Ghostwire: Tokyo preview: New details in Bethesda’s upcoming action-horror game revealed

An abandoned city, paranormal activity and a mysterious fog? Sign us up

The game was developed by Tango Gameworks (iStock/The Independent)

During Bethesda’s E3 press conference in 2019, players were given a brief look into the world of Ghostwire: Tokyo. It’s set to be a brand new action-adventure game that takes elements from Japanese horror to create a new series that emphasises combat over survival. This, in turn, sets a new direction from Tango Gameworks’s other horror-heavy series, The Evil Within.

Now scheduled to release on 25 March 2022 as a console exclusive for the PS5, it’s expected to be one of the year’s most intriguing new properties with a supernatural setting.

In Ghostwire: Tokyo, a paranormal event causes the citizens of the city to disappear in a mysterious fog and otherworldly spirits to invade. Players will explore the abandoned streets of Japan’s capital as they fight these paranormal threats using a blend of psychic abilities and conjured weaponry.

From early trailers, the presence of slenderman-like entities and a group donning “Hannya” masks (traditional theatre masks used to represent demons) gives us some idea of what themes to expect. It borrows from traditional Japanese folklore and sets it against the neon-drenched alleys and rooftops of an urban sprawl.

In an event hosted by Bethesda Softworks, we were given a look at the early stages of Ghostwire: Tokyo and learned more details about its characters, storyline, combat and setting. Read our article in full below.

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What is Ghostwire: Tokyo about?

In Ghostwire: Tokyo,players will take control of local resident Akito who is seemingly the last person left alive after everyone else has disappeared. After fusing with a spirit hunter named “KK”, Akito manifests supernatural powers that allows him to fight the spirits haunting the city. Together, you will explore the haunted city and meet new allies who have also been left behind.

The mysterious Hannya appears to be the main antagonist and the person behind the mass-disappearance of the city. It will be up to Akito to unravel the city’s mysteries defeat the visitors and return Tokyo to its usual bustling self.

Ghostwire: Tokyo gameplay

In the early-stage demo we saw of Ghostwire: Tokyo, Akito is exploring the Shibuya district, famous for its (usually) busy pedestrian crossing. As he makes his way down the streets, he confronts evil spirits and defeats them using “ethereal weaving”, a supernatural ability that allows Akito to restrain enemies with string-like magic and pull them apart with elaborate hand gestures. This was a hands-off demo but it’s easy to imagine that this new mechanic would put the dualsense controller’s adaptive triggers to good use.

Later on, he comes across a gathering of spirits emerging from a traditional torii at a nearby shrine, which acts as a gateway for visitors to enter the world. Akito uses his ethereal weaving ability to seal the gate which causes the nearby fog to disperse and spirits to appear with less frequency. There are several of these gates around the city and it will be up to Akito to seal each one as he makes his way through the city’s numerous shrines.

During these fights, this weaving ability was Akito’s main method of dispatching visitors and seems to represent a large portion of Ghostwire’s combat, particularly at the early stages of the game. We also saw a glimpse of more traditional weaponry, as Akito later acquires a bow and arrow that can also be used to target specific areas of the visitors. With a mixture of supernatural abilities and physical weapons, we can expect a much wider arsenal of weaponry to take down a variety of different enemy-types.

Not every supernatural entity that Akito meets will be a threat. He can also receive help from friendly Yokai (“strange apparition” in Japanese). One of these creatures that we saw was a magical floating cat that acted as a merchant in an otherwise empty convenience store. Other spirits can also act as quest givers, and request the player to fulfil tasks for them to complete their unfinished business and help them to pass on in the next world through more peaceful means.

While the gameplay we saw was following an objective marker, we briefly saw an overview of a map with the surrounding area not yet visible, which would suggest that Shibuya district, at least, will be open to wider exploration between story missions. Based on the geography of the roads, alleyways and rooftops, there will be much more of Tokyo left to explore.

When is Ghostwire: Tokyo released?

Ghostwire: Tokyo is currently set for a release date of 25 March 2022. The game will be a console exclusive for the PS5 and will also be available on PC.

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