With the upcoming release of Tango Gameworks’ Ghostwire: Tokyo, we got our hands on the game ahead of time and can share our experience with the first two chapters. In those chapters, we’re introduced to our main protagonists, Akira and KK, as they explore Shibuya, a district of Tokyo. The adventure wastes no time putting you straight into the action with KK attempting to possess Akira, forcing the two to work together.
We’re given a haunting experience immediately as the game begins, with the citizens of Shibuya vanishing from an unknown fog. In their place are dangerous spirits known as Visitors wandering around the streets, making the open-world exploration a difficult and challenging task. Despite these chilling sights, Shibuya remains unchanged, and the dancing bright colors from the modern world break through the fog, illuminating everything in a brilliant flourish. Although the fog keeps you on a linear path for some time, this limitation does not last long.
The glowing environment is apparent in every aspect of Ghostwire, and moving around the game feels weighty. Akira has no experience with anything from the supernatural, making his first few steps feel rough and hefty. Akira’s personality is reflected in his movement, making every turn through Shibuya challenging, and KK doesn’t do much to offer proper support. Previous trailers have shown hints of Akira and KK talking together, but the first few hours highlight their lively back-and-forth dialogue, making for a budding partnership between the two.
A true highlight from these early chapters is the combat of Ghostwire. Akira must use KK’s Ethereal Weaving powers given to him as a side effect of the possession, giving him the ability to control Air, Fire, and Water spells. While earlier trailers have shown these powers at work, controlling them is another matter. Much like Akira’s first few steps into the supernatural world, they carry weight, and missing a shot will cost you. More of these powers become available as Akira and KK put their differences aside, and continue to work together to solve the problems of the besieged city.
When hit, the Visitors’ bodies reflect damage, illuminated by Shibuya’s lights to accent these phantom figures. The impact of this effect is truly satisfying as Visitors stagger from a well-timed Wind charge. There’s no blood and gore making these sights grotesque, but the wounds drip luminescent orange, providing a direct contrast to the dashing colors through the city. Although the graphics are eye-catching, the combat demands your attention, making a battle between three to four Visitors feel challenging and a rewarding experience to complete.
There’s a lot going on in the first two chapters, but we’re only given a small glimpse of the expansive open-world waiting for us in Ghostwire: Tokyo. Many features are only hinted at within these first two chapters, but they go by quickly and steadily open up more of Shibuya for us to explore as we dive deeper into the adventure.
