Ghostwire: Tokyo — What We Know So Far
[This article was originally published at JumpCut PLAY on 12/6/20]
Godfather of Survival Horror and The Man Who Made God Hand, Shinji Mikami, returns with a brand-new IP from Tango Gameworks that is decidedly neither of those things!
Ghostwire: Tokyo appears to be a first-person action horror game about throwing mystical gang signs that set fire to ghosts. And headless schoolgirls. And Slendermen? With umbrellas? Honestly, there’s a lot going on here. But I’m getting notes of Bioshock and Dishonored, which is one hell of a bouquet. Whatever that means. I don’t know wine, and neither do you.
Following the sudden disappearance of 99% of the population due to an ‘occult event’, contemporary Tokyo is terrorised by supernatural entities that appear to have their roots in Japanese folklore. These yōkai prowl the barren streets, searching for victims from those who remain. This folkloric influence, and the imagery featuring an inari shrine used in the trailer and key art could suggest themes around the clash of tradition and modernity. Japanese history and myth vs the towering metropolis that is present-day Tokyo. Or maybe it’s just that yōkai are really, really cool. Either way, the disquieting setting of an empty city and its terrifying new inhabitants appear beautifully realised on the PS5, and the developers promise the use of ‘advanced 3D spatial audio’ which I assume means I’m always going to feel like there’s something spooky just beyond the periphery of my vision coming to bite my face off.
There appears to be a wealth of unique supernatural abilities that you can mix and match in order to bash some ghosties your way. A few of these can be seen in the trailer, though it remains to be seen just how these abilities can be combined. Personally, I’ve always favoured the old Freeze ’n’ Smash. Either way, they look like they’ll feel great thanks to that sweet, sweet DualSense haptic feedback. I wish I was being paid to say that (Sony, hit me up) but I just love me some haptics. We’re a long way from the N64 Rumble Pak, folks.
Our first glimpse of Ghostwire: Tokyo came back at Bethesda’s E3 2019 presentation, where Mikami introduced a short cinematic trailer before handing over to then Creative Director Ikumi Nakamura. Nakamura, who has since resigned from Tango Gameworks for unknown reasons, and whose staggeringly impressive career boasts credits on Bayonetta, The Evil Within series, and Okami, immediately charmed the internet by being just that delightful.
Despite Nakamura’s departure from the project and failure to be my best friend forever, I couldn’t be more excited for Ghostwire: Tokyo. Mikami’s work at Tango has more than lived up to the pedigree expected from the man who created Resident Evil; the Freudian freakery of The Evil Within, and the Jungian yikes-fest that is its sequel are sorely underappreciated and solid proof that the master of the genre still has it. The effects of Nakamura’s departure (if any), and the loss of her unique style, remain to be seen. As with most PS5 games, we have only been given a glimpse — but what a glimpse! It’s refreshing to see something so interesting and distinctly Japanese taking such pride of place in a new console’s marketing. Not too long ago I wouldn’t have been surprised to see a game like this without a Western release. How times change. Bethesda, despite their faults, sure know how to pick ‘em.
