Ghostwire: Tokyo isn’t actually a horror game, but it certainly looks like that. Tango Gameworks brought this about, a studio headed by the designers of the first four Resident Evil games and the recent Evil Within duology.
While playing Ghostwire: Tokyo, an action-horror game that incorporates the terrifying aspects of Japanese mythology and the eerie emptiness of modern Shibuya, I found myself most unsettled by something unintentional: the main character’s misshapen, claw-like hands.
I don’t think Akito’s hands should look weird. The animator wants to make it look elastic, as he’s the only part he sees regularly. But trying to make hands that look almost realistic, inhumane, and flexible resulted in them camping deep in the uncanny valley. I held her hand in front of the screen, stared at Akitos from her, and spent awkward times trying to understand what was so bad about Akito.
Ghostwire: The main attraction of Tokyo is combat. In 2022, we’ve seen many accurate and penalized fighting games. Elden Ring and his mentor in the world love to hurt you and let you learn the rules of the game brutally. Ghostwire: Tokyo wants to shed light on the turmoil of the bad guys and provide an excellent magical hand to see them melt.
The fight is so much fun, and it’s good because you do a lot of it. It is neither overly complex nor complicated. It’s a collection of neon pulses of different colours, two amulets that act as some grenade, and your spirit bow, which is my favourite of the protagonist Akito’s props. Finally, this game provides enough archery buffs to kick out most enemies with a clean headshot before most enemies find you, whether from the rooftop or adjacent alleys.
Ghostwire: Tokyo is the best PlayStation 3 game in a few years. It’s like an excellent Japanese view of the infamous game. Ghostwire: Tokyo is almost a great game, and it’s not a bad game. The settings and atmosphere are great, the design is perfect, and the story and voice acting are perfectly appropriate. But the gameplay itself isn’t particularly appealing, and without it, all the other elements can’t save much.