GhostWire: Tokyo

A Hidden Gem Worth Discovering

When I first laid eyes on Ghostwire: Tokyo, I wasn't entirely sold. A brand-new IP with a unique combat system that relies on hand-based moves rather than conventional firearms? At first glance, it felt like a hard sell. I remember rolling my eyes at the trailers, thinking, "This isn't for me." But one late-night impulse buy during a sale changed everything, and I've come to regret not diving into this captivating world sooner.

The game throws you into a fog-shrouded version of Tokyo, where the atmosphere is thick with mystery, and the shadows hold terrors that defy description. As the protagonist, you find yourself possessed by a spirit who grants you powers to combat a variety of ghostly threats. You learn early on that your main objective is to rescue your sister from the clutches of a sinister villain, but the true beauty of the story blossoms over time. It starts a bit slow, a touch indifferent, but as you immerse yourself in this eerie world, you find yourself genuinely invested in its outcome. The development of the plot, combined with several engaging side missions, made me eager to uncover every little detail.

Speaking of side missions: wow! In my 24 hours of playtime - which could easily have extended further if I aimed for 100% completion - I discovered a wide array of tasks each with their own drawn-out narratives. While some missed the mark for me (the merchant cats offering fetch quests did not hold my interest), others were downright ingenious. One particularly memorable side mission took me to a school, where I had to solve a mystery. Let me tell you, it was one of the best gaming experiences I've ever had. The tension built beautifully, and the story felt robust, leaving me in awe of how well it was crafted.

The combat system took me some time to warm up to. Initially, it felt a bit lackluster to be using elemental attacks with my hands instead of firearms; however, as I upgraded my skills, everything shifted for the better. Each elemental attack had a satisfying weight and visual flair, and while it never reached the hair-raising heights found in the Resident Evil titles, it carved out its own niche. The designs of character enemies, from ghostly school children to ethereal mermaids, drew even more enchantment as I realized there was depth hidden within their backstories, even if I couldn't grasp all the cultural references.

Exploration is another major aspect that kept me glued to my controller. Climbing rooftops and racing through streets to save trapped souls became a rewarding engagement that I looked forward to. Finding a new vantage point to seek out more lost spirits offered a sense of accomplishment. The game beautifully conveyed an expansive and hauntingly beautiful version of Tokyo, albeit with its spectral inhabitants.

Now, I do have to mention a couple of downsides. The reliance on Japanese mythology sometimes left me feeling a bit lost. There were moments when I sensed I was missing layers of meaning due to my lack of familiarity with the lore, which could make for a discouraging experience at times. Additionally, the volume of side content occasionally felt overwhelming - a minor block to truly enjoying the main story.

Despite its setbacks, Ghostwire: Tokyo deserves more attention than it received upon release. I often think of how this game is a hidden gem, and it baffles me that the studio behind it was closed down. With its solid mechanics, captivating story arcs, and visually stunning world, this game is begging for more installments, yet it feels like that dream may never come to fruition.

So, I'll end with this - Ghostwire: Tokyo is an 8/10 in my book. It's not a perfect experience, but it certainly is a worthwhile adventure that surprised me in ways I never anticipated. Whether you're a fan of supernatural narratives or just in need of a new world to explore, don't let this one slip past you. I promise you, it's a ride worth taking.

Greetings from Lithuania.

"GhostWire: Tokyo" was a solid game despite its flaws. I 100% this game, and now starting it's new expansion called "Spider's Treat".

The things i liked the most about "GhostWire: Tokyo" was its unique setting - Tokyo. Its really an impressive setting, and game makes it even more amazing by twisting it into "Twilight" territory. Story wasn't nothing to write home about and it was weak in my opinion, yet ending was a bit touching. Combat was pretty average. Exploration of Tokyo itself was good - yet this game features arguably the most collectibles I've encountered in a game in a very long time. To collect it all was a daunting experience, yet more satisfying then in some Ubisoft titles.

Overall, a good game with a unique setting. While story was weak i did 100% in this game because overall loop got me involved.

I was excited for this game since it was first revealed with that initial teaser trailer and because the developers, Tango Gameworks, made one of my favourite games of all time; The Evil Within. This is not that. This is a game that screams troubled development and a divided creative team.

The game seems to be stuck between being a fast paced doom style fps, a gritty detective thriller and a traditional survival horror. It does these things competently but by trying to combine all these different elements it comes out a little hollow.

For example in combat there is a lot of Bullet Hell style projectiles flying at you yet you arent equipped with a dash or double jump so combat feels alot less fun and fast paced then it could have. Their are also only really 4 main upgradeable weapons and you get the fourth and final one not that far into the game making the game play loop a little more boring and uninteresting because of the lack of variety even if the visuals and animations are great. The game is completely bloodless too which makes the combat less punchy and satisfying because you're essentially just fighting semi tangible ghosts and i wish they could have somehow added some cool gore effects when using spells on ghosts. The game has a grapple move which i was initially thrilled with but it's honestly pretty limited and even if you gain the ability to grapple where you want, it's not really "anywhere" just predetermined spots and not to the kind of scale that a Arkham game would have. These undercooked elements scream of rushed deadline or late edition because i could absolutely see the traversal mechancis being loads of fun if the game had more time and focus.

On the Detective Thriller side of things a few of the side missions where you go into a building and talk to a ghost and help them move on are legitimately fun and interesting distractions. However, there are so many of these side missions that alot of them feel copy and pasted to fill out a map and i really think the game would have faired better with less but higher quality and original side missions. Investigations are okay with typical trailing style missions but the game would have benefitted with more interesting dialouge choices and ways to interact with the enviroment, maybe a Resident Evil style examine and inspect option could have helped make you feel way more like a detective prowling a crime scene.

On the Horror front, which i and many others initially believed the game to be, the game is a mixed bag. The monster design is great and wholly original in alot of ways and the inclusion of Yoki is also welcomed although i feel like their presence should have been more prominent. Despite these great designs however the game is never scary which would be okay because they are going for something else, but the game is also not really that tense because of the plentiful resources and KK's commentary.

Although i've been bashing this game so far i do actually enjoy it. The combat isn't as good as it could have been but it's still really solid. The game has alot of charm and the world is interesting to explore even if some of the samey looking city locations get a little tiresome near the end. The sound design and animations are great and it did keep me hooked throughout the entire game. Another strength of this game is just how unique it is, the last big budget game with this level of unique style was probably Death Stranding, and although that game turned out better it's still commendable that this got made.

Overall, i do not think this game is worth the money full price. It's just a little too scattershot for me to confidently say that i would recommend someone buy it right now. As soon as there is a price drop or sale then i honestly would recommend giving it ago, you might like it or hate it or somewhere in between but you definitely won't regret playing it and seeing what it's all about.

Just gotta tweak some settings. I am gonna leave all the settings here for players who are newly strating or planing to buy it.

Vibration - On Adaptive Triggers - On Left Thumb Deadzone: 0 Right Thumb Deadzone : 0 Aim Assist - On Invert Camera Axis X/Y Axis - Off Camera Acceleration Speed - 85 Camera Deceleration Speed - 80 Camera X-Axis Sensitvity -45 Camera Y-Axis Sensitvity - 45 Camera Sensitvity (Aiming) - 45 Camera Sensitivty (Bow Drawn) - 45 Now after playing with these settings you can adjust the settings to whatever you like, tweak it higher or lower according to your comfortibility. Happy Gaming, Gamers.