I haven't played any games from Tango Gameworks before. Ghostwire Tokyo was tried through the PlayStation Plus Premium trial, and in the end, I decided to buy it in Physical Copy for 20€.
After 46 hours of gameplay, having done everything in the game, I think it's the perfect time to write a short review.
Let's start with the POSITIVES:
1) The game has an incredible visual design. I have never seen such detailed depiction of Tokyo in a video game. The details in the stores, the lighting of the advertisements, the buildings, the parks, and the surrounding villages make the game enchanting and beautiful. I don't think there is a user who hasn't appreciated the excellent work the developers have done with the graphics. Additionally, the character design is decent. Furthermore, the game takes place in a city that doesn't exist. Everyone has disappeared, and you are the only one who survived, trying to survive. It perfectly conveys the feeling of loneliness!
2) The main protagonist was quite honest, as well as the 2-3 involved characters who contribute to the main story. Combined with the Japanese voice acting, you get a different experience. I recommend the Japanese language because it gives a different feeling compared to the English language.
3) The gameplay is very entertaining. Although it is simple and doesn't do anything special, time passes pleasantly, especially when you eliminate enemies and climb buildings.
4) The story, although not impressive, is enjoyable to follow. Its duration is a maximum of 12 hours.
5) The sound is amazing.
6) Decent music.
7) It has relatively good secondary content. You collect items, hunt spirits for upgrades, constantly gather souls, and help spirits. Unfortunately, it has very few good side quests, but those that are good are very well executed! (My favorite is the side quest that takes place in the school)
Now let's move on to the NEGATIVES. Unfortunately, after the first 2-3 hours, the game doesn't try to offer anything substantial. It is more of an experimental game to see if it is worth investing in. Namely:
1) The story, although it starts very nicely, is quite mediocre in the middle. It has mediocre narration and rushed development of events, where unfortunately it doesn't give enough time to breathe life into the character development. It fails to take risks, and with the monotonous gameplay, it gives you a sense of disappointment but also a small hope for something better in the future.
2) The gameplay, although very good in concept, lacks depth in terms of mechanics. It has very nice ideas, such as using different elementals, but there is no sense of depth, even if you are at max level. Additionally, all the items and weapons you use are given too quickly and hastily, without giving you time to feel the upgrades you have undergone. (The same applies to armor)
3) The game's side content has a lot of repetition. You collect thousands of souls, transfer them to specific points on the map, and gather XP. It is fun, I won't deny it, but it is quite monotonous. The same goes for the secondary missions. You talk to a spirit, it asks you to enter a building, drive away an evil spirit, and that's it. There are similar ones like this, where repetition is present. The collectibles have little value. There are over 100+ items to collect and transport in order to gather XP (fortunately it is optional) but they have no substance.
4) Characters do not take the time to evolve. As I mentioned, everything happens so quickly that you can't see clear writing.
If I could describe this particular game, I would call it a "DEMO". It has content to deal with, the hours needed to finish the scenario are okay, compared to its price. It's not bad, but I would call it a missed opportunity. They wanted to see how it would go, and if there is a response, they will develop it.
If you want to play a game that is not so horror, but gives you a sense of "being alone in a big city where everyone has disappeared," I think it's a good buy.
