TOKYO GHOUL re: [CALL to EXIST] Review – Send it to Voicemail

Tokyo Ghoul faithfully adapts the manga, revealing that the convoluted story makes for a fun, if barebones, game that likely won’t find new fans.

As if reaching a tentacled kagune straight out of the beloved manga, Tokyo Ghoul: re [Call to Exist]has arrived. The name is foreboding, just as confusing as the actual plot to anyone that hasn’t read or watched the original series. Fans and newcomers alike can’t fault the game for its commitment to the material; its dark and – at times – terrifying world is faithfully stripped from the page. But with a $60 asking price, Tokyo Ghoul doesn’t offer enough punch to be worth the buy. 

For the uninitiated, Tokyo Ghoul is a manga following the life of Ken Kaneki, a young man who is partly killed by a ghoul on a date-gone-wrong. The miracle of science saves him, transplanting the ghoul’s organs into his body, making him a half-ghoul. Now, like the monsters, he must survive on human flesh. As he fights with the instincts inside him, he also battles groups of the villains that torment Tokyo. 

Related: Horror Anime Series To Watch If You Like Tokyo Ghoul

At first glance, Tokyo Ghoul: re [Call to Exist] is a straightforward adaptation of this story. Disappointingly, there aren’t any original cutscenes – or even any clips from the show – but there are still images with overlaid text that give context for the gameplay. Overall, the game’s art captures the haunting feel of its source material even though the graphics aren’t incredibly impressive. 

Players will barely pay the surroundings any mind regardless, as once the action starts, they’ll be swept away in the fervor. Using a combination of basic attacks and special moves (that use stamina), the fights are fast and messy. There’s a relatively steep learning-curve to mastering combat and it becomes satisfying to land a string of combos a build up to a fatal blow. Players must also time dodges and manage their stamina meter if they hope to be successful in later levels. 

The single-player campaign consists of several “episodes” where the player navigates a level and fights dozens of low-level enemies and several bosses. In accordance with the game, these levels are canonical with the series. But once the first level is beaten, the player unlocks the ability to play modes that the game refers to as “separate from the lore,” further establishing how tied the game is into the story of the manga and anime. It is as if Halo showed a warning before each multiplayer match that confirmed that the events following were not “real.” 

The strangeness of this specificity aside, the multiplayer modes add a fun, if minimal addition to the game. There’s co-op, where a player and up to three friends can play through a remixed version of the campaign (with added and harder enemies), survival, where the players face waves of enemies, and battle, a 4v4 deathmatch of players on players. 

While co-op is the most simple, it is also the most fun. Survival provides very little excitement or challenge and there’s nothing to encourage you to try to beat a score other than pride. Battle is fun in short bursts, but because the game is niche, it may take a while to find enough players for a fair battle. CPUs will take their place, but they don’t pull their weight. 

For all of the modes, players are able to create their own character using a very limited creation tool. There are only 3 hair styles per gender at the start, with more to unlock as you progress.  Players can also choose different weapons and fighting styles, but these also must be unlocked by playing online and progressing through the story. It’s far to grindy for something that is essentially the core game with a little spin. 

Tokyo Ghoul: re [Call to Exist] has some good stuff going for it: popular source material, well-designed (if uninspired) combat. But after a couple hours in, the shine of the game disappears and gives way to a repetitive and thin experience. With its steep price tag, it’s only a game for fans, and even the most hardcore might find that Ghoul simply lacks the spirit.

TOKYO GHOUL re: [CALL to EXIST] is available now on PlayStation 4 and PC. Screen Rant was provided with a digital PS4 copy for the purpose of this review.

About The Author

Ty Sheedlo
(96 Articles Published)

Ty Sheedlo is a games and (occasional) movie contributor to Screen Rant. He has been writing for the site for several years in the form of lists, interviews, set visits, news, and reviews. When he isn’t analyzing them, Ty can be found playing video games for fun (mostly Super Smash Bros.) and sometimes looking outside the window to enjoy the year-long LA summer. He’s a huge horror fan and comedy nerd; legends speak of a mythical horror-comedy genre that lives at the intersection of all Ty’s interests. He can be found retweeting and rarely expressing his own opinions on Twitter as (at)needs4sheeds and “hearting” movies on Letterboxd as tygonjin.

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