First things first, Spider’s Thread can be played at any time regardless if you beat the main game or not, as soon as the update downloads you can dive into Spider’s Thread. That being said, Ghostwire: Tokyo assumes you at least played a chunk of Ghostwire: Tokyo as it doesn’t give many stories, starts with all of your powers/items unlocked, and throws you in with almost no warning.

Akito and KK find themselves thrown into a strange place and are told by the Tatari—again you need to have played the main story to know these guys—that an issue has arisen and they need your help. The Tsuchigumo has been up to no good and needs to be stopped ASAP. Of course, only the best purifiers in the business can do it! The story isn’t particularly deep as the main story but there are some new allies to be found and characters to meet. Plus, as a free update any addition to Ghostwire: Tokyo is welcome.

The main theme behind Ghostwire: Tokyo is like a survival mode/gauntlet. Akito and KK need to descend into multiple floors and death means restarting from the first floor. Yes folks, The Spider’s Thread is akin to roguelike titles where death sets you back but there are some ways to get better and survive easier. As you progress each floor has a randomized layout and set of objectives to overcome. Some are simple like making it to the end with a time limit added as a secondary objective. Others beat down a set number of threats. There are some surprises here and there and they kept our MANY retries fun and not as boring as we worried it could be at first glance.

Making it to each new level felt like a win but equally, each loss was frustrating. We mentioned though as you survive floors and win, you’ll gain a new currency that will stick with you and can be used to bolster your defense and upgrade Akito/KK in new ways.

We initially thought this new expansion would just be a mode of sorts but there are some new powers that can be used as you play The Spider’s Thread. Akito/KK can gain new versions of their powers and it’s kind of cool to see them in action. You’ll need these powers in later levels as the enemies come faster than they did in the base game and will test your movement/power usage to its absolute limits. You can still rely on older powers like your mighty fireball skill and bow but the new powers will help you level up your yokai abilities tenfold.

We doubt many readers are still playing Ghostwire: Tokyo in 2023 and have moved on to newer games but we can’t deny this update made us want to relive the story/game once again. The Spider’s Thread is again, free and adds a surprising new way to play the game overall. Honestly, we think it might pull players back in even if only briefly.