Ghostwire: Tokyo

Ghostwire: Tokyo places the player in a depopulated Tokyo, whose inhabitants have vanished without a trace after a mysterious masked entity opened a gate to the spirit world and shrouded the entire city in thick, supernatural fog. The main character, Akito, possessed by the spirit of detective KK, fights using supernatural abilities—instead of firearms, he uses elemental energy shaped by hand gestures, giving combat an unusual, almost dance-like fluid rhythm unlike classic action games on the market. Tango Gameworks, the studio also behind The Evil Within series, blends Japanese folklore here with modern action design and open-world exploration full of mysteries and hidden shrines.

The open world is dotted with dozens of yokai inspired by real Japanese legends, ranging from harmless apparitions of faceless schoolgirls to dangerous enemies hidden in side alleys and abandoned buildings. The atmosphere is enhanced by thick fog shrouding unexplored districts, the neon glow of empty streets, rain-soaked sidewalks, and inventive sound design that turns every step through the city into an unsettling yet fascinating experience full of tension and surprise. On Xbox Series X|S, the game arrived a year after its original release for PlayStation and PC, with support for higher resolution and smoother frame rates even in densely fogged areas of the city.

Reviews praised the atmosphere, visual style, and original combat system above all, while criticizing the repetitiveness of side activities in an otherwise imaginatively designed open world full of side content and collectibles. Even so, Ghostwire: Tokyo ranks among the most distinctive action titles of its generation and shows that Japanese mythology and folklore can serve as a full-fledged foundation for a modern open-world game with its own striking tone and atmosphere, unlike anything offered by any competing title.

Why play it: The atmosphere, striking visual style, and original combat system drawing on Japanese mythology make up for the repetitive side activities in an otherwise imaginative open world.