Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters - PS3

Coming from the developers behind Deadly Premonition, Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters is a game of that very Japanese genre - the visual novel. Don't let the word 'novel' fool you, though, there's plenty to do here as you traverse the space between life and death.

As a plain old transfer student you start your time at Kurenai Academy in Shinjuku. However, when things take a turn to the supernatural, you quickly find yourself tangled up with a group of Ghostbusters-style paranormal investigators. The catch is that the ghosts are remarkably difficult to see, so doing battle with them requires some highly specialised equipment and a spot of intuition.

The game follows the visual novel format, so you'll make your way through the story, interacting with the narrative and influencing the flow of events.

The strength of Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters, though, lies in its unusual turn-based combat system. To start with, you'll get a map drawn out on a grid (it looks a bit like the graph paper you used to use at school). You'll be able to lay down traps such as salt, which limits the movement of ghosts, or detection equipment. Then, as things get going, you'll need to issue orders to your party to corner and fight the ghost. Except, of course, that the ghost can't be seen and, if you've not planned carefully, your team will be swinging for thin air.

As well as the combat there's a boardgame-like minigame that plays out a bit like combat, but with cards dictating your moves.

So, while Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters has a very strong focus on story, there's plenty of meat here for those looking for depth and strategy. more