The year 2022 is barely three months old that we already have several combat-oriented games at hand, the high quality of which is matched only by the difficulty. Punitive titles like Elden Ring Where Sifu are built around mechanics and rules that you learn the hard way. For the youngest of Tango Gameworks, Ghostwire: Tokyoit’s quite the opposite.
Ghostwire tells the story of a Tokyo suddenly shrouded in a mysterious fog that wipes out its population and replaces it with sinister specters called Visitors. We embody Akito who, just before this event, suffers a car accident. In the aftermath, a spirit-hunting ghost named KK, in search of a body shell to manifest, takes possession of Akito’s dying body. Although they need each other in this specific context, that does not mean that their objectives converge and that there is a good understanding between them. In fact, their relationship boils down to recriminations about being stuck with each other, an overused theme that falls flat here. We are far from the level of writing of the relationship between V and Johnny Silverhand in Cyberpunk 2077, for example. As for the main antagonist, he never goes beyond the stage of the one-dimensional villain whose motivations are in no way moving. On its own, and despite a promising premise, it’s a story that’s nothing short of extraordinary.
Tango Gameworks made its name with the horror game The Evil Within. And if at first sight Ghostwire may suggest that it is in the same genre, it is not so. It is above all an action game with a small dose of fear on the sidelines. If you are looking for a good scare, you will be disappointed.
Where the game redeems itself is with its hauntingly beautiful depiction of Tokyo where hypermodern and traditional aesthetics blend together. A detailed, intricate world strewn with the belongings of its departed inhabitants. We gradually unlock it as we clean the Torii gates, in a game loop that we end up loving as much as hating it. This calculated progression not only advances the main story, but also gives access to new, much more interesting side quests, in which we help spirits to free themselves from past traumas that prevent them from moving on to the afterlife.
The combat mechanics have the advantage of being simple, to the detriment of a cruel lack of depth. Although fun in spurts, they quickly become repetitive. Akito uses KK’s powers, which come in three forms: a rapid-fire projectile (wind), a heavy attack (fire), and a short-range attack (water), the use of which is limited by a gauge of ether that it is possible to fill. At least they have the advantage of being visually elegant, thanks to the beautiful animations and light effects that emanate from Akito’s hands as he executes his attacks and then grabs the hearts of his enemies and seals them away. These, however, suffer from a glaring lack of variety, with their attack patterns too similar to be really difficult to defeat. The fights at the end of the game are basically identical to those at the beginning, and facing the same type of enemy over and over unfortunately adds to the repetitive nature of the game.