Ghostwire: Tokyo is insane, visionary and spectacular
Ghostwire
In Ghostwire: Tokyo, the capital of Japan appears deserted and sinister. At the Shibuya intersection there is not a soul, the shopping malls are completely abandoned, in the empty parks the yakisoba stalls are left unattended, while in the wagons of the Yamanote line, often crammed with people to the point of overflowing, not a soul can be seen . The only voices you hear are those broadcast by the advertisements on the billboards and, if it weren't for some music coming from who knows which shop, there would be a deathly silence in the street.The most disturbing detail, however, are the clothes: hundreds, perhaps thousands of shoes, jackets, skirts and trousers abandoned on the ground or in the cars, as if their owners had suddenly melted.
In total contrast to what was done with Deathloop, around Ghostwire: Tokyo Bethesda has communicated very little, helping to maintain a strong aura of mystery around the project. But when the release on PlayStation 5 and PC is just a few weeks away, we were invited to a presentation event to discover new portions of the game and get a little clearer idea of what awaits us in the fascinating Tango Gameworks project.
All the details that we will tell you in this preview of Ghostwire: Tokyo.
Haunted Shibuya
"All the people of Tokyo are gone" is the simple premise with which the director Kenji Kimura introduces us to the story of Ghostwire: Tokyo. An idea that brings to mind the post-apocalyptic city of Tokyo Jungle or the deadly stage of Alice in Borderland, but which in the new game by Tango Gameworks takes on supernatural horror hues and draws heavily on Japanese folklore. The whole area of Shibuya has been shrouded in a strange fog, and it seems that all the people within it have been transformed into spirits. Not all of them, actually.We will in fact take on the role of Akito, a Japanese boy who for some reason survived the curse and who soon makes the acquaintance of the mysterious KK, a ghost hunter with whom he will make a pact: KK will help Akito to find his sister, while together they hunt down Hannya, a masked man who appears to be the evil mastermind behind the disappearance of all of Shibuya. But there is a problem: the city has been overrun by what are called Visitors in the game, dark creatures that present themselves as ghostly versions of Tokyoites.
In addition to slow salarymen and headless schoolgirls, Ghostwire : Tokyo will be full of scary enemies. With those huge scissors, hardly this lady is here for a haircut There are headless schoolgirls armed with knives, businessmen hiding a cadaverous face behind a black umbrella, and demonic creatures that haunt every street in the city. To defend himself, Akito will learn to master a supernatural power called Ethereal Weaving, a skill that allows him to perform elemental attacks from a distance through quick hand movements.
A couple of exaggerated hand movements and Akito can hit the Visitors with some air slashes. Instead of colored numbers or health markers, the game hints at enemy energy through visual cues, such as tattered umbrellas or creased clothes. After a number of attacks, a gash in the ghosts' chest reveals an energy core, allowing Akito to destroy it to recharge his energy reserves.
Powers from beyond
Ghostwire: Tokyo teaches us a fundamental truth: Opening umbrellas indoors brings bad luck By completing missions, gaining experience and continuing the story, Akito's arsenal is enriched with new powers and abilities. In addition to air attacks, we've seen him launch powerful flames that explode on contact with enemies and sharp blades of water, while consumable talismans allow you to paralyze enemies with an electric shock. Catching an enemy by surprise can be eliminated with a single shot from behind, and with the right timing it will be possible to send energy bullets back to the sender. In order not to miss anything, Akito will also have a bow with which to attack enemies and hit distant objects, but his spiritual abilities are so choreographic and powerful that one wonders how useful the arrows will really be in combat.In Ghostwire: Tokyo it will be possible to collect and release people's spirits at payphones. At least they have found a usefulness. The impression is that Akito will not have too much trouble dealing with groups of two or three enemies, especially the simpler ones. The clashes, however, will soon become more intense, crowded and unpredictable: a decapitated student approaches in lightning fast bursts, while a terrifying figure jumps on us armed with enormous scissors; the ghost of an office worker launches a kiss from which deadly spheres of fire depart, while there is no shortage of abominable creatures, such as a boss with a woman's head and an animal body. It's hard to judge the feel of the combat system without spending a few minutes with the pad in your hands, but seeing Akito in the middle of Shibuya's crossroads throwing lightning bolts and tongues of fire at a wave of ghosts in every direction was undoubtedly one of the Highest moments of the presentation. Not the highest, the highest we'll get there in a while.
Shibuya will be full of animals, such as cats, dogs and raccoons. It will be possible to pamper them or read their thoughts. It should be clear by now, but it should be reiterated, Ghostwire: Tokyo is not a survival horror, but an action adventure with numerous fights, missions to complete and a classic progression system of the character and his skills. The accumulated experience points allow you to increase the level of synergy between Akito and KK, thus unlocking new skills or enhancing those already obtained. Maybe you decide to increase the speed with which you move, or you prefer to increase the frequency of hits or the range of an attack. The equipment can also be improved, for example by increasing the number of arrows or food that can be transported.
Ghostbusters
In Ghostwire: Tokyo there are cats who are shop assistants in supermarkets ... What's wrong? A large number of harmless spirits lurk around Shibuya just waiting to be released. Using paper dolls (traditional katashiros), these souls can be captured and then delivered in exchange for experience points and money at special phone booths. (afterwards it will be possible to move from gate to gate using fast travel). Each area of the city then hides collectibles to collect, small jizo statues to find and amulets to collect.The Ghostwire: Tokyo map indicates side missions, collectibles to be found in each area and torii gates to use. for quick travel and clearing new areas of fog The fact that 200,000 people have suddenly dissolved into thin air does not mean that Shibuya is completely deserted. In addition to the frightening Visitors and the spirits of the old inhabitants, numerous yokai, supernatural creatures typical of Japanese folklore, are hidden in the narrow streets of the city. From funny kappa to terrifying rokurokubi, to huge tatsu dragons flying over Shibuya's skyscrapers, the developers promise to fish out the bestiary of Japanese myths and legends.
The skill wheel gives an idea of Ghostwire's paraphernalia: Tokyo; in addition to the three elemental powers and arrows, there will be consumables such as talismans to paralyze enemies. Finding and "collecting" the yokai will certainly be a good pastime, but some of them will have a very specific utility. The tengu are flying spirits that can be hooked from a distance to allow Akito to project themselves over the buildings of the city, while in the supermarkets and kiosks on the street we will meet nekomata, cat-like yokai from which to buy equipment or delicious Japanese food.
Interferences and hallucinations
In Ghostwire: Tokyo, side missions will refer to urban legends and traditional Japanese tales, but the maneki neko with the mask was missing This pinch of folkloric madness is nothing compared to the most absurd and destabilizing moment of the whole presentation. Tasked with searching for the source of a dark energy inside a building, Akito and KK visit an apartment that seems quite common at first. He finds a series of documents scattered on a table, a pile of manga and DVDs next to the television, a frying pan left on the stove and some clothes abandoned on a chair. Apart from a slight clutter, the place seems to have nothing special, until an "interference from beyond" turns everything upside down in an instant.In Ghostwire: Tokyo there will be several moments like this ... A black slime begins to haunt the walls, a room is invaded by the roots of a tree, and the whole apartment turns into an architectural nightmare, in where the bottom becomes the top, the walls take the place of the floors and a huge dark room hides inside a wardrobe. Akito opens a door and finds himself on the bathroom ceiling, leaves the room and is in a corridor with doors and paintings in every direction and on every side. One moment everything is tinged with red, a moment later the walls become invisible and below you can see all of Tokyo.
... suddenly. Meaningless The effect is mind-boggling, and as objects move and furnishings transform, equally mind-boggling sequences can come to mind in games like FEAR and Eternal Darkness. any moment Akito could find himself lost in absurd worlds, and judging by the trailers and the words of the developers, moments like this the game should be full of them. In a few moments we saw snow-capped mountains, ghostly islands, haunted woods and giants crossing dreamlike environments, and the hope is that Ghostwire: Tokyo will be able to surprise and surprise for the duration of the adventure.
Much of the presentation will also have focused on Akito's combat mechanics and abilities, but the real strength of the new Tango Gameworks game could be its paranormal and disturbing imagery, the atmosphere that reigns between the streets of Shibuya and the way in which the rules of the world are twisted before the eyes of those who play. The quality of the story remains a question mark, as does the feeling of the fights, but if Ghostwire: Tokyo turns out to be half as fun as it sounds spectacular and visionary, we may already be faced with one of the big surprises of the year. br>
