大象传媒

By Ashley Dick // 大象传媒 The Social contributor // 21 March 2022

‘Tokyo Tokyo Old Meets New’ is the official slogan of Tokyo, and this essence has certainly been captured in one of this year's most anticipated games, Ghostwire: Tokyo.

Initially available on PS5 and PC only, Ghostwire Tokyo blends the world’s largest metropolis with Japanese heritage, folklore, magic, modernist style and heart.

We enter a dark, moody Tokyo as Akito, a young man trying to visit his hospitalised sister. Akito is caught up in a massive paranormal event that causes the sudden disappearance of the city’s population, while spirits from Japanese folklore take to the streets.

Akito is then possessed by KK, a spirit with unfinished business. Together they navigate Tokyo, using supernatural powers to fend off demonic spirits, solve the mystery of the disappearances and save the city.Exploring Tokyo is a lot of fun and you can tell a lot of love and care went into the design. Iconic landmarks such as Shibuya Crossing and Tokyo Tower anchor the city’s identity, and the narrow streets and collage of neon signs that the city is known for, create a spooky atmosphere.

I particularly enjoyed exploring the Fujiya Marts, which capture the fun and playful side of Japanese culture. If you’ve ever tried japanese candy, you’ll know how eccentric this can be!

The shopkeeper is a Nekomata, a floating cat spirit with two tails, which in Japanese folklore are known for being malicious toward humans. These Nekomata are very helpful, however, as the game subverts traditional traits of folklore.

Tokyo is swarming with demonic spirits, based on the Japanese urban legend, Yokai, but in English they are referred to as ‘visitors’. Yokai often feature in bedtime stories read to children, carrying messages of how to be a better person. But Kenji Kimura, the games creative director, described the Yokai in the game as embodying more of a spooky atmosphere.

There’s a seamless weaving of Japanese legend into the futuristic city, which feels very authentic. The magical elements don’t feel at odds with the surroundings at all, and it’s quite fun to learn a bit about myths and legends whilst fulfilling the main and side quests.

The world has subtle nods to Tango Gameworks, the company behind the design of the game. Various Tango references are peppered throughout, like an artist’s signature. The graphics are not groundbreaking, but that’s not what we’re playing for. The charm, story and game function take centre stage, but the city is still an awesome sight to take in.

The controls make full use of the PS5 controller and It can seem like you have a lot to remember, especially when in battle.

Buttons do different things depending on your distance from an enemy, or how damaged they are, and it’s wise to learn how to get the strongest impact out of each of your magical abilities.Some at first seem pretty weak, but in fact are super useful if you know when to use them. This keeps the fights interesting as you grow your understanding of your powers in each one.

You end up pretty in tune with the different abilities and find that you can flow through the game, learning from each challenge. But not all missions require summoning magic. In fact, stealth and strategy play a huge role in moving forward through the story. Some of the skills you learn may come as quite a surprise, and while they allow you to access more and more of Tokyo, they never make it too easy.

The game has a lot of interesting quirks that keep the story mysterious and the gameplay fun.

I feel the designers really knew their audience when they made the cats and dogs on the street interactive, even rewarding you for helping them, and giving them a role in helping you find what you need. The overarching goal of Akito is woven into KK’s motives and the attack on the city, We only touch base with his sister’s storyline occasionally, but its abstract feel lets you know that this is more than a simple search.

I became really invested in helping KK and Akito. I think the game does a great job of helping you buy into the stakes, and feel that the city is worth saving. My pro tips are buy as many Katashiro as you can afford, deposit spirits at the phone booths whenever you can, and grab all the food you can find! Even the gross leftovers on the street.

The game never drags, and honestly, it’s hard to put the controller down. Overall this is a really fun adventure, with great explorability and deep attention to detail.