At Bethesda's E3 2019 press conference, they showed off two entirely brand new IPs — one of which was called Ghostwire: Tokyo. Creative director Ikumi Nakamura took the stage with a level of confidence, enthusiasm, and sincerity that immediately charmed the audience and deeply contrasted with the level of creepiness and dark aesthetic of the trailer she led into. Whatever Ghostwire: Tokyo is exactly, the concepts for it presented in a CGI video look incredible.
Since then, more has been revealed, with some significant footage shown since Sony's June 2020 PS5 showcase, the Future of Gaming. Nakamura is no longer on the project; Kenji Kimura is now director, and this game is a timed console exclusive. Here's what we now know about Ghostwire: Tokyo.
What is Ghostwire: Tokyo?
Ghostwire: Tokyo is a new game from Tango Gameworks shown off during Bethesda's E3 2019 press conference, with more details arriving with the PS5's debut in 2020. Tango Gameworks is a studio founded by Capcom veteran Shinji Mikami in 2010. The studio is known for working on both The Evil Within and The Evil Within 2, and Mikami himself worked on Resident Evil at Capcom. So you know this game is going to be pretty creepy!
What is the story of Ghostwire: Tokyo?
Ghostwire: Tokyo takes place in (surprise!) Tokyo, where suddenly 99% of the population have vanished without warning or explanation, leaving clothes behind in a Rapture-like event. As the main character, Akito, you remain as a strange, evil force arrives in the city that may be responsible for the disappearances. As these disappearances occur, Akito gains unusual powers, even as spirits called Yokai begin appearing across the city. It's your job to track it down and get to the bottom of what's happening using your own "spectral" abilities to combat the darkness.
In our Ghostwire: Tokyo preview, we got to see around 30 minutes of hands-off footage and found that while it's not quite a horror game, it's still spooky, well worth checking out, and could end up as one of the best PS5 games available.
The spirits aren't the only newcomers on the streets. There's also a masked group called the Visitors who wear Hannya masks. Their role in the story is being shrouded in mystery.
Ghostwire: Tokyo Trailers
You can check out the original concept reveal trailer from E3 2019 right here:
You can also look at the gameplay reveal trailer from Sony's June 2021 PS5 event, the Future of Gaming:
Another trailer was revealed during the Sep. 2021 PlayStation Showcase, showing some combat in action:
Ghostwire: Tokyo Gameplay
This is not a survival-horror game like The Evil Within, though there are eerie elements. It's a first-person action title that sees you fighting different powerful spirits with your own supernatural abilities. Every spirit has different strengths and weaknesses, so every fight will require you to think carefully. The game's tagline is, "Don't fear the unknown. Attack it." There are a few other tidbits we know too.
- Three spirits have been announced: Amewarashi, Shiromuku, and Kuchisake.
- You use air, water, and fire attacks.
- The game is being designed with 3D audio support.
- It also supports the PS5's DualSense controller with haptic feedback for conveying the special effects of the different special abilities.
"We're particularly excited by the possibility of players experiencing our modern, yet Visitor-filled city with 3D sound," says Kenji Kimura, Game Director on Ghostwire: Tokyo. "This version of Tokyo is not a version you've ever seen or heard before. In Ghostwire: Tokyo, you'll hear and encounter sounds that you normally would not hear in the city in real life. Our hope is that with the 3D sound, you will feel compelled to seek out and identify what is causing those sounds you hear."
Each of these "Visitors" are designed to be unnerving, with some of the types including packs of headless high school students, dolls that take after teru teru bozu weather charms, and finally, creepy faceless thin men with umbrellas.
Ghostwire: Tokyo lets you pet dogs
This is technically part of the gameplay but was so important that it deserved its own section. Tango Gameworks has confirmed you can pet ALL THE DOGS in Ghostwire: Tokyo:
Is Ghostwire: Tokyo open world?
A lot of players are wondering if the game takes place in an open world. We're not sure it's a true open world right now, but given what we've seen so far it certainly seems possible. At the very least, players have open spaces to explore.
The studio's previous game, The Evil Within 2, was semi-open, giving players a handful of large areas to explore but still maintaining a somewhat straightforward main path.
Why did Ikumi Nakamura leave Tango Gameworks?
On Sept. 4, 2019, creative director Nakamura announced she was leaving Tango Gameworks after nine years with the studio. It's not clear at this moment why she decided to leave; however, she's been touring different studios around the world, so maybe she just needs time to figure out what she wants to do.
Is Ghostwire: Tokyo PS5 exclusive ?
For now, Ghostwire: Tokyo has been announced as a timed PS5 console exclusive. This deal is being honored despite Microsoft acquiring ZeniMax Media, meaning that Bethesda Softworks is now part of the Xbox first-party group. It'll only be available on PS5 and PC for a limited time before being launched on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S at a later date.
With this in mind, Head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, has stated that in the future, Bethesda games will be exclusive to platforms with Xbox Game Pass.
Is Ghostwire: Tokyo canceled?
No, despite the departure of creative director Nakamura, the game has not been canceled. Shinji Mikami, creative director of The Evil Within, has taken over as overall executive producer for Ghostwire: Tokyo, while Kenji Kimura is serving as director.
When is Ghostwire: Tokyo's release date ?
Ghostwire: Tokyo is currently slated to arrive on March 25, 2022. It was originally scheduled to arrive on PS5 and PC at some point in 2021, as disclaimer text in a CES 2021 showcase video indicated that this game is releasing in October 2021, but this has since been pulled. Due to the lingering effects of the pandemic, the game was delayed to early 2022 to ensure the health and safety of the developers while polishing the game as much as possible.
As it's a one-year timed console exclusive, it'll come to Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S sometime later in 2023, presumably an exact year after its launch on PS5 and PC.
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