“Third-Party” is a collection of columns where developers talk about specific games, mechanics, levels and more. This week, Andrew Haining, code lead for No Code (“Observation”), writes about the pace and influences of “Ghostwire: Tokyo”.

I don’t consider myself an expert on Japanese culture or games, but I’m a big fan of Shinji Mikami and Tango Gameworks. I’ve always viewed the studio’s games as critically and commercially underrated, so I planned on playing Ghostwire: Tokyo regardless of the ratings. In my experience so far, the studio has made a very good game, improving their skills and pushing their limits. I expect future Forge titles to be even better.

After overwhelming critical acclaim and comparatively disappointing sales in 2016 and 2017, I have the impression that Bethesda has decided to change direction: away from genres and styles that are critically acclaimed towards ideas that are changing simply sell better. This is pure speculation – I have no idea what’s going on in these studios. But there is a clear trend with “Fallout 76”, “Wolfenstein: Youngblood”, “Deathloop” and “Redfall”. Traditionally the developers of these titles have made single player experiences, but here they are experimenting with multiplayer.

“Ghostwire: Tokyo” does not have a multiplayer mode.

To their credit, these games were far more successful than other companies’ clumsy attempts to add multiplayer components to single-player games a decade earlier. I suspect it was more of a gentle nudge from the publisher than a mandate that gave the studios freedom to explore how the games they were developing could be better suited to the mass market. That theory is speculative, but I believe it’s true, and I believe that unlike the other studios, Tango decided that multiplayer just didn’t suit their games.

Ghostwire: Tokyo (PC) for 29.99 euros instead of 59.99 euros at MMOGA

It is also clear from his interviews that Mikami wants to continue his career in a way that gives him creative satisfaction while protecting the future of everyone who depends on him. He initially handed the reins to Ikumi Nakamura, who directed the first half of development. I think she put a big stamp on the game. Given Mikami’s recent comments that he still wants to lead another project, I think he doesn’t consider the process complete and the release of Ghostwire: Tokyo a complete success.

The interesting thing about the two leading characters in this game is that they have an artistic background that is reflected in the final product. There’s a strong sense of visual style. That carries it far, but I think as a result of the many competing influences – the two directors, Mikami’s legacy, and the publisher’s gentle nudges – the game mechanics feel like they’ve been overhauled too many times.

Ghostwire: Tokyo game scene. — Ghostwire: Tokyo’s greatest strength lies in its visual style.

In my opinion, one of the most important tasks of a game director is to give the rest of the team a clear idea of what the game should be. For example, I have a theory that Kojima is so successful at connecting his narrative themes to game mechanics because his writing is so childish that it’s impossible for the team to stray too far from the thematic context of characters named Porter Bridges or Quiet to remove.

My first impression of Ghostwire: Tokyo was very strong. The game’s first hospital section made me suspect that Tango had decided to create a first-person stealth horror game inspired by Alien Isolation, and I was excited at the prospect of sneaking around these fascinating creatures from Japanese urban myths. This stretch didn’t last long, however, before transitioning back into a game that felt inspired by Arkane’s (“Dishonored”) stealth combat. There are also clear influences from the unique combat design of “Doom” (2016). The further I played, the more the game developed into a typical “card janitor” game [so genannt, weil man die Karte von lästigen Symbolen säubert], as you know from Ubisoft, while keeping all these elements from all these other titles. Along the way you also notice influences from “Crackdown” and “Devil May Cry”. I don’t think I’ve ever played such a melting pot of ideas before.

It’s a game that comes highly recommended. It reminds me of the first “Assassin’s Creed” – a first attempt at a recipe. It’s impossible to know what comes next – and I suspect there won’t be a sequel. But if they did a sequel, it would be built on a very strong foundation. Tango has the potential to create something extraordinary.

Deathloop (PC) for 25.99 euros instead of 59.99 euros at MMOGA

One of the hardest things about game development, in my opinion, is pacing. Unlike the movie industry, where you tend to film a lot and then perfect the pacing in the editing room, games don’t have that luxury. We can’t just cut sections out of games, move them around, go back into production and make some new ones like post-shoots do on film. With games, you have to constantly monitor the tempo during production and cut it on the fly. This is very difficult at best and doesn’t fit the concept of a strict schedule at all. If you’re not careful, these decisions will result in slow development.

Nobody wants to work on the same game for seven years. Everyone wants to see their creation get into the hands of users. Not all genres lend themselves to this idea. This is probably most pronounced in the open-world genre, and Tango didn’t quite nail it here. In this game, the user should develop their skills and advance the story enough times to keep them engaged. Tango comes very close to that, but the “caretaker of cards” stuff is a little too dense and movement through the world isn’t quite as engaging as in a purely open-world game. Combat is the other important component. Also, he doesn’t have the depth of the titles he emulates. Ghostwire: Tokyo’s real strength lies in its visual design and narrative elements, but it squanders its ammo too early instead of firing it consistently throughout the game.

Smartphones on Prime Day – Samsung and Google & Co. greatly reduced

Cross-platform Mobile App Development: A Complete Guide

Modern game development in the West is in an age of enslavement to reality. This often has a negative impact on the experience, such as with Red Dead Redemption 2, where there were frequent complaints about the slow pace of the game because every action of the user had to be carried out in minute detail. There were also times when the trend reversed. For example, first-person shooters have become faster and faster because users tend to equate their power in a world with the quality of the title. This quickly led to a massive increase in player power, which in turn encourages boring game design. You have to counteract that.

Finding the balance is crucial. Over-reliance on animation can negatively impact a designer’s ability to iterate and has an effect on the pacing of the experience. No pauses in player input can result in a breakneck pace like StarCraft, where success is literally measured in clicks. The right balance depends on the experience you want to create and the need to iterate to find something you’re happy with.

Dishonored: Complete Ed. (PC) for 19.99 euros instead of 69.99 euros at MMOGA

I believe that the recent Japanese zeitgeist of intentionally shifting first-person works away from realistic animation towards simpler and faster movements is a very good piece of design work. Ghostwire: Tokyo has found an excellent place on the spectrum where it doesn’t detract from immersion at all and the gameplay is kept at just the right pace to suit the game.

With Ghostwire: Tokyo, Bethesda’s era of pop hit hunting has most likely come to an end. “Redfall” was clearly started in that era, but I expect Microsoft to take the studios off that model and back to the prestige games that made them famous. Those are the kinds of works that will sell Game Pass: lots of quality 30-hour games, not 500-hour multiplayer monstrosities. I doubt Bethesda has achieved what it set out to do with any of the games it released in this era. Whichever direction the studios go I’m sure it will be interesting and of high quality.

Don’t miss these editions of “Third party“:

* If you make a purchase using the links marked with an asterisk, COMPUTER BILD will receive a small commission. Our standards of transparency and journalistic independence can be found here.