![]() ![]() ![]() You spend 40 hours fumbling around in the dark, only to finally be given the armour that makes stealth so much more enjoyable. Considering the fact it takes until the end of Act 2 to get a proper stealth tutorial as “The Ghost”, it’s no wonder the stealth doesn’t feel as good. The stealth gameplay isn’t quite so brilliant, but there’s still plenty of fun to be had hiding in the tall grass and assassinating people as they walk past. You’re able to switch between four sword stances, each of which have strengths against certain Mongol weapon types, meaning you’ll have to master the blade effectively in order to win, especially as the Mongols and bandits throw every trick in the book at you. The core swordplay is simplistic yet challenging in equal measure. Ghost of TsushimaĪs for the gameplay, Ghost of Tsushima manages to, for the most part, brilliantly mesh two kinds of combat into one game, making both options equally viable. Features like Photo Mode were built for a game like Ghost of Tsushima, and you’ll often spend more time just gawping at the landscape than actually fighting dudes. The island of Tsushima, with its vibrant flora, tumultuous weather and gorgeous vistas, is one of the prettiest open world sandboxes you’ll ever have the luxury of playing around in. It also helps that Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut both looks and plays phenomenally. Seeing lots of quest icons or question marks on the map can sometimes lead to decision paralysis, and for the most part, you’ll have seen the majority of your gameplay loop by the end of Act 1, but there’s something inherently satisfying about seeing a map slowly completed. There’s outposts to clear, collectibles to find, weapons and gear to upgrade and plenty of quests to complete, and sometimes the sheer amount of stuff to do can be a bit overwhelming. Ghost of TsushimaĪs for the gameplay, it follows the same kind of formula that’s been seen in many open world games in the past, particularly of the Ubisoft variety. This is about Jin’s journey, his evolution even, and what that means for the samurai, the island of Tsushima, and all who stand in his way. Being able to choose between honourable and dishonourable actions might have added some replay value to the game, but it would have ruined the story. ![]() Sucker Punch could have easily played this into a morality system between samurai and Ghost, but they wisely made it an evolution for Jin’s character. There’s a case for both sides, though I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t fully supporting Jin throughout the game. The Mongols are able to dominate the islanders because of the samurai’s rigid adherence to their code, and while breaking that code to defeat the Mongols might yield a short term victory, it’ll potentially create a more savage society once the Mongol threat is eliminated. When your very survival is at stake, is it more important to die with honour, or do everything possible, even if it means condemnation, in order to win? It’s classic Nietzche: “Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster…” Ghost of Tsushima does a good job of arguing both points. It’s a narrative that touches on themes that have been explored in the past. However, the utter savagery of the Mongols forces Jin to assess the samurai code of honour he swore to uphold, leading him down a darker path in the pursuit of a greater good. Playing as Jin Sakai, one of the few samurai survivors of the Mongol invasion of Tsushima, you’re tasked with rallying the remaining troops to try and mount some kind of resistance. Although it’s a real shame that a lot of the features of the PS5 version were locked behind a paywall for even those who already owned the game, it feels like the Director’s Cut is aimed at PS5 owners who never played the game before. Having already launched on PS4 last year to incredible success, Sony and Sucker Punch have updated Ghost of Tsushima for PS5 users with the Director’s Cut. Samurai Far Cry is an accurate description, and Ghost of Tsushima owns it to become one of the most engaging open world games on PS5. The formula has been seen so many times before, and yet, the pieces come together to create a game that’s a struggle to tear yourself away from. Tsushima doesn’t really add anything new to the open world genre, it’s not a grand innovation, nor is it breaking new ground. Describing Ghost of Tsushima as “Samurai Far Cry” sounds like it should be an insult. ![]()
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