Ghostwire: Tokyo Review (YGF)
It's a pretty barebones action adventure game when you look at it mechanically.
It reminds me strongly of the early entrants to the open world action genre during the PS3/XBox 360 era. Your Infamous, your Saints Rows, Infamouses, Assassins Creeds, Just Causes, Far Cries, etc etc. Combat isn't amazing but it gets the job done, and most of your time will be spent collecting various things around Tokyo.
This game, however, shines in its visuals, its storytelling, music, and sound design. Barring the qualms with the gameplay itself (unless that kind of thing makes you nostalgic), the overall game is just a nice chill experience through and through due to the high quality in almost every other area.
It is one of very few games like this that I have made an effort to 100% complete, and aside from the update/DLC content, I have done so.
Urban settings often feel samey or repetitive, and I don't usually like them, but having a nightime tokyo filled with spirits has made a very unique set of environments to romp around. There is in fact an entire set of quests involving finding specific spots in the city based on photos, and I found myself able to navigate my way to these areas pretty easily by noting the landmarks and environments shown off in the photos.
Combat, while generally simple and, like always, far too rewarding of stealth, does shine pretty well during boss fights. I played on the hardest difficulty and felt the game is best played in that way, where you do have to take note of reading enemy moves and attacking at every opening you see.
Sidequests in this game are also quite varied, especially the school one added in the Spider's Thread update. They are mostly short and sweet, and very rewarding, which I appreciate.
The Spider's Thread mode is interesting. Taking a hard focus on the combat, it also offers some unique situations to make it a bit more in-depth than the rest of the game. Further, the new Chaos Bead and skill tree system in it also feel like a step up from the game's initial gear and progression at launch.
All in all, I would absolutely recommend this if you just want a cool experience to burn some time in.