Ghostwire Tokyo (PS5) Preview

I’ve had my eye on Ghostwire Tokyo since it was first announced at E3 back in 2019. I had followed along with The Evil Within franchise and knew that this action-adventure game by Shinji Mikami and the people at Tango Gameworks would have an interesting concept to it. Now that I’ve played through the first two and a half hours of Ghostwire Tokyo, I can definitively say that there is definitely some magic here.

You play as Akito, a young man who is injured in an accident and winds up housing the spectral being known as KK. They begrudgingly team up to fight a mysterious group of people in Hannya masks, who seek to capture the spirits of Tokyo’s citizens in order to perform some ambiguous ritual. In the process, Akito’s sister Mari is taken by this group for mysterious reasons, and it is up to Akito and KK to stop these people.

From the very first few minutes of the game, Ghostwire Tokyo oozes with style and atmosphere. You fight monsters known as “Visitors” which are inspired by the spirits and ghosts of Japanese folklore and myth. You fight with a magical combat art known as Ethereal Weaving, able to utilize the elements (initially only Wind) in order to attack enemies. Once you deal enough damage, you can expose their core and remove it, killing the enemy. However, you can also kill them just by dealing damage in a high enough volume.

The combat feels good, and there are even stealth takedowns (crouching lets you sneak), as well as a melee attack in case you’re out of ether (basically magic ammo) for your attacks. There are lots of things to find out in the world, though I’ve only experienced a few. Torii Gates allow you to push back the fog which damages you if you venture out in it.

You can find spirits out in the world and can absorb them into your Katashiro, then free them at a phone booth to get XP and Meika (money). Money can be used at Nekomata shops, in order to buy consumables, more Katashiro, and dog food, which you can use to feed dogs around town. I haven’t explored much of that yet, but I’m excited to since you can pet the dogs too.

There are relics that consist of either traditional Japanese items or references to Japanese horror. One relic I found was a cursed videotape which is a clear reference to Ringu. I’m not sure if the relics serve a purpose yet, but I’m excited to find them all. Every item, note, and piece of lore in the world has plenty of text, often showcasing Japanese culture or folklore.

Ghostwire Tokyo also has a clear “creepy” vibe, but there are no jumpscares (at least not yet) so I find myself enjoying it. Being able to fight back also emboldens me, so I don’t consider Ghostwire Tokyo to be a full-on horror experience. The plot so far is interesting, and I’m excited to see how things unfold. I’m also excited to explore Tokyo and experience every bit of content the game has to offer. The gameplay feels pretty fun too, especially with the adaptive triggers and haptic feedback of the Dualsense PS5 controller.

There will be a full review coming this week (ideally) but this is just a taster. I’m really enjoying my time with Ghostwire Tokyo so far, and I can see all the love and care that has gone into the game. Tango Gameworks has really created a hauntingly beautiful experience here. Ghostwire Tokyo releases on March 25^th, 2022.

A PlayStation 5 key for Ghostwire Tokyo was provided by Bethesda for preview and review purposes.