Ghostwire: Tokyo Review: I Ain’t ‘Fraid Of No Ghost

It’s finally here. An anomaly spawned from Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda, Ghostwire: Tokyo, despite technically being a first-party Microsoft title, was stranded on Sony’s PlayStation 5 for a little over a year due to binding agreements put in place for a year-long period of console exclusivity on Sony’s machine. With the exclusivity window now over, the action-horror shooter from Tango Gameworks is now free to strike fear into the hearts of Xbox gamers everywhere.

It’s safe to say that it’s been worth the wait. Already a solid title, it’s clear that Tango Gameworks wasn’t just content with simply porting over the exact same experience that PlayStation fans received last year, instead opting to flesh out certain systems along with addressing some of the game’s shortcomings, as well as adding a generous helping of new content. The end result is absolutely the best version of Ghostwire: Tokyo yet.

A Twisted Take On Tokyo

For those coming in blind to the world of Ghostwire: Tokyo, it drops players into the shoes of Akito in the aftermath of a tragic motorcycle crash he suffered in the heart of Tokyo. As Akito comes around, things quickly turn south as the city becomes enveloped in a mysterious mist that causes the residents of the bustling city to disappear into thin air. It becomes clear pretty soon that the strange turn of events is down to the actions of a mysterious masked antagonist, Hannya, who intends to trap the souls of the recently disappeared citizens for nefarious means. Adding to the intrigue further, Akito’s sister seems to be integral to Hannya’s plans. If that all sounds like a lot for a mere mortal to take on, fret not, because Akito soon gains the help of KK, the spirit of a man who, for some reason not yet known, seems to be able to combat the ghosts that Hannya has unleashed upon Tokyo. Reluctantly, Akito agrees to let KK possess him, which lends him KK’s supernatural powers, a huge advantage for Akito in his quest to save his sister and get to the bottom of the mystery that has wiped out the entire population of Tokyo.

When Ghostwire: Tokyo dropped last year, I was of the view that the narrative, while intriguing, was one of the areas in which Tango Gameworks had dropped the ball. Characters weren’t fleshed out as much as I’d have liked, and certain plot beats simply didn’t get enough focus for me to ultimately care about much of the world and its story. I wasn’t the only one who felt this way, and it’s clear that Tango Gameworks took the criticism around the narrative to heart because a host of new and extended cutscenes have made their way into this re-release. There’s nothing earth-moving here, and the narrative ultimately remains the same, but certain characters and story segments get a bit more love than in the previous release. It results in a story that is fundamentally the exact same; it is, however, fleshed out a little more to the extent that I definitely felt more of an attachment to the characters and the world of Tokyo this time around.

Smart Refinements

On the gameplay front, it’s again a case of smart refinements that build on what was already a really satisfying loop of exploration and paranormal combat.

You’ll spend your time following Akito and KK in their primary goal of taking down Hannya and saving Akito’s sister, all while becoming hopelessly distracted by the plethora of side quests and collectibles on offer. Side-quests remain a highlight for me, with these bite-sized missions being handed out by lost souls, with the narrative often exploring the tragedy behind their disappearance and the troubles they were experiencing at the time of the fog rolling in. The objectives are rarely interesting, often boiling down to fetch quests or tasking players with taking out a number of enemies, but the writing helps elevate them and is surprisingly poignant.

Already stuffed with reasons to comb through this exquisitely detailed edition of Tokyo, Tango Gameworks has gone above and beyond with this latest update, adding new areas to explore, complete with more spine-tingling tales to uncover. The school district is the clear highlight in terms of the new ground to cover, and while tormented Japanese high schools may be an overused trope in the horror genre, the lavish attention to detail and impeccable environmental storytelling helped elevate this new area into my favorite district in the game. Most importantly, it makes a repeat playthrough all the more worthwhile for anyone who has already beaten Akito’s adventure. It would have been so easy for Tango Gameworks to simply port over the incredible world they had already created; honestly, few would have complained, given how excellent a setting they had already produced. For them to add entirely new areas at no extra cost whatsoever (bear in mind all the new content mentioned here is making its way to the PlayStation and PC versions via a free update) is commendable, and plenty of developers could learn a thing or two from Tango Gameworks in how to go about re-releasing an already fantastic title.

The refinements also extend to the gameplay itself, as combat has also received some attention. By and large, it’s still the same elemental-based spell-weaving system that plays very much like a first-person shooter, minus the firearms. Wind, water, and fire-based attacks all return, with the same beefy upgrade tree that allows you to augment and increase the damage Akito is capable of dishing out. The headline additions here are the addition of a proper counter attack which can be launched into following a parry, and a dodge, both of which make Akito feel infinitely more mobile and responsive in the heat of battle with the ghostly hordes. The 2022 release had combat that, to be blunt, could feel a bit limp at times. Fights became tedious slogs that saw you launch a few attacks before having to try and lumber out of the way using Akito’s naturally slow movement speed. While movement speed is still generally slow, the parry and dodge allow for keeping up the forward momentum in a way that wasn’t previously possible and makes combat feel much more engaging as a whole. This added dynamism is complemented further by new enemy types and talismans, making combat more unpredictable and varied than ever before.

I could probably draw a line under it there, and I’m sure you’d agree that the developers had already gone above and beyond with this re-release. But, if for some reason you’re still not sold, maybe the entirely new game mode, The Spider’s Thread, will grab your attention. While I doubt, it’ll become the main reason people start flocking to Ghostwire: Tokyo, it’s a fantastic distraction that leans on the ever-growing popularity of the roguelike genre. With over 100 levels to work through, each demonstrating Tango Gamework’s exquisite attention to detail, I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface of this new mode. With persistent upgrades, and the refined combat, it feels like Tango Gameworks are really onto something here, and I’m genuinely surprised that this wasn’t a paid piece of DLC given the depth I’ve seen so far.

Warts And All

Despite the great lengths gone to by Tango Gameworks to update and address some of the original release’s core issues, there are still a couple of irritants that have made their way over by virtue of them being baked into the core design of Ghostwire: Tokyo.

The primary offender is just how on-rails the opening hours of the campaign feel. The map, at the outset, is largely obscured by a fog that will simply kill you should you try to push too far past it. It means for the first while, you’re limited to a handful of districts, and the scope for exploration is pretty much non-existent. It’s a design choice that continues to frustrate me, because, as it was last year, this version of Tokyo is a pure delight to explore and get lost in. The attention to detail is second to none, and as soon as I dropped in, I again wanted nothing more than to get lost in its maze-like streets and alleys. Of course, you can just blast through the story till the world opens up sufficiently, but it still feels incredibly restrictive compared to similar titles, which set you loose on their worlds immediately.

I also continue to find Akito’s movement a slight pain. Combat is much improved through the expanded move set, but general traversal still feels imprecise and cumbersome. It still feels like there is an ever so slight delay between button inputs actually being reflected on screen when navigating the world, and while I did get used to it much like I did last year, the opening hours continued to feel incredibly alien due to just how strangely Akito can feel to control.

A Treat For Newcomers And Existing Fans Alike

Ghostwire Tokyo’s Xbox release is a triumph. Not content to rest on their laurels, the hardworking developers over at Tango Gameworks have taken a year to evaluate what didn’t work with the original release, and in turn, have done a commendable job that not only adds a substantial amount of new content but also fixes a lot of the issues that dragged the 2022 release down. Ghostwire: Tokyo may still suffer from a couple of legacy issues with regards to the pacing and overall movement, but they’re small blemishes on an otherwise impeccable re-release that’s absolutely worth investing in, regardless of whether you’re stepping into Akito’s shoes for the first time, or intending on making a return trip to the demonic streets of Tokyo.

Final Verdict: 4.5/5

Available on: PS5(Reviewed), PC; Publisher: Bethesda Softworks; Developer: Tango Gameworks; Players: 1; Released: April 12, 2023; ESRB: T for Teen; MSRP: $59.99

Full Disclosure: A review code was provided by the publisher.