GhostWire: Tokyo Is Not a Horror Game, But Will Still Have “Moments of Spookiness”

Given the fact that GhostWire: Tokyo is coming from the makers of The Evil Within, and from a studio led by Shinji Mikami – the creator of Resident Evil and father of the survival horror genre – it’s not surprising that most are under the impression that Tango Gameworks’ upcoming first person title is also going to be a horror game. That, however, is not the case.

Speaking recently in an interview with Game Informer, game director Kenji Kimura said that though GhostWire: Tokyo will have “moments of spookiness and mysteriousness”, it is not a horror game, and is instead an action-adventure title.

“Ghostwire: Tokyo is an action adventure game, not a horror game,” he said. “That being said, there will be moments of spookiness and mysteriousness. Because we are using Japan as the setting, we hope to deliver a fun experience packed with ominous, mysterious, and spooky elements based on Japanese Yokai folklore, fables, urban legends, and famous scary stories.”

When asked about how GhostWire: Tokyo differs from the two The Evil Within games, Kimura said that though it has the same strengths in terms of atmosphere and “eerie vibes”, the fact that it is being developed as an out-and-out action-adventure title allows it to “create a different kind of fun” compared to the studio’s previous efforts.

“Ghostwire: Tokyo takes the strengths of Tango Gameworks – such as realistic graphics, creating atmosphere, and eerie vibes –and evolves them in a slightly different direction. This gave birth to an ominous, mysterious Tokyo that one might even say is eerily beautiful,” he said.

“The challenge of making an action adventure game has given us an opportunity to create a different kind of fun when compared to what we previously offered,” Kimura continued. “This is something that we hope players will enjoy because it allows for gameplay focused on exploring the city of Tokyo, solving a deep mystery, and overcoming various challenges and threats through the use of special abilities inspired by traditional Kuji-kiri hand gestures.”

GhostWire: Tokyo will launch in 2021 exclusively for the PS5, and will also come to PC at some point.