Everything We Know About Ghostwire: Tokyo So Far

Tokyo is always seen as a contemporary metropolis with stacks of neon signs illuminating the souls of night owls and crowds of party-goers every night. On top of the yearning people feel for Tokyo, Japan also has countless legends and myths, some borderline terrifying. 

The history and present of the country as a whole, including its capital, gives certain creators a fantasy playground they can use as a tool to create the media they envision, and that is exactly what Shinji Mikami did with many of his past games, and has done with his new game Ghostwire: Tokyo.

The country isn’t the only thing to credit Mr. Mikami’s success though, because it takes tons of talent, passion, and creativity to do what he has done so far. One could argue he is the definition of career goals since he made it as a videogame designer, director, and producer all at once.

His career started off working at Capcom in the year 1990. As an individual, Shinji Mikami was always interested in the horror genre, and that clearly shows throughout the amazing horror games he has designed and were released.

Some of the more famous video game franchises he has created or worked on include Resident Evil and The Evil Within.

Ghostwire: Tokyo was rumored to initially be released on the PlayStation 5, but that hasn’t been fully confirmed yet since it will be available for Xbox, PS 4, and PC alike, even if not immediately.

The announced date for the game’s release is March 25th, having been pushed forward from 2021, so we will only talk about what we know so far. 

The game will set you in the first-person point of view of a character called Akito. The world will be a semi-open RPG full of action surrounding urban legends from Japanese folklore and horror elements we’ve grown familiar with thanks to Shinji Mikami.

Honorable mention for the style and quality of the game also goes to the famous game director and artist Ikumi Nakamura, who happened to leave Tango Gameworks amidst the development of Ghostwire: Tokyo.

Akito is a young Japanese man who is a survivor of an abnormal event that affects the entirety of Tokyo. That event erased everyone from the city, with stores lying empty and not a single live human soul in the vicinity. 

The metropolis is instead overrun by these malevolent creatures named Visitors. These evil spirits take on the silhouette of humans and bear a strong resemblance to the famous “Slenderman” figure who first got famous thanks to websites like Creepypasta.

You will also soon come to find out that you too are possessed by a spirit. The spirit in question is that of a detective named KK, who soon proves to not be benevolent but rather untrustworthy. Judging by what we know so far, Akito and KK end up having a mutualistic symbiotic relationship.

The action part of the game is defeating these evil spirits that have overtaken Tokyo, but naturally, you can’t simply use quotidian weaponry such as guns and knives to defeat them. 

Ethereal Weaving is the elemental attack form Akito uses throughout the game to defeat these monsters of the unknown. These attacks are executed with swift hand signs. There are also elemental weapons you can discover throughout the map such as electric talismans, which will aid you in combat.

Your attack ability is also leveled up the more enemies you are able to defeat. 

Another game designer working on Ghostwire: Tokyo, Suguru Murakoshi, stated that the game is Japanese from top to bottom, and compared it to strawberry shortcake, which has origins from Japan. He said the game, just like the cake, will have sweet and tangy parts. 

The game is also set in present-day modern Tokyo, and as Murakoshi underlined, is being made by a fully Japanese team as well. 

The main villain throughout the game is a man named Hannya who always appears wearing an Oni mask, paired with quite fashionable techwear clothing regarding streetwear standards in Japan. He is the occultist who unleashed this hell upon Tokyo.

The aim of Akito is to save his family (and Japan) from this antagonist. 

Spirits in Japan are called Yokai and there are good and bad ones in their mythology, just like in the game. Capturing these spirits can prove useful by rewarding you with certain powers. 

The yokai that was presented in the more recent showcase is a cat that provides work for Akito, as well as sells some useful items.

The comforting thing about the game is that Akito isn’t the sole survivor of this abnormal attack, and throughout his journey will come to meet other survivors, maybe even befriend them and help them grieve their lost loved ones.

The capital setting for the game is the Shibuya district, but you will also be transported to natural areas typical to Japan such as forests or snowy areas. The creators of the game wanted to highlight the balance Japan holds between nature and modern life, and this element does that beautifully. 

The game itself has taken inspiration from previous games with not only the horror aspect but also with elements such as the mini-map being heavily inspired from the Yakuza games.

During combat when defeating a character, there will be energy cores you can grab to replenish your own ammo and energy, a nice touch to the mystical feel of the game.

Hopefully, everyone who is into this genre of game will be excited for this wonderful game that feels authentic and like a refresher to modern horror games. 

Supporting the creators of this wonderful new game might bring you to second-guess the laptop you bought for the best data entry rather than gaming because it will for sure be worth its price.