From its eerie teaser trailer to its foreboding gameplay reveal at the PlayStation 5 reveal event, fans would be forgiven for thinking Ghostwire Tokyo was meant to be a survival horror experience. The latest title from Tango Gameworks not only features some nightmarish visual design but also boasts horror legend Shinji Mikami in an executive producer role, leading many to believe fans were getting experience in the same vein as The Evil Within or Resident Evil.
However, a new interview seems to confirm that the upcoming triple-a game will not be as steeped in the survival horror genre as many might think, with the game’s creative director, Kenji Kimura, stating that Ghostwire: Tokyo is actually an “action-adventure.” The reveal comes from a recent interview with IGN, in which Kimura dived into some deeper details of the title including its tone and genre.
“GhostWire: Tokyo is an action-adventure game. There are elements of survival, but not elements that one would expect in the horror genre,” Kimura claimed when asked whether the game would lean more on survival or action. That’s not to say that players won’t be experiencing anything unsettling, however, with the game director adding “because we are using Japan as the setting, we hope to deliver an experience packed with mysterious and spooky elements based on Japanese Yokai folklore, fables, urban legends and famous scary stories.”
Naturally, this might come as a surprise to some fans, with many assuming the game would fall more in line with the survival horror experiences Mikami helped pioneer throughout his career.
The interview does reveal some more interesting details about the direction of not only Ghostwire: Tokyo but the studio as a whole. For one, IGN asks whether this shift in direction means Mikami and the team are beginning to set their sights away from the survival horror genre going forward. Interestingly, Shinji Mikami himself responds to this question, telling the publication: “We have not lost our passion for survival horror, but we are currently focused on making Ghostwire: Tokyo the best game it can be.” It seems the game will be a big departure for the studio, but one that allows it to stretch its wings and experiment with the genre.
The interview also gives fans some big answers about what to expect from Ghostwire, such as why the team chose a first-person perspective, what influenced the game, and some hints towards some major aspects of the title’s story. The game is targeted to release next year, so here’s to hoping fans get to know more soon.
Ghostwire: Tokyo will release on PC and PlayStation 5 in 2021.
Source: IGN
