Game On: A return to the basics
By Aditya Deshbandhu Ghostwire Tokyo is a beautiful looking ray-tracing experience that I have spent the last two months mastering and examining in great detail. Probably the last Bethesda game that is available on Sony consoles (due to the Microsoft acquisition), Ghostwire is limited to the PS5 and Windows for the time being and shows […]
By Aditya Deshbandhu
Ghostwire Tokyo is a beautiful looking ray-tracing experience that I have spent the last two months mastering and examining in great detail. Probably the last Bethesda game that is available on Sony consoles (due to the Microsoft acquisition), Ghostwire is limited to the PS5 and Windows for the time being and shows us what can be accomplished with ray-tracing to great detail as it uses varying intensities of light and shadow to great detail in most aspects of the game.
An Action RPG played from the first-person perspective, Ghostwire requires the protagonist Akito to face off against a slew of invisible supernatural beings that are harvesting the souls of the city’s population. Just as the first attack unfolds Akito’s inhabited by another consciousness, which helps you witness the invisible invasion and fight back.
Ghostwire spins a compelling narrative that draws from the lives of both Akito and the second consciousness (KK) in a manner that is much more subtle and nuanced than Cyberpunk 2077, this is a split-consciousness experience that I enjoyed very much. KK mentors Akito and uses his body to fight back. The game’s attack and interaction dimensions are designed with such grace and finesse that their vibrant neon-like hues of acid green, gold, and pink/purple never seem out of place.
Set in Tokyo’s special ward of Shibuya, Ghostwire repurposes the commercial and residential structures to great effect by combining the horizontal and vertical dimensions of its world to offer challenges that require you to navigate homes, and apartments, alongside lanes, and alleys as the game immerses you in the everyday structures and practices of Tokyo. A few quests that stood out in my journey were one that required the clearing of a Japanese bathhouse and another which brought me face to face with the style and scale of Japanese housing. This game like Ghost of Tsushima is a great ambassador for Japanese culture.
The combat here is quick, flexible and the open world is a joy to navigate – in terms of gameplay, I have minimal complaints but for the fact that at higher difficulties the combat could have been more intricate and challenging rather than requiring the players to face an ever-increasing number of enemy NPCs.
Ghostwire also uses classical tropes from other Japanese media forms (anime, movies, and manga) like the always-suited office-goer, the uniform-clad schoolgirl, and white shirt-wearing blue-collar worker, as an intricate hierarchy of enemies you have to fight. It is all very well thought-out and executed.
A must-play if you are a fan of Japanese games and Action RPGs that deal with the supernatural. Also, worth considering if you are a fan of art in games. A solid game that you will enjoy this summer!
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