Playing through Ghost of Tsushima is an experience both familiar and unique. There aren't many concepts the title hasn't pulled from other open world video games, such as resource collecting, location discovery, and Ubisoft-style base liberation. However, what sets Ghost of Tsushima apart is how it approaches these oft-used gameplay mechanics from a slightly different angle, one based as much around player freedom as it is the game's thematic elements.

There are many high-profile video games, especially in recent years, which seem intent on relishing in small details and unnecessary animations. Games like Red Dead Redemption 2 and The Last of Us: Part 2 (both developed by companies who have been accused in the past of having unnecessarily long and rigorous crunch periods) drew criticism from players because of the amount of times control was wrestled away from them in order for the on-screen animation to finish playing out. Things like cleaning weapons, buying items from shops, and even searching homes and bodies for loot became, for many, an unnecessary tedium. While Ghost of Tsushima is undeniably a beautiful game, it is also not attempting to replicate realism like these other titles. Ghost of Tsushima knows it is a video game, and it utilizes current preferences, genre tropes, and the medium's inherent interactivity to effectively communicate its story better than most other titles in recent memory.

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Ghost of Tsushima lacks many of the more realistic character animations featured in other titles, but their exclusion doesn't detract from the overall experience one bit. Looting items or enemies (something which can also be accomplished on horseback) is done with a single button press, instantly transferring their inventory to the player's, and larger in-game actions, like the times protagonist Jin Sakai has to set fire to Mongolian encampments, are simply expressed with a fade out/fade in of the camera. This method of visual storytelling may not be as realistic as it is in other video games, but it's faster, and it not only allows the player to continue on with their task at hand (rather than take a five second break every time they notice an item) but also likely gave the developers additional time to focus on some of the more important aspects of Ghost of Tsushima's gameplay.

Ghost Tsushima Fireflies

Combat in Ghost of Tsushima is fast and brutal, but it's not as unforgiving as games like Nioh 2 or Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Ghost of Tsushima seems to offer a slightly larger parrying window than these other titles, and as the player unlocks different fighting styles (Stone, Wind, Water, and Moon) they are expected to switch between them on the fly depending on what type of enemy they are fighting. For example, Stone Stance is designed to break the defenses of enemies using swords, while Water Stance is better suited for combatants equipped with shields. Swapping between the stances is simple, requiring the player to only hold R2 and press the designated face button, and this simplicity is important when facing off against multiple enemy types at once.

Much of Ghost of Tsushima's story is based around the Mongolian invasion of the island of Tsushima, a real-life island located between Korea and Japan. The invasion is being led by Khotun Kahn, an intelligent but brutal villain, and as the Kahn's army spreads over Tsushima's landscape it's up to Jin Sakai, the last remaining samurai, to stop him before all the citizens of the island are overrun by Mongol forces. Jin was raised by his uncle, the great samurai Lord Shimura, but by the end of the game's introduction Shimura is captured by the Mongols and held hostage. It's in the process of trying to rescue Lord Shimura that Jin must become the titular Ghost of Tsushima, an act which goes against all of his samurai training.

Ghost Tsushima Stealth

Samurai don't sneak around in the bushes and assassinate people quietly, but instead confront their enemies face-to-face and look them in the eye. This is a conflict Jin struggles with throughout the entirety of Ghost of Tsushima, and it's exemplified by the game always giving the player the option of either being sneaky or facing their enemies head-on. There are very few missions in Ghost of Tsushima where stealth assassinations are forced interactions, with the player instead being allowed to either sneak around or face their opponents head on as they see fit. The few times when stealth kills are necessary are predicated on the assumption that the Mongol enemies will kill helpless innocents if they are murdered loudly, but even this qualifier doesn't excuse the samurai moral code, something Jin has lived with for all his adult life.

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It's this conflict, one which is ultimately between doing what is moral and what is needed, which drives the plot of Ghost of Tsushima, and these themes are explored in a multitude of ways throughout Jin's journey. Thankfully, Ghost of Tsushima's developers not only know how to handle these heavy themes with the care and attention they deserve, but they also allow for players to see the humanizing moments between these drastic emotional situations. From scenes like Jin and his friend getting drunk on sake before a big battle one night, just because they need to relax, to small gameplay options such as the ability to pet foxes (in addition to all the transitional scenes which show Jin and his horse snoozing together in an open field) Ghost of Tsushima is filled with strong characterization.

Kurosawa Mode Ghost Tsushima

Ghost of Tsushima's world is also filled with all kinds of areas for players to discover, from button-combo Bamboo Strike activities to hidden hot springs and secret duels with roaming Ronin. Sucker Punch Productions, the team behind Ghost of Tsushima, hasn't produced a new title since 2014's Infamous Second Son, but if this new game is any indication the developers haven't been sitting idly. Ghost of Tsushima is absolutely gorgeous, with every location in the game's world looking like a painting brought to life, and while the game may lack the indulgent looting animations previously mentioned, it makes up for this loss ten-fold with the amount of color and detail in Tsushima's massive open world.

Ghost of Tsushima offers a black-and-white "Kurosawa" mode, named after the well-known Japanese samurai film director Akira Kurosawa, but its addition is more novel than useful, and many players will likely find the game's colors and landscapes far too lovely to want to convert them all to greyscale for the entirety of their playthrough. The game also boasts both Japanese and English voice tracks, additional HUD customization options for players who want to eliminate the few on-screen prompts which do appear, and also features a Photo Mode. If there is any one complaint players may have, it's that Ghost of Tsushima occasionally leans into a "follow these footsteps on ground" mission structure a little too frequently in some side-quests, but it's a small blemish on an otherwise enjoyable gameplay loop.

There aren't many things completely "new" in Ghost of Tsushima, although players likely haven't come across many navigation options as fun to use as Tsushima's Guiding Wind, or engaged in a peaceful activity like writing haiku while sitting across from a waterfall to prepare for battle, very often. It's the way Ghost of Tsushima combines elements players are both familiar and unfamiliar with that makes it such an enjoyable experience, and one which players will want to continue playing long after the credits roll. Ghost of Tsushima is the best Assassin's Creed game there is, and likely the closest many users will ever get to experiencing what it's like to be a samurai in 11th century Japan.

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Ghost of Tsushima releases on July 17, 2020 on the PlayStation 4. A PS4 code was provided to Screen Rant for the purposes of this review.