Ghostwire: Tokyo

[Smoove_B]

No dedicated threads on this one so I figured I'd create one after ~5 hours of play.

I'm not entirely sure how to describe it. It's not really a shooter but it has shooter elements? It's not really an RPG but it has RPG elements? It's definitely been a unique story that is absolutely brimming over with Japanese mythology and folklore.

From a game play perspective I think it reminds me most of Hellgate: London (which I know sounds weird), but I'm struggling to think of another game I've played that's close in feel. There's a main story and lots of side quest, collectables, power ups - so much stuff to do. There are instanced locations (for quests) and loot re spawning. The enemies are genuinely creepy and despite leveling up, the introduction of new enemies is keeping things interesting. I'm an explorer by nature and this game has quite a bit to uncover.

I'm not sure yet if I'll get bored with it (possibly over being repetitive) in a few more hours, but for now it's keeping my attention.

[gbasden]

I am really interested in your feelings about this one. I've been interested, but I haven't been able to figure out if there is a strong story behind the game. I look forward to your feedback a few more hours in on story vs. repetitive gameplay.

[Smoove_B]

I was looking around this morning to see what others were saying as I also recalled mediocre impressions. I think this article from The Verge is how I feel so far:

Outside of the action, Ghostwire feels like a first-person indie exploration game. It reminded me a lot of 2015’s Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture. The streets of Tokyo may be empty of human life, but there’s still a lot going on; spirits in need of help or KK’s old case files from his previous life as a detective. These stories range from sorrowful to hilarious and feature my favorite moments from the game. One particularly dark quest has you investigating a building where everyone has mysteriously died by suicide, while another is about a hoarder who can’t let go of their stuff. It’s a collection of short stories about the city’s residents and their relationship with death. Think of it like Midnight Diner, but with ghosts.

I don't have experience with the other titles mentioned, but that "short story" element is what I've noticed so far. There's a story for the main character, but I've also been running into trapped spirits that need me to do something for them so they can move on. In this way it feels more like an adventure game than a shooter and as they mention, the "shooting" isn't anything that's been long or complex - like you'd get in something like DOOM with a prolonged firefight. So far, it's been about moving through a ghost city and figuring out how to keep pressing forward.

I'll definitely keep updating the thread.

[Alefroth]

Interesting. I just finished Everybody's Gone to the Rapture and they don't look similar at all. EGTTR is melancholy and plodding. It was fantastic, but it wouldn't hold up for more than 8 hours or so. I guess that's where the action comes in.

[Smoove_B]

I think I'm up to about 7 hours now and I'm still enjoying it. I'm getting drawn into the various side stories (optional) and collection quests (also optional), but I'm enjoying the experience. The side stories provide short encounters to solve (most involve combat, some involve finding something) and provide gear, XP and/or money. The collection quests are similar - traveling around and looking for very specific cultural items that you return to cat vendors (yes you read that right). Also, sometimes you run into dogs that are helpful (if you give them some food) - they'll usually take you a location where you can get more stuff. I suppose if you like talking with animals, there's that.

But yeah, all the stories and quests so far are just filled with lore - spirits or demons or other creatures from Japanese (I think) folklore and myth. Like last night I had to chase off and capture a Ittan-momen that was tormenting a trapped human spirit, someone it had killed in life.

Yeah, I didn't know what that was either so let me clarify:

Spoiler:

Ittan momen are long, narrow sheets of cloth normally used to make clothes, but reanimated as tsukumogami. They are native to Kagoshima, and can be seen flying through the sky at night. Ittan momen attack by wrapping their bodies around a person’s face and neck, strangling or smothering them to death. As far as tsukumogami go, they are fairly malicious and even deadly

.

So yeah, the game is filled with these kind of interesting encounters, and so far I've probably spent at least half my time doing optional side quests. I can see where if you're overwhelmed by optional stuff this might get repetitive, but for me only playing an hour or so at a time I find it quite enjoyable. For the items the cat vendor wanted, they gave me a clue and a general area to look so I just travel around the map and try to piece together the information as part of the "treasure hunt". It's not difficult and every item has a story attached. Depending on the item, sometimes it's found next to a pile of clothes or in a location that also has a contextual story - what happened before someone dropped a fan or left a flute.

It's listed as a $60 which seems bonkers (it doesn't have production values of a AAA game), so I'd definitely wait for a sale. I think I picked it up for around $20 and so far I'd definitely recommend it at that price point.

[Smoove_B]

I've hit the point in the game where it's warning me I can no longer go back if I continue. To get there it was ~29 hours and I'm not really sure how much is left - maybe an hour or two? I spent probably 75% of my time so far just exploring, collecting and completing side quests. Some of this game feels like a single player MMO - big open world you get to explore, but it's eerily empty as you piece together the stories of the spirits trapped behind. Each story reveals a bit more lore and the random collectables give even more context to the overall experience. I can totally understand how someone might get super bored with the exploration/collection element but I really enjoyed the hell out of it. I have it on Easy and I've just been tooling around and finding things. Eventually you unlock an upgraded movement ability and you can zip around to reach places that were previously impossible to get to - everything slowly builds on new skills or powers as you progress forward.

Anyway, I still strongly recommend it, but it's a hard title to pin down. It's not a shooter by any means, but there's plenty of situations where you're strafe-firing and then pulling off a finisher. There are minions and lieutenants, mini bosses and bosses to deal with - all with their own quirks and annoying attacks.

Regardless, it's definitely scratching a very specific gaming itch for me. which is always a nice surprise.

[gbasden]

You've definitely convinced me to pick it up the next time I see a sale.

[Alefroth]

It's 60% off right now.

[gbasden]

It's 60% off right now.

Which service? Steam is still showing $59.

[Isgrimnur]

https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/ghostwire-tokyo

[Alefroth]

It's 60% off right now.

Which service? Steam is still showing $59.

I was referring to PS5/ I thought it was an exclusive for some reason. I should have known since Smoove is playing it.

Looks like Isg found the PC sale though.

[gbasden]

https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/ghostwire-tokyo

Thanks! I missed the Epic store.

[Smoove_B]

I did manage to finish it yesterday and still recommend the experience. There's a lot more story than you might think and the actual ending sequence was rather powerful, imho.

In trying to find out more behind some of Japanese symbology that was used, I came across this article that summarizes so much about the overall story and the ending. It's super extra mega spoiler, so don't click on it unless you want lots of stuff ruined.

[Pyperkub]

Fired this up in xbox gamepass this weekend and I'm really enjoying it thus far. Cool atmosphere and mythology and story and it looks purty.

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[Pyperkub]

Whoa - just ran into the mermaid ghosts last night who go underwater/underground and pop up to attack! Cool. That was a fun little battle where I managed to find a bus to hop on and track them to try to pop them.

[Scraper]

I beat this a couple of weeks ago on the PS5. For an open world game it isn't very long, maybe 20 hours or so. Which was ok with me it didn't over stay it's welcome and was interesting throughout. I would play a sequel if they release one. And if you have the option definitely play it with Ray Tracing on. The game was designed to run smoothly with it and it does add to the game's look with no noticeable drop in frame rate.