With Ghostwire Tokyo, we have the last game Bethesda will release exclusively on the PlayStation 5 for now. Indeed, those agreements with Sony were made before the company was acquired by Microsoft. It’s the latest game from Tango Gameworks, who you know from the Evil Within games.
In Ghostwire Tokyo, you get to work as one Akito. It doesn’t start well for him, as at the beginning he is the victim of accident on the famous Shibuya Crossing. He doesn’t survive that, but is brought back to life by a spirit named KK. It’s quite a shock to him that he gets a second chance, but he can’t enjoy it for very long. Suddenly there is a mysterious fog, which causes just about the entire population of Tokyo to disappear. With the supernatural powers KK bestows on Akito, he goes on an adventure, especially when it turns out that Akito’s sister has been kidnapped by a badguy. With that, these are the points that stood out to me.
Ghostwire Tokyo Review
Looks insanely beautiful
One of the first things I have to say about Ghostwire Tokyo is that the game looks good. Not so much the characters in the game, there could have been a little more work put into that. No, it’s the world and the atmosphere that impresses. It is really very clever of the developers to put a city like Tokyo in a way that you have the idea that really just all life has disappeared. Despite that, you can still hear typical sounds of the city and the various neon lights are present in a nice way. The enemies in the game are a kind of spirits, which are also atmospheric, without being really scary.
A world to enjoy (Image: Bethesda)
Story manages to captivate
Another strong point of Ghostwire Tokyo is the story. At the beginning, it’s the mystery that makes you want to continue and understand what’s going on. But along the way, it’s more the bond between Akito and KK that takes over and how the two work together and are at each other’s mercy. This creates tension, but also mutual understanding. And you really want to see how the whole thing plays out.
Akito (Image: Bethesda)
An interesting fighting system in Ghostwire Tokyo
So in the world of Ghostwire Tokyo, you get to deal with all different spirt-like creatures. These you must defeat with your Ethereal Weaving skills, which KK bestows upon you. As a player, you are then using your hands to perform the various attacks on the enemies and ultimately defeat them. At the beginning, you have a single skill and it may be somewhat boring. But fortunately, new abilities are quickly added and the variety grows. Also, in the skill tree you can then unlock certain things. With that, you slowly but surely determine how you want to play the game.
Danger lurks (Image: Bethesda)
Platform elements
In addition to combat, you also have some room for platforming elements in Ghostwire Tokyo. In addition to the streets of Shibuya, you have the option of going up to the rooftops and exploring things there. It really makes you look beyond your nose. For example, you can discover various secrets there or it can ensure that you can surprise an enemy through the roof.
Visit different locations
Side missions you can forget about
I found the main story of Ghostwire Tokyo engaging and fun to experience. However, I am a little less enthusiastic about the side missions. You find these by clearing various Torii gates in the game of evil forces. Then you’ll see friendly spirits asking for your help. But mostly this is a case of ‘go here and pick that up’. It’s just not that interesting and often feels like filler, with the reward being the only reason to do it.
Torii Gate (Image: Bethesda)
This certainly doesn’t make Ghostwire Tokyo the best game you can get on the PlayStation 5, but if you’re looking for a game that does things a little differently, you’ve come to the right place. Want to read more about gaming? Visit our overview page here.
