Ghostwire: Tokyo's Combat Is The Magicians-Meets-Avatar: The Last Airbender

Ghostwire: Tokyo is out next month, but we've seen very little of its paranormal action-adventure gameplay thus far. That changed today with a PlayStation stream focused exclusively on the game, and it gave us a look at some of the creative powers and equipment you'll be using to defeat the cultists and save Tokyo.

The demonstration showed protagonist Akito, who has been semi-possessed by a spectral entity called KK (no, not the musician from Animal Crossing) as he makes his way through Tokyo and battles the demonic entities roaming the streets. Avatar-style powers based on water, fire, and air were on display, each offering a different advantage like providing concentrated damage or covering a larger area. Additionally, Akito has access to limited-use Talisman resources for more powerful attacks, as well as a physical bow.

The bow, as well as some close-quarters stealth gameplay briefly seen in the demonstration, gave off unexpected Far Cry vibes, and with the freedom to choose how you approach situations--it's Tango Gameworks' first non-linear project--there's no right way to approach a fight. If things do pop off, there's no need to take cover, as you'll be battling enemies using a mix of offensive spells as well as magical shields. If you've seen The Magicians, the intricate hand movements needed to cast each one will look familiar, like an interpretive dance but with more murder. After fully charging up and entering "Wire In" mode, attacks get even more deadly, too, though we only saw this in action for a few seconds.

Not all of the powers are for combat, though. A grappling ability makes use of special yokai in hard-to-reach locations, letting you almost instantly zip to them, and a Spectral Vision mode is essentially Witcher Sense so you can get the drop on enemies or find something hidden.

We'll see how the spooky action of Ghostwire: Tokyo all came together on March 25, 2022 when it launches for PS5 and PC. If you purchase the Deluxe Edition, you'll also get three-day early access. You can read more about how the game is mixing up the open-world formula and how it was originally The Evil Within 3.