You hear nothing but ambient city sounds and the tromping of a cameraman’s feet.
You could be watching a HUD-free FPS, albeit with incredi-graphics.
Finally, inGhostwire: Tokyo, someonehasmade a game of it, albeit with occasional ghost zapping.
Youre drinking in the shopfronts, the billboards, the flyers plastered in dingy alleys.
Whats missing, obviously, is the people, but this isnt some washed-out post-apocalypse.
Is it wrong to think this is an ideal way to take in a city?
Nailing a perfectly framed photo is certainly easier without the masses.
But with no fall damage - for Silly Narrative Reasons - theres no peril to any of it.
Its a bit too frictionless, as if youre noclipping to victory.
Also odd is how much of Ghostwire revolves around collecting souls and depositing them in phone booths.
(Again, Silly Narrative Reasons.)
The more I play, the more Im convinced someone at Tango is a huge Crackdown fan.
On the flipside: it does go hand-in-hand with the virtual tourism.
What is the quest if not an excuse to spend tens of hours getting intimate with every cul-de-sac?
I just worry that it might prove repetitive in the long run.
Ask me again in 210,000 souls time, when I file the review.
What makes this especially jarring is that when combat kicks off, its as Mikami as hell.
This focus on crowd control and prioritising between long- and close-range threats is stuff Mikamis been doing for decades.
But a lot is squeezed from these simple moves.
Can this balance be sustained over the three quarters of map Ive yet to demist?
Should Virtual Japan be worried about Tango eating their lunch?
Well find out soon enough.
This preview is from playing the PS5 build, as are the screenshots
