The best shooters set in Japan, ranked

Key things

• Japanese gun video games may reflect influences from Western cinema and are often set in Japan.
• The games here not only come with great gameplay, but are well integrated into their Japanese setting.
• Games like Gal Gun, Sin & Punishment and Yakuza: Dead Souls offer unique and sometimes humorous experiences involving weapons with a Japanese background.

Japan is a relatively safe country because its gun laws are strict. This means that when a weapon is placed in a piece of media, it matters. For example, pulling in weapons Yakuza series usually create great suffering because they are illegal and dangerous.

Their rarity in Japan may be why so many games made there feature them, as they are almost like fantasy weapons. The influences of Western cinema have also been able to shape Japan's development landscape since the early 1980s. Notably, these games don't just feature guns, but take place in Japan, mostly in the Tokyo area. They will be judged on quality and how integrated they are in Japan.

Honorable Mention – Call of Duty: World At War

Call of Duty: World at War is not entirely set in Japan as the game gave players two fronts to fight in during this game world war 2 trip. One group of heroes fought in the Pacific Theater against the Japanese, while another group joined the battle in Russia. Both sides of this war are not so represented world war 2 games like the european front. This gives this Call of Duty entry to a special place in the franchise.

The Japanese campaign was more tropical as the levels were designed around island hopping. It was usually pretty intense as well since flamethrowers were a devastating weapon. While not the pinnacle of the series, thanks again to the inclusion of the Pacific Theater as a setting, along with a zombie mode that persists to this day.

5 Gal Gun returns

Love is a powerful drug

• Developer: Inti Creates
• Publisher: PQube
• Release Date: February 12, 2021 (NA)

Gal Gun was originally released in Japan in 2011, and the remastered version will hit North America in 2021. Based on the theme, it's easy to see why a game like this wasn't made in the first place. The game stars a young teenage boy in Japan who is hit by Cupid's arrow, causing all the girls in his high school to flock to him.

These girls are mad with love, so players have to shoot them down, which translates to extra love, and send them to their knees. It's a funny concept for an on-rails shooter that replaces monsters or soldiers with thirsty high school girls. It might not be a shooter for everyone, but with a silly premise, it's laughable. In addition, the developer Inti Creates is solid, having worked on a lot of great titles, including Mega Man Zero series for Capcom.

4 Sin & Punishment

The future of Japan is full of mutants

Sin & Punishment is another game that was originally exclusive to Japan when it was released in 2000 for the N64. The funny thing is that most of the text may have been in Japanese, but the spoken dialogue was in English just like in Resident Evil games. Also like Resident EvilThis dialogue is incredibly cheesy and not well executed, which adds to the fun.

The game itself takes place in the then-future of Japan in 2007, where a young group of rebellious teenagers fight against mutant beings and oppressive soldiers. Players have a bit more control over their avatar in this on-rails shooter, as they can see their character and fight around to avoid objects or attacks. It's a short experience and it's in the Switch's N64 digital collection, so it's worth an afternoon of your time.

3 Yakuza: Dead Souls

The dead infiltrate the crowd

Yakuza: Dead Souls is one of the weirdest spinoffs in the series. It takes place around normal places like Kamurocho in Japan, but with a big twist. There has been an outbreak of zombies and instead of punching them like in the main games, players are given a huge variety of weapons from pistols to assault rifles. There are also several playable characters, such as the ever-fun Majima, giving players alternate perspectives on the story.

Players can expect to see the same wacky humor as the main games, but it lacks a lot of side content in an open world structure. It may not be as tight an experience as the main games, but it's still an absolute must for die-hard fans. Fans of zombie games may also want to check out who might make it Yakuza the series as a whole to its end.

2 Binary domain

Terminators invade Japan

Binary Domain is set in a distant future where robots have integrated into modern day-to-day activities from traders to household chores. However, there are still bugs in the system and that's where the game begins. After an incident that causes a lot of robots to fail and rebel against humanity, a group of soldiers are sent to Japan to fight back. Think of it as Terminator missing Yakuza like Yakuza The team worked on it, which means it can be as cheesy as it is embarrassing.

Players will lead this squadron with Dan, and in each mission players can choose two teammates to accompany him into battle. It's a third-person shooter with team-based mechanics. The better instructions players give to their team, the more they will like Dan and unlock bonuses in return. Certain skills and weapons can be unlocked and upgraded, giving players plenty of ways to shred these killer robots.

1 Ghostwire: Tokyo

Fight demons with finger weapons

Ghostwire: Tokyo is a first-person shooter, but fighting with magic and not guns. It's also the most authentic Japanese experience on the list because it literally takes place in Tokyo. Parts of the city were sealed off by ghost magic, and players gained the ability for magic and psychic powers by merging with a deceased ghost hunter.

Players can harvest the elements of wind, fire, and water, which have different control patterns. For example, water magic has a short range but is powerful. Aside from magic, players can also throw talismans at enemies or shoot a magic bow, and there's a skill tree Ghostwire: Tokyo too. While parts of the city are locked, areas will open up over time as players progress through the story or complete side quests. To experience modern Japanese city life without the bustling crowds, Ghostwire: Tokyo is an obligation to play.