First, I have to say I’m so relieved that 2020 didn’t deliver yet another big disappointment. Thank you Sucker Punch for making a game I actually want to play!
This is a game that was clearly crafted with a love of the old samurai films I grew up with such as Musashi, Lone Wolf and Cub, and Zaitoichi. There is an understanding of the aesthetic of these films that the game captures in its natural landscapes and cinematic fight scenes. Not just that, but the attention to detail is really impressive and adds to the atmosphere. I stopped for minutes at a time watching things like Japanese maple leaves swirl in the wind after winning a fight. It’s just awesome how this game makes you feel like a wandering samurai on a quest for vengeance, your tattered robes giving no indication of your terrifying skill and the oceans of blood left in your wake.
Hands down, the best part of Ghost of Tsushima is the melee fighting - as it should be for a game about samurai. At first, I was clumsy with the controls and frustrated with how clunky fighting appeared to work. I died several times to basic enemies while angrily mashing buttons. However, after practice and more understanding, Jin suddenly turned into an untouchable whirlwind of death. Parrying, something a lot of fighting games have but is usually a losing mechanic compared to offense, became my go to strategy. This was especially rewarding after I fully upgraded Jin’s parry skill tree and opponents would actually flee in terror. But even with tons of upgrades and legendary skills unlocked, I loved that a fight could quickly end in Jin’s death if I lost concentration or got blindsided by a foe. Thankfully, reloading after death is rather fast and not punitive like a Dark Souls game. It made the learning curve fun, with the emphasis on organic growth and not on having to master every fight sequence.
Graphically, the game is drop dead gorgeous and runs very smooth. To say the game is polished is an understatement. It’s just amazing this is accomplished on a PS4 (or PS4 Pro in my case). Anyone who can’t find the beauty in the visuals needs to get their eyes and soul checked. That being said, there are some janky animations. As always, models like horses traversing uneven terrain just don’t look right. My particular gripe is how comical and out of place the jump graphic looks, especially in combat. I found it distracting to be in a tense fight where timing and control are everything, then have to watch Jin goofy foot across the screen when I accidentally hit the “X” button. But overall, the game is a visual masterpiece.
Unfortunately, loot is simply not done well in Ghost of Tsushima. Having to scrounge nooks and crannies for resources was an uninspired and repetitive grind. It felt like both busy work and out of context with the samurai way Jin portrays, detracting from the thematic experience. For example, after saving villagers the only way to obtain loot is to then plunder their village of every loose scrap of linen, leather, iron, etc. All the impoverished villagers can do is bow and stare mutely at this theft from their lord. Of course, loot can be ignored but then that means forgoing many interesting and cool looking upgrades. A better way would have been some type of income system based on rescuing villagers and liberating villages, much like the feudal taxing that would have historically taken place. Plus, using a generic term like “supplies” instead of koku or ryō for loot is just wrong in a game that is otherwise so thematically on the nose.
The writing in the Ghost of Tsushima is another weak spot. Don’t get me wrong, the main story is actually interesting and there are many good supporting characters with compelling voice acting. However, the dialogue can feel flat and contrived at times. This is especially true for the main character Jin, who the writers tried to portray as a strange mix of emotionless, compassionate, stoic, and idealistic but who often comes off as wooden and unconvincing. I actually started to dread the cutscenes where I knew he was going to have a lot of exposition. Also, Jin’s dilemma with betraying his samurai code for guerrilla tactics seemed ridiculously underplayed. The writers should have gone with a second childhood mentor for Jin, one with a ninja background to make his easy transition and skills more believable. This would also have demonstrated how Jin had always struggled between the two paths with an aptitude for both. With other areas of the game setting the bar high, the lack of excellence here definitely stands out in contrast.
In the area of game design, there are some notable flaws as well. Clunky quests with auto-fail conditions rear their ugly head many times, such as being spotted while trying to hide, losing sight of an important NPC, and having people you are guarding killed. As noted with the writing, there are also several lackluster and a few very poorly written quests. The straw hat ronin quest line comes to mind - legend has it that they are *still* hungry. All the arcade-like jump and grapple puzzles would require superhuman strength and detract from Sucker Punch’s mostly realistic approach. And for such a large and open world game, there is a disappointing lack of base building. Some key villages do become revitalized after clearing mongols, but this is through no control from the player. What’s more, these villages become rather generic in their offerings as the game progresses with little reason to return to them. A real shame, as a tax system for income based on restored villages and possibly selecting where to send save NPCs to bolster economy and security would have made resources gathering and map securing far more interesting.
So, Ghost of Tsushima is by no means a perfect game. However, I played it late into the evenings and woke up eager to jump right back in. Beside the main story progression, there is an overwhelming number of beautiful areas to explore, side quests to complete, and details to find. For example there are various shrines Jin can visit for upgrades and charms. All well and good, and certainly compelling to seek out. However, I once found a small, unmarked shrine to a large frog kami and bowed to it on a whim. I was shocked when dozens of frogs suddenly surrounded Jin. Finding these little flourishes was a joy, much like how following the wind and birds could lead to hidden places I could have easily missed. In fact, one detail I missed until several hours into the game was that I could make Jin bow on command. After that, I made it a point to bow once to my enemies after wiping them out. There’s no reward for this, it just felt right and added to my enjoyment of the game.
In closing, I leave you with my favorite haiku I crafted during the game. This is yet another cool feature and a wonderful contrast to all the violent gameplay. It’s just very... samurai.
Feel the earth below
A cool bed beneath the stars
Growing ever strong
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This game came in the right moment where ninja/samurai games have not been as numerous as they used to be. The level of detail, gameplay flow motion, dialogue and stuff to do is incredible, it shows how much love the creator put into this.ABOUT the DIFFICULTY it is very well balanced, of course you have to get used to the timings. Specially if you're not a hardcore gamer you can totally play this with a good level of challenge. THIS ISN'T SEKIRO or NIOH so you won't feel liking breaking the disc, the controller and the PS4 after 15 min of playing it. That does not mean that if you want a harder challenge just change the difficulty settings.
