Ghostwire: Tokyo | Standard + Metal Plate Edition (exklusiv bei Amazon.de) | [PlayStation 5]

Ghostwire struck me as an unusual game so I was eager to give it a go. Whilst there are some distinctive elements, a lot of GW will also feel familiar to gaming veterans.Visually GW draws comparisons to the Yakuza series due to the neon signs and urban layouts of the city, similar to Kamarucho. The stability isn't always there but the graphics are mostly enjoyable. The fog mechanism and overall dark atmosphere is balanced out by indoor venues and being teleported to alternate dimensions, which is a welcome change. Having said that, variety is not common in GW - you will see a lot of the same enemies, for example.This leads me to talking about gameplay and the biggest issue I have with GW. After a couple of hours of playing, the game 'opens up' quite literally as you are shown the map and it takes a turn towards the Ubisoft open-world tropes. There are things to collect, side missions and even the equivalent of radio towers to unlock parts of the map. I was disappointed when I saw this but a positive solution is to simply ignore most of it and focus on the main story, which led to a much more compact and enjoyable experience for me.In addition to the above, GW excels due to the supernatural theme. It doesn't feel like a carbon-copy of open-world games as a result. Executing ghosts is a satisfying experience although let down slightly by controls that I found to be unresponsive at times.While I do not recommend going for Platinum trophies in general, GW is one where I would urge anyone not to bother. A huge chunk of the game is aimed at grinding and collecting spirits to exchange for cash and experience. This is enjoyable in small doses but can become tedious easily.The combat isn't too complicated, and while it seems to encourage stealth, I found stealth to be far too volatile. Enemies would randomly see/hear me or turn around as I approached. The game supplies you with wind, fire and water attacks but I found water to be useless, while fire had far too limited ammunition, and wind was my preferred option and often led to button-bashing.GW's story and ambience is really what carries it forwards and made me curious to see the end. It falls into the trap of supplying lots of notes and recordings to be viewed in a menu, but this is very inane and unappealing for me. The character development between KK and Akito was very interesting but possibly lacking in how much time and space was given to it. The most gripping parts of the story were how they both compromised to proceed and survive. The supernatural elements also kept me interesting to see what would develop, so it didn't feel as overly cliche or predictable as many other game.Overall, Ghostwire is an enjoyable game when the open-world tropes are engaged with sparingly. The main story is where you focus is likely best spent. It's also the type of game to be played once and then fondly remembered rather than having repeat play-throughs, so it's hard to recommend at full price unless you like trading in.

Excellent