Ghost of Tsushima
A worthy swansong for the PS4.
The effects of this game didn’t hit me until a few hours in. The prologue is beefy and a little slow, introducing samurai Jin, the survivor of a terrible battle with the invading Mongols, now desperate to rescue his uncle Lord Shimura from captivity. At first, Jin seemed like just another stony-faced video game hero, and one I felt zero chemistry with. By the final scene, I had to wipe away a tear. Jin never really got my heart racing, but the stories of the people around him did. Lady Masako, the matriarch of clan Adachi who is full of anger and secrets, thief Yuna and her brother Taka, the warrior monk Norio whose grief threatens to swallow him whole. As their tales develop, one chapter at a time, you fall deeper and deeper into the world.
Quests come in various flavors, the main quest to save your uncle, those that revolve around a cast of allies, smaller side quests, and Mythical quests to learn special combat techniques. The stories are delivered in punchy chapters, which helps them feel more organic, less of a linear chore, and the performances really drive the stakes home. The horrors of the Mongol invasion hit differently when it’s your friends’ necks on the line.
In the opening hours of Ghost of Tsushima, I was hacking away like a butcher at any Mongols that got too close and paying the price for my clumsy mistakes. Soon, I learned the art of timing, how to use stances (easily swapped with the R2 and face buttons, and essential to make it easier to break through different enemy type’s defences) and when to just get out of the way of an unblockable attack. By the end, the combat flowed like a dance, knew just when to throw out a
The stories are delivered in punchy chapters, which helps them feel more organic, less of a linear chore, and the performances really drive the stakes home.
kunai or ignite my sword to deliver fiery death, and learned to dodge attacks like I’d developed Spideysense.
Somehow, between the adventures and enemy bases and Mongol patrols, the world finds space for moments of quiet. There are places to stop and compose a haiku, hot springs where, after a flash of butt, you’re asked to reflect on your relationship with your uncle or a recent event. There are other shrines that sit atop mountains and require a steady foot and a grappling hook to get to, and banners hidden away just begging to be collected. It’s more than just set-dressing too, everything has a purpose.
Ghost of Tsushima is the samurai Assassin’s Creed Ubisoft will wish it had made. Rachel Weber