Ghostwire: Tokyo

This is not an amazing game, but it is a fun and competently made one. The story doesn't stick out as anything super special, but it's still enjoyable for what it is. Many people these days think of "mid" games as being bad simply by their nature as not being exceptional, but I don't think that's any standard to hold games up to. Mid simply means average, and average games can still be good. Although this game contains horror elements, it's not something I would personally describe as scary. There are no jumpscares and you are never truly helpless against enemies either. It's similar to something like Left 4 Dead in which horror is just a theme rather than the actual genre the game fits into. That being said, there are still some elements that I could see some more sensitive people reacting more strongly to so use your own judgement in this regard. The open world is not all available from the start. Instead, there's a fog that blocks you from safely exploring beyond it. Within the explorable area are gates (often guarded by enemies) which when "cleansed" will remove the fog over the nearby surrounding area and allow you to reach additional gates to do the same thing. These gates also function as fast travel points. The main enemies you will encounter across the city are ghostly apparitions called "Visitors". These come in various types, each with their own capabilities and difficulty in defeating them. To defeat them, you must deal damage to them to gradually expose their cores. Once their core is exposed, you can deploy a wire and over the course of several seconds attempt to rip the core out to defeat them. Be careful however, as many visitors can shoot projectiles or have companions with them. If a projectile they already launched is still on a collision course with you or another visitor tries to attack you, you might get interrupted and the exposed core will no longer be exposed. Often visitors that previously had exposed cores will be easier to expose again, or you might overkill them which deals with them without having to remove their core. If multiple visitors have their cores exposed at the same time, you can often wire into them at the same time provided you are looking in their direction and are within range. This is an effective way of dealing with groups. There's also stealth mechanics similar to The Elder Scrolls games. The visual indicator of how alert enemies are of you also telegraphs where they are in relation to you, which helps you to find them if they started noticing you before you noticed them. If you approach an unaware enemy from behind, you can do what functionally amounts to a backstab which will one shot most visitors and deal big damage to the tankier ones. You have five other methods of attacking enemies. The first three are different elemental types of attacks. You will unlock wind, water/ice, and fire, each with their own ammo pools. Fourth, you get a bow and arrow which can be used as a backup when you don't have access to the previous three types of damaging enemies. It has the longest range but only one type of shot and you can only hold up to 10 arrows at a time. The final method of attack is melee. Your ordinary melee attacks are weak but can be upgraded to restore your elemental ammo. You can also eventually get a ground pound to deal big damage from above and the ability to do your "backstab" attack from a distance on unaware enemies as long as you are above them. For defending yourself against enemies, you can project a shield via a "block" button. Blocking a small attack protects you from damage. Blocking a larger attack reduces your damage. Blocking a huge attack reduces your damage but shatters your shield, staggering you. If you block with perfect timing however, you parry allowing you to avoid damage from any sort of attack and this can be upgraded to allow you to counterattack as well, although they must be activated manually. You can also unlock the ability to dash, which is more reliable for avoiding damage if your timing isn't good but take care not to dash into enemy attacks. You can evade attacks even without dashing by simply moving away from the attack or in some cases jumping over it, but this is situationally useful. Upgrades are obtained via a skill tree. Skill points are obtained by leveling up. Leveling up is done by gaining experience points. To gain experience points, you either defeat enemies or exchange souls for EXP. Souls are found in clusters across the city. You have a certain capacity of paper "containers" called katashiro which can be upgraded up to 50 at shops. Simply approach a cluster of souls and hold the interact button to absorb the cluster into a katashiro. You can then use payphones located around the city to exchange these souls for money and EXP, emptying your carried containers for re-use in the process. All of your supernatural abilities are tied to a specter possessing your body named "KK". This is more than just a narrative truth, as some visitors have the ability to rip him out of your body, leaving you without his powers. Keep an eye out for purple attacks, as they are bad news in this regard and you really don't want to take a direct hit from them. If you do lose KK, don't panic. When losing him is part of the story you will get him back by progressing. When not part of the story, he will be floating nearby and can be reclaimed if you are careful. You can spot Tengu flying above buildings. You can wire these to launch yourself up onto the rooftops, or if you can find ladders/stairs you can use these to get up instead. You can use your spiritual powers to glide for a short period of time, allowing you to leap from roof to roof. This will be essential in your exploration throughout the city and will be required on occasion for progression. Note that certain abilities such as wiring Tengu remain usable while you are airborn. Located around town are various sidequests. As usual, these are optional and reward you for completing them. However, three of these all part of the same questline called "After the end" can only be completed before starting the final story mission. The game does warn you when you reach the critical point at which this happens, but it is something to be aware of nonetheless. There's even more aspects of the gameplay than I have described here, but if I were to try to describe every little thing I would run out of space for this review. Hopefully I have at least covered the basics enough that you can get an idea of what the game is like and decide if it sounds like something you are interested in.