My Take of Ghost of Tsushima

Ah video games. They've been a staple in most peoples lives, one way or another and it doesn't look like that's going to change anytime soon, with the upcoming releases of the Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X. But for today, we're going to talk about a new game that came out last month that I have been absolutely loving, Ghost of Tsushima. Made by gaming development company Sucker Punch Productions, it is an open world game based around main character Jin Sakai, a samurai on Tsushima Island during the first Mongol invasion of Japan. As you progress through the story, Jin has to decided whether or not to hang on to his proud Samurai traditions or resort to something more extreme in order to save his island. Lets break the game down!

Storyline

The storyline that Sucker Punch have come up with is nothing short than amazing. Being a Samurai in the time where there was't many left, gives a sense of duty to the player as they run around the island helping out different citizens and repelling Mongol attacks. The story gives twists and turns, making you think about what could happen next and leaving the player with sudden realizations. It makes choosing different paths more difficult but at the same time makes you think about the bigger picture of your choices. In the end, the story telling behind the gameplay, is what really draws the player in to wanting to play more.

Gameplay

The gameplay in Ghost of Tsushima is something of a masterpiece. The game itself has a minimalistic HUD which allows for a more in-depth feel to the gameplay. Players can use the way the wind blows to figure out what direction they need to go in order to get to different areas of the game. In addition to that, from time to time, players will come across a golden bird, which will lead you to different specialty areas allowing you to level up certain aspects of your character. Same goes with foxes! Following a fox is always good luck in the game and afterwards you get to pet them! This game really has it all! 

Next is the fighting style. Ghost of Tsushima has two different fighting styles, the way of the Samurai and the way of the Ghost. Both of these techniques have there advantages, depending on how you want to approach the situation at hand. As you would guess, using Ghost techniques allow you to use stealth as the main focus of your attack, allowing for assassinations and attacking from the shadows. Samurai techniques give you the option to fight your opponents face to face, which we're told is the way most Samurai's use. From that you get four different techniques, unlocking each one as the game goes on. Each technique has its benefits depending on what kind of enemy you're facing. Having this many different styles of fighting allows for the player to think about how they want to approach the situation. Will it be more beneficial in fighting head on or would this be a better time for stealth? That's what this game does extremely well. Sucker Punch have even gone to all of the effort to make sure that the actual Samurai techniques are executed the same way or similar in order to give the player a more authentic feel and not just have to resort to button spamming.

Overworld

Ghost of Tsushima is an open world area in where the player can run around to do what they want. Whether it be looking for secrets, gathering resources or just uncovering the whole map. The world itself is incredible, with a day/night progression as well as different kinds of weather, ranging from beautiful sun to dark and dangerous storms. I often find myself just stopping in one of the fields willed with flowers or on the edge of a waterfall looking around. The game does a good job at drawing your attention to that when you find a haiku spot. It's one of the few games that I would rather run across the land than fast travel or ride my horse to get somewhere quicker.

Ghost of Tsushima is a fantastic single-player open world adventure game. It caters to all types of players with their many differing styles of combat and gameplay, allowing for the player to be able to play how they want. It is going to be one of the few games that I really want to fully complete and I will spend my time playing it until then! Ghost of Tsushima is avaible now on Playstation 4.