A Ghostwire: Tokyo review a year after the game launched? ‘Why?’ I hear you cry. Well, for many today will be the first opportunity to play the game. Ghostwire: Tokyo Xbox Series X edition is finally available. Bethesda/Activision-Blizzard/Microsoft issues aside (surely we’ve all had enough of that debacle by now?), every game has to stand by itself as to whether it’s actually worth playing. Ghostwire: Tokyo is no exception. So now, we’ll take a look at the former PlayStation 5 exclusive, and whether or not Tango Gameworks has delivered the goods on Xbox Series X.
There’s a very slow start to the game. You play as Akito, who has been possessed by KK. Akito’s sister, Mari, is in the hospital. You were on your way to visit her when some sort of otherwordly invasion occurred, leaving many dead. However, it’s because of KK that you survived, and moreover, that you now have supernatural abilities of your own. This premise is fine, if curt. However, it’s delivery means that the opening level is less active and more passive.
You’ll be pushed along a singular, short corridor through the city. Arriving at the hospital, you’ll engage in a little combat against sporadic enemies as you climb to the fourth floor. It’s not exactly the action-orientated experience you might be expecting.
Your first taste of a real fight will come during the second chapter, when you’re encouraged to engage in your first side mission. Here you’ll find yourself trapped in an arena battle without warning. You’ll have to use your singular attack ability to take out a few waves of increasingly difficult enemies. This is where the game begins to open, allowing the player to set the pace knowing what could lie ahead.
Essentially this comes in the form of several different activities. You can continue with the story missions without hesitation, of course. But there are a number of additional distraction to partake in: hunting for lost souls, side missions, acquiring funds to purchase toys/equipment/food, or even feeding the local strays. And, of course, tracking down collectibles. It’s not quite as laborious a series of map icons as Far Cry 6, but for anyone who likes to take things at their own pace there is plenty to do.
Sadly, once the game opens up in this manner the real issues come out to play. For while Ghostwire: Tokyo is an enjoyable game in it’s own right, the Xbox Series X port has not been delivered well.
Stuttering during cutscenes; slow loading textures; framerate drops even in low- or no-action sequences. Having launched on the PlayStation 5 just over a year ago, it’s disappointing to see the game come to the Xbox Series X in such a poor form. If you haven’t played the original console release you’ll likely be unaware. But for those who played on a friend’s system before buying it themselves, it’s a bitter pill to swallow. There are a wealth of options to customise the visual output to your liking, but these don’t alter the fact the the Xbox Series X release simply can’t keep up. A post-launch patch may well fix the issue. But at the same time, why would we have to wait when the game has already been available for over a year on a rival platform?
Without getting into industry politics, Ghostwire: Tokyo‘s performance is an annoyance that could be done without. The simple fact of the matter is that playing in ‘performance’ mode yields a far superior experience to ‘quality’. Yet, even then there are issues that bring down an otherwise enjoyable b-movie romp. Much like the game itself, the technical quality is a series of ups-and-downs. Fantastic setting in Shibuya, self-inflated story ego. An intriguing XP and level system, slow grind to actually get the good stuff. Ghostwire: Tokyo presents a mixed bag in many regards. Summing the Ghostwire: Tokyo review as a game that can be good fun, but not without effort.
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