Videogame Review: Ghost of Tsushima
This was a pleasant surprise. My expectations were relatively low given my knowledge of the developer, Sucker Punch. The Infamous games were fun but not exactly mind-blowing. Sekiro and Nioh 2 by contrast are both made by developers with very strong histories in action gaming. To stand with those titles is no easy feat, yet that is precisely what the studio accomplished. Ghost is an engrossing samurai action game with a very cinematic feel. The graphics and overall world design are outstanding. The game truly is a work of art. You feel like you are controlling a classic Samurai movie. I love the little aesthetic details, like the minimal HUD and the use of the wind to indicate quest markers. The action is also fast-paced and fun with a strong stealth component driven effectively by the game’s above-average story. The protagonist Jin feels like a real person complete with inner conflicts, various loyalties, and a fleshed out personal history. Sucker Punch did a great job establishing a detailed and historically accurate depiction of ancient Japan. Happily they avoided a lot of unnecessary modern political anachronism. You’ll find a handful of female warriors and some LGBTQ elements, but it is all handled in a period-appropriate way.
I appreciated how the story focused on the idea of honor in the face of an alien threat that used the samurai’s virtues against them. The conflict between retaining honor and doing whatever it takes to win was generally well-written. Being an open world game you are given lots of opportunity to play around with this conflict in numerous scenarios. The side quests and optional content are mostly good with some obvious filler and repetitiveness. The character-focused side quests were a nice addition though they were not nearly as well written as the main game.
Ghost of Tsushima gives players a massive world full of challenges and adventures. It’s a fairly conventional open world game but it avoids that Ubisoft-esque blandness thanks to its great sense of style and solid gameplay. My only gripes are a few poorly written story beats and awkward to play set pieces. For the most part though, the game flows beautifully from start to finish. What’s more the game has improved substantially since launch. The game now includes an online multiplayer mode, new game plus, and a massive story expansion DLC called “Iki Island.” If you managed to snag a PS5, go for the Director’s Cut that includes all of the added content as well as a host of audio visual improvements like 3D audio, Japanese audio lip sync, 4K resolution, and faster load times.
Grade: B+
