It’s a fairly big season for the PS5 players with Horizon Forbidden West out now and garnering acclaim while Gran Turismo 7 is out soon. Among the many high-profile exclusives is Ghostwire: Tokyo, developed by Tango Gameworks of The Evil Within fame. Unlike the latter, it leans more towards a paranormal action-adventure with a few horror elements. Ahead of its release on March 25th for PS5 and PC, let’s take a look at 15 things you should know before picking it up.
Story and Setting
Set in near-future Tokyo, the story sees almost all of the city’s residents suddenly vanishing while malicious spirits called The Visitors invade. You play as Akito, a human survivor who finds himself possessed by a powerful spirit named KK that bestows various powers to help him defeat the Visitors. While KK has his own agenda, the two agree to work together to survive. In the background, a strange group of individuals with Hannya masks seems to command The Visitors and may have something to do with this vanishing of Tokyo’s people.
Influences
Aside from the different urban myths and legends influencing the designs of the Visitors, there have been a number of influences for Ghostwire: Tokyo. These include Ukiyo-e Japanese woodblock prints that depict Yokai; novels like Passage by Connie Willis, Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Brain Valley by Hideaki Sena; and movies like Solaris. Even manga like Clamp’s X have had some manner of influence.
Initially Planned as The Evil Within 3
You’d be forgiven for seeing a few of the shifting, surreal environments in Ghostwire: Tokyo and thinking of The Evil Within. But this is far from a coincidence since, according to GameSpot, the development team initially planned for this to be a sequel in The Evil Within series. It eventually went through enough changes that the team went with making a new IP instead of The Evil Within 3 but a few similarities still remain.
Combat
While The Evil Within conformed more to third person shooting and survival horror, combat in Ghostwire: Tokyo is in first-person and mixes hand gestures for casting spells with weapons like Talismans and bows. You can block attacks with a spectral shield and deflect projectiles back with the right timing. When an enemy has been weakened enough, the player can initiate a Core Takedown to effectively execute them. Core Takedowns can also be used from stealth, thus incentivizing more assassin-like tactics.
Ethereal Weaving
Thanks to KK inhabiting his body, Akito can also utilize different elements like fire, water, wind and electricity in combat via Ethereal Weaving. Attacks can be light, like slicing through foes with wind and water strikes, or heavy like charging up a fireball that deals explosive damage in a radius. If you build up enough charge, then Wire-In Mode can be activated to unleash super-powerful attacks.
Untethered Souls and Upgrades
Different Visitors will require different tactics to defeat so it’s worth upgrading each element. As you wander the streets of Tokyo (or ascend skyscrapers by latching onto a Tengu Yokai), you may encounter Untethered Souls. Freeing them will net XP which can be used to upgrade your abilities. Some of the upgrades we’ve seen thus far include an increased number of charged Wind Weaving shots and firing three shots at a time with Water Weaving. You’ll also need to collect Magatama in order to upgrade skills beyond a certain point – these will likely be rewarded from completing main story missions.
Torii Gates
As you explore Tokyo, a strange Corruption will prevent your progress. It manifests as a damaging fog and the only way to clear it is by venturing to different Torii Gates, defeating the Visitors guarding them and then cleansing the site. Once that’s done, new paths and areas will open up.
The Visitors
The Visitors present some very unique threats for players to conquer. Though they’re essentially hostile spirits, many of them are based on Japanese urban myths like dolls resembling teru teru bozu weather charms that will attack from range; Kuchisake-onna or the slit-mouthed woman who walks around with large scissors; and so on. You’ll also run into faceless spirits in suits that use umbrellas to fight and deflect attacks and headless Schoolers, who prance about one moment and attack with surprising agility the next.
Boss Fights
Along with regular enemies, there will be boss fights. Speaking to GameRant, director Kenji Kimura confirmed about four to five boss fights that would be “in a special way unique to Ghostwire.” There are also about 10 different enemy types, though one can expect variants on the same, and 10 different Yokai characters that aren’t hostile.
Nekomata and Tanuki
One such type of non-hostile Yokai is the Nekomata. These cat spirits serve as vendors who you can visit to purchase consumables, arrows, talismans and other items for currency called meika. You may also run into Tanuki spirits which have tasks to complete, providing charms and other rewards in return.
Dynamic 4K, Ray Tracing and HDR on PS5
The stunning lights and realistic streets of Tokyo are brought to life using ray tracing on the PS5. Along with ray traced reflections, the console version runs in dynamic 4K with support for HDR. Gameplay thus far has been running at 60 frames per second and it remains to be seen if there are different modes that can be used. Overall though, Ghostwire: Tokyo is looking very good in the graphics support.
DualSense and 3D Audio Support
Along with fast loading times via the PS5’s SSD, the game also supports 3D audio to provide just the right amount of creepy atmospherics. The DualSense’s haptic feedback and adaptive triggers are also supported, providing realistic responses to your attacks and Core Takedowns.
Timed Console Exclusive
Much like Arkane Studios’ Deathloop, Ghostwire: Tokyo is a timed console exclusive for the PlayStation 5. That means it won’t appear on any non-Sony platforms, specifically the Xbox Series X/S, for one year after its launch. Given that Microsoft now owns Bethesda (and Tango Gameworks by extension), it’s very likely this will come to Xbox Game Pass post-March/April 2023. Until then, however, the only way to play it is on PS5 and PC.
PC Requirements
In terms of PC requirements, Ghostwire: Tokyo isn’t too crazy but may raise some eyebrows with its minimum specs. Along with an Intel Core i7-4770K at 3.5 GHz or an AMD Ryzen 5 2600, you’ll need 12 GB of RAM and either an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 or an AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT with 6 GB VRAM or higher. Recommended requirements include a Core i7-6700 at 3.4 GHz or Ryzen 5 2600, 16 GB RAM and either a GTX 1080 or Radeon RX 5600 XT with 6 GB VRAM or higher. You’ll also need 20 GB of installation space with a solid-state drive being recommended.
Standard and Deluxe Editions
Ghostwire: Tokyo has two editions – the $60 Standard Edition and $80 Deluxe Edition. The latter includes the base game with a Shinobi Outfit, Kunai Weapon and Streetwear Outfit Pack along with 72 hours early access. Pre-orders on Steam include the Hannya Outfit while PlayStation Store pre-orders get the Biker Outfit and Hannya Outfit for free. It’s worth noting that early access with the Deluxe Edition is only available on PS5 and not PC.