GhostWire: Tokyo has been a highly anticipated title ever since it was first revealed at E3 2019. Produced by Tango Gameworks, best known for The Evil Within and The Evil Within 2, the game was the brainchild of former creative director Ikumi Nakamura and has been helmed by horror veteran Shinji Mikami (of Resident Evil fame) ever since Nakamura’s departure.
During Sony’s PlayStation 5 reveal event, it was announced that GhostWire will be debuting in 2021 for the PlayStation 5. Excited fans also got their first look at the series’ unique gameplay, particularly how it uses the PlayStation 5 DualSense Controller’s brand new features.
In GhostWire: Tokyo, the player character must fight for the salvation of their beloved city following a mysterious “Rapture-like” disappearance of 99% of the population. The new trailer indicates that it will not be a survival horror game in the vein of Resident Evil and The Evil Within – the protagonist will, in fact, possess a wide range of supernatural powers which they can use to combat the mysterious new evil threatening to take Tokyo for its own.
The player was shown using a series of hand gestures to cast spells, shoot fiery and explosive attacks, and even trap hostile spirits within a sort of liminal space that seemed to be made out of traditional Japanese torii (shrine gates). The intriguingly designed enemies seem to invoke various Japanese and Western urban legends, with headless schoolgirls, oni (demon)-masked warriors, grinning long-haired vengeful ghosts, and even faceless, umbrella-bearing men resembling popular Internet figure Slenderman.
Plus, the game’s setting – the rain-slicked Tokyo night – looks absolutely immersive, enthralling and extremely realistic despite the intensely supernatural nature of the title. Landmarks such as Tokyo Tower are rendered in gorgeous detail, and, in one shot, the player is even shown sneaking through a seemingly abandoned convenience store!
Kenji Kimura, a director working on the game, explained that GhostWire: Tokyo will make use of the PlayStation 5’s high quality 3D sound system. Players will hear mysterious sounds as they travel through Tokyo and will be encouraged to seek out and the ghosts and monsters causing these sounds. Additionally, the haptic feedback ability and adaptive triggers have been revealed to play a crucial role in the game’s combat system.
Are you excited – and perhaps a little bit terrified – to play GhostWire: Tokyo? Let us know!
