The apparitions you’re fighting might be evil spirits, often based on yokai, but your attacks rip off these digital chunks that make it looks as though they’re constructed from LEDs. They feel like a representation of Tokyo, where the city’s modernity meshes with its past, as towering skyscrapers sit next to traditional Shinto shrines.
Exploring the city is a significant part of Ghostwire: Tokyo. After a linear opening chapter, the game’s open world becomes available to you. Much of the city is still obscured by malevolent fog, so traversal is limited until you can clear it away by cleansing the various Torii gates located throughout the city. You can visit convenience stores staffed by enchanted talking cats, where you can purchase consumables like Takoyaki, rice balls, and Dango to replenish your health. Shrines will often have Omikuji you can use to reveal your fortune, giving you temporary buffs in combat, and you can even feed the stray dogs now roaming the city streets.
Most of your time in between story missions, however, will be spent taking on side quests. Friendly spirits will request your help dealing with various problems throughout Tokyo. For instance, a young girl asks you to retrieve her grandmother’s cherished umbrella after it transforms into a yokai, while another spirit is concerned about the negative energy emanating from a bathhouse. Completing these side missions usually takes no more than a couple of minutes, and there’s not a lot of depth to them. Finding an object or defeating a few enemies is all they amount to so far. You do occasionally get to learn about different facets of Japanese folklore, so hopefully these side quests evolve and become more interesting in later chapters.
It took me six hours to beat Tokyo: Ghostwire’s first two chapters, which speaks to how much there is to see and do within its open world. Ideally, the side missions will improve enough to make them worthwhile, and I’m interested to see how the combat progresses as I unlock more of Atiko’s skill tree. The story hasn’t grabbed me just yet either, but its mysteries are definitely intriguing and I’m curious to see how it all plays out.
Ghostwire: Tokyo is set to launch on March 25 for PS5 and PC.
