More Information Regarding Ghostwire: Tokyo's Combat Has Been Revealed

During the recent PlayStation 5 event we were finally treated to a short and snappy gameplay trailer for Tango Gameworks’ upcoming game Ghostwire: Tokyo. Now more information about the title has appeared on Bethesda’s website, discussing the game’s combat.

The start of the post reads:

"Those who are familiar with Shinji Mikami and Tango Gameworks are familiar with their strong pedigree in horror. But Ghostwire is not horror. Though there is an eerie element to the world, this is the studio’s first foray into the action-adventure sphere. They are taking their strengths in building a tense atmosphere and unforgettable creatures and bringing them into something completely new and different.”

While it’s true that Shinji Mikami’s most iconic work has been with the Resident Evil franchise, making him synonymous with horror games, this is far from the producer of Ghostwire: Tokyo’s first foray into the action genre. Between cult-classic God Hand, and 2010’s adrenaline-fueled third-person shooter Vanquish, it might be more apt to say that Mikami is somewhat of an action veteran at this point. It’s also worth noting that he was one of the catalysts behind Resident Evil plunging further down the action route, being the director of 2005’s critically acclaimed Resident Evil 4.

The post continues to discuss more combat specifics, stating:

“Assisting them in creating a more action-oriented game is Shinichiro Hara, who worked on the push-forward combat and Glory Kill system in DOOM (2016), and is now the Combat Director on Ghostwire: Tokyo. Hara and the combat team at Tango have created an intricate, combo-based system that utilizes movements inspired by traditional Kuji-kiri hand gestures.”

Hara then goes on to discuss making the player feel like a “badass, spell-casting, high-tech ninja exorcist”, with the focus on hand gestures feeling more organic than guns, giving the player’s actions more personality. More than anything, this discussion of player personality through combat makes Ghostwire: Tokyo sound akin to something like Devil May Cry or Bayonetta.

Hara also touches on Ghostwire: Tokyo’s takedown system. Players can initiate these takedowns both from long distance and close quarters, differentiating them somewhat from other games where the player typically has to be up-close to perform a takedown. Takedowns can also be performed in ways that lead to chain-kills, indicating that there will be a level of planning necessary to dispatch enemies in the most efficient manner possible.

Enemies in Ghostwire: Tokyo (known as ‘Visitors’) will have distinct strengths and weaknesses. It’s noted that the different enemy types can potentially overwhelm and overpower players who are unfamiliar with their distinct properties and abilities.

Lastly is a statement from the game’s director Kenji Kimura, discussing some of the exploration that will be featured in the game:

“You’ll be able to go into a beautiful, brightly lit, contemporary building and go all the way up to the rooftop for a serene view of the city, or you can wander the streets and find an old-fashioned bath house that might sit right between buildings and modern architecture. We hope players will enjoy being able to walk around and explore and see for themselves what other kinds of places exist in this great metropolis.”

Ghostwire: Tokyo will release in 2021 on PlayStation 5 as a timed exclusive, alongside PC.