There are a number of recent and upcoming games that use various cultures and mythologies to drive their stories. This series aims to explore the relationship between a game and its surrounding mythology and how this shapes its characters. Today, we look at the game Ghostwire Tokyo and its use of Japanese folklore and mythology. 

Ghostwire Tokyo: Cats and Dogs

Ghostwire Tokyo was released 25th March 2022. In the game, Tokyo’s civilians have all disappeared and Yokai, spirits or demons, have invaded the city. You play as Akito, a civilian who survives after being possessed by a demon, KK. Akito and KK must work together, clearing the city of demons and returning Tokyo to the living.

When Ghostwire Tokyo was announced in 2019, one of the major concerns people had was whether or not you could pet the stray dogs. The following year, Tango Gameworks and Bethesda announced that yes, you could pet the dogs. Just before the game’s release, it received more attention for its inclusion of “Yokai Cats Running a Bodega“. Clearly then, the developers knew what the internet wanted. So great is the internet’s love of pets, however, that fans were let down when it was revealed you couldn’t feed the cats, stray or otherwise. Since then the game has received mixed reviews, with people commending its detailed environment design but limited gameplay choices. Coincidence, I think not. Regardless, the publicity surrounding the cats highlights how society today views them as solely pets and is desperate to give them love and attention. However, this wasn’t always the case.

Nekomata 

The Yokai Cats seen in Ghostwire are known as Nekomata. In Japanese folklore, these spirits are cats that have lived for so long that they have acquired both spiritual powers and a second tail. But in the game…they run bodegas. In fact, Nekomata were originally seen in Chinese folklore and were said to be cats that lived in the mountains, with a taste for human flesh. These stories were one of a number of things that were adopted from Chinese culture into Japan. These cats were seen as wild, monstrous beasts that would kill and eat helpless civilians. But in the game…they run bodegas. Gradually, during the Edo period – as cities became more populated – the Nekomata were also said to come from domestic cats that reached old age. Nevertheless, the Nekomata still retained their malevolent tendencies, with the ability to raise and control the dead, cause fires and kill people. But in the ga- you get the idea.

Ghostwire Tokyo‘s Relationship with the Past and Present

Ghostwire Tokyo blends both past and present throughout its game. In this Wired article, the game’s creators remarked upon the juxtaposition between the “old shrines” of Tokyo and its modern skyscrapers and how “the past and modern technology intertwine to give the city its identity”. This idea has been prevalent in the discussion of Japan’s identity as a whole – with some bemoaning Japan’s technical extraordinary progression while seemingly abandoning its Shinto past. One of Japan’s most famous exports, Godzilla, is seen as this battle between nature and technology.

But beyond Ghostwire‘s environment design, the game brings this relationship of past and present into its character design as well. The city is peppered with Yurei, ghosts, who were once overworked civilians and now haunt the city, dressed in their business-suits and carrying umbrellas. Ghosts of teenagers and schoolchildren, once addled by anxiety and the stresses of the future, now haunt the streets headless. Their school uniforms being used to identify them instead. The developers at Tango Gameworks have updated the Yurei folklore of the past to reflect the present. Although the city is seemingly abandoned by the living, the Yurei are dressed as civilians who you would expect to see walking down the street – with the same problems that any civilian today faces. Through this, the developers are further intertwining the living and the dead, the past and the present.

But what does this have to do with cats? Well, the developers do the same thing with the Nekomata. The character design serves to reflect today’s culture. In Japanese culture, cats have gone from being monstrous beasts, from being necromancers and evil spirits to bearers of good luck, to Hello Kitty and now to cute Bodega owners. As Hiroko Yoda – an author on Yokai and consultant on Ghostwire – says “They shape-shift to suit the times. They can be cute. They can be scary. They can be helpful. They can be whatever you need for the purpose.”

The Yokai and Yurei of Ghostwire Tokyo are updated to reflect modern society. They examine the problems of technology, anxiety, stress and everything that encompasses modern day life. And through this reflection they allow players to look at themselves and ask themselves where are they going?

Ghostwire Tokyo is available at Go2Games – on PlayStation and Steam.

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The post Mythology Corner: Ghostwire Tokyo first appeared on Get2Gaming.

Tango Gameworks Ghostwire: Tokyo,has had many gamers left in the dark or curious since it was first revealed in 2019. But on February 3rd, Sony and Tango offered all-new details about (and first extended gameplay of) the upcoming PlayStation 5 exclusive, which is slated for a March 25 release on console and Windows PC.

Tango Gameworks the same developers that created Evil Within franchise is back with another scary addition in Ghostwire: Toyko During the new video showcase, Tango Gameworks founder Shinji Mikami asked his co-workers to describe their new game Ghostwire Toyko, which resulted in various different answers. Character designer Reiko Hiroshima, who also worked on the Evil Within franchise called it “paranormal,” while programmer Tsuyoshi Okugawa described the game simply as “authentic Tokyo.” However, game designer Suguru Murakoshi, had an very unexpected response.”

Game Designer Suguru Murakoshi said;

“The origins of it are truly Japanese,” “In a Japanese studio, and a game set in Japan, it’s a game where everyone can find something to love. With some sweet and tangy parts, just like a strawberry shortcake.”

To briefly sum up what the game is about; Ghostwire: Tokyo is about a supernatural and paranormal event that takes place in Tokyo, Japan. The city’s residents just upright vanish, a deathly fog castes all over the city, and it comes down to the protagonist Akito and his partner KK, a spirit who inhabits Akito’s body and grants him supernatural powers. To cleanse to clean the streets of tokyo that is covered in Yokai (Yōkai are a class of supernatural entities and spirits in Japanese folklore), ghosts, Slender salarymen, headless schoolkids, and other paranormal creatures. Trying to stop Akito and KK is a mysterious and malicious masked man named Hannya.

GhostWire Tokyo is a peculiar one for Tango Gameworks cause like their previous games, this one

is first person, spell-casting action-adventure game which is quite the change from the survivor horror games that they did. normally there’s a pattern of theme with Bethesda and their open world adventure games and first person shooters, you know, with guns, armour and things of that nature but in GhostWire Tokyo, your weapons are your hands and the monsters you slay are inspired by Japanese legends and folklore.

“The power of the hands plays such an important role,”- said game director, Kenji Kimura. Akito will have the ability to master and control the four elements; earth, wind, fire, and water against the weirdest yet powerful creatures. He’ll also gain access to a bow and arrow, grappling hook as his way to move across rooftops and use stealth to overcome the toughest situations. And it’s not just the ghosts and demons trying to stop Akito from succeeding; Tokyo itself will get twisted and corrupted to mess with our hero’s mind.

Ghostwire: Tokyo arrives March 25, officially, on PlayStation 5 (where it will be a one-year console exclusive) and Windows PC. Early access to the game on March 22 is available through Ghostwire: Tokyo’s Deluxe Edition.

The post Creepy, Spooky and Frightening: Ghostwire Toyko gameplay trailer has dropped. first appeared on Get2Gaming.