[Review] ‘Tokyo Ghoul:re [Call To Exist]’ Is a Flawed Experience That Even a Hardcore Fan May Find Tough To Enjoy

Tokyo Ghoul is one of the most exciting and emotionally rich anime of the past decade. Following protagonist Ken Kaneki, the series takes place in a world inhabited by “Ghouls;” these are beings who feast on human flesh. While not every ghoul is violent or evil, there is a rift between them and humankind. Kaneki is a unique hybrid of Ghoul that is still part human and strives to protect his loved ones from the war between humans and Ghouls.

With all of Tokyo Ghoul’s popularity, it was only a matter of time until we saw a video game adaptation in the west. Tokyo Ghoul:re [Call To Exist] is a re-telling of the series, including events from season one and its following seasons, Tokyo Ghoul √A and Tokyo Ghoul:re.

The narrative sticks to that of the anime source material, covering major plot points and glossing over the anime’s overall story. Die-hard Tokyo Ghoul fans will be able to follow along, but for those unfamiliar with the show, additional viewing will be required to understand the full emotional context of the plot and its characters. Ironically, the unlockable story details are super helpful to provide that context. 

[Call To Exist] primarily utilizes still images in a slideshow-esque manner to convey its narrative; there are cutscenes that take place during missions, but they offer minor kinetic action. For an anime with stellar fights, this makes for a total bore and letdown. Other anime games like the Naruto Ninja Storm series have recreated iconic fights in beautiful detail; so it’s a shame given the haunting atmosphere and adrenaline of Tokyo Ghoul that the game doesn’t display that sense of ferocity. Also, these cutscenes will depict “fights” by turning the screen black and emitting smacking and slashing sounds as blood splatter appears. This is horribly tacky, and even more confusing as to why this means of conveying battle was chosen over actual animated fighting.

In Dynasty Warriors-like fashion, the player moves their character along a linear path, cutting through and beating down waves of enemies. At times, one may need to find items to complete a task – but the primary focus is on fighting enemies. There are a slim number of enemy types, such as infantry grunts, tanks, and more powered up beings. Of all enemy encounters, boss fights provide a welcoming challenge. However, battle requires little strategy outside of evading attacks and swooping in to land a blow. A stamina bar is present and represents one’s ability to use dashes and more powerful moves. The longer one fights, the more they’ll increase their “Awakening Gauge”, allowing for a super attack once full.

Throughout the game the player has the ability to take control of multiple characters. While the main story focuses on Kaneki, additional characters are found in the side story options. Upon completing certain missions, an option will become available to replay it from a different character’s perspective. From Touka Kirishima to Koutarou Amon and others, the game provides a nice variety in its cast. For the most part, each character also feels different; some excel better at hand to hand combat, whereas some are more suited to long-range attacks. Each character fits into one of three classes – these consist of Ghouls, Doves, and Quinx. From Ghouls being able to self-heal, to Doves and Quinx being able to use different weapons, each class has something unique to offer.

On a technical level, the camera can get in the way of the player’s view. This becomes a problem when loads of enemies are on the screen. However, what really hurts [Call To Exist] are all its mini cutscenes. The game is constantly stopping to show another cutscene of enemies arriving. There are many moments where a player will defeat a wave of enemies, only to have a cutscene pop up displaying the arrival of more enemies; they will defeat those enemies, take a few steps, and then another cutscene will appear. This issue establishes a dragging pace, chipping away at the story’s excitement.

Outside of the single player story, [Call To Exist] offers a variety of multiplayer options, including a Horde mode, a co-op story mode, and PVP battles. In all these modes, the player is able to make a customized character. [Call To Exist] may not have the deepest character customization, but from the various clothes and item options, it does allow the player to create an avatar that looks like they popped out of the Tokyo Ghoul world. PVP matches boil down to bombastic, yet simplistic brawls. They essentially follow the same flow as combat found throughout the game’s story – dash in and attack, evade, dash in when the time is right and repeat. Other than the ability to play as characters from the show or as a custom character, the gameplay becomes too repetitive to hold up excitement.

With its dragging pace, awkward cutscenes, and passable additional content, Tokyo Ghoul:re [Call To Exist] barely holds it on with its own thanks to the action. The story will certainly capture the excitement of fans, while others may have issues getting totally on board. For such an awesome anime, Tokyo Ghoul:re [Call To Exist] barely holds on thanks to the action.

Tokyo Ghoul:re [Call To Exist] review code for PS4 provided by the publisher

Tokyo Ghoul:re [Call To Exist] is out now on PS4 and PC.