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Ghost Of Tsushima is an action-adventure game developed by Sucker Punch Productions and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for PlayStation 4. You play as Jin a samurai warrior who has to compromise his own beliefs in order to stop the Mongol invasion to save the island of Tsushima. The game is split into three acts with each with their own distinct story arcs and the island of Tsushima unlocks as you progress through these acts.

In terms of combat, it's a fantastic and varied experience with a variety of fighting stances you can unlock as you progress. Each stance has its strengths and weaknesses and you'll find yourself switching between them mid-fight depending on your foe. Generally, the fights are fluidly balanced, and fair you can dodge jump or parry attacks and you can use heavy and light attacks as well as projectiles like a bow and arrow. If you encounter an enemy before they see you you can initiate a standoff duel where you have to time your attack perfectly for a one-hit kill.

You have health slots that fill during combat and can be used to replenish your health mid-battle and overall the combat it just feels about right they've just balanced it nicely. The missions are split between the main quest of gin trying to save the island and the tales of Tsushima which act as side quests. The main story is pretty interesting as it deals with a samurai who has to compromise his own teachings in order to overthrow the invaders. You know the samurai they're all about honor and facing their enemies head-on but as you progress Jin will adopt more covert tactics more akin to a ninja thief or an assassin and it's this story arc that really makes the journey of Jin fascinating to play through.

The tales of Tsushima they're unlocked by talking to locals and mostly they're pretty good but it's the folklore legend missions that really stood out for me but I'll go into those later. The game world is beautiful to behold and lovingly created with stunning forests beautiful mountain views an intricate and stunning architecture faithful to the era. It's also about the right size and never feels like a slog exploring the island there are villages with traders and blacksmiths that you can visit shrines you can honor enemy forts you can attack and there's even a bamboo cutting mini-game which is quite good fun. But as I said it's the folklore legend missions that stuck in my mind after completing the game.

As you explore you'll encounter these storytellers at campfires they basically tell you fantastical stories about mythical warriors or creatures which ultimately lead you to go on a quest to find a special item a weapon or a piece of armor. You can customize your outfits by choosing different headgear, armor, masks, etc. You can also dye them if you find the right flowers to do that throughout the map and you'll be looting a lot to find supplies to upgrade your weapons and various things. But for me, it's the spiritual aspect of the game that really sets this game apart from its peers while playing you feel really connected to the spirit of the island even down to the wind you can call upon to guide you to your next objective.

You'll stop to reflect at beautiful locations to compose haikus you have a float that can alter the environmental conditions and the game has many shrines and hot springs which when found to aid you on your journey and you've even got these wild foxes who can become your friends and they guide you to places of worship. Graphically it's a stunning game with one of the most gorgeous game worlds I've ever explored. The character models look fantastic as to the clothing and the weaponry the game also has one of the most enjoyable and user-friendly photo modes currently available with lots of cool particle and weather effects to play around with. As a nod to Japanese cinema the game features a Kurosawa mode which allows you to play in black and white with grainy visuals but it's not all perfect the lip-syncing on the Japanese audio seems a little bit off at times and the camera does have some problems during combat sequences in built-up areas.

The in-game music is a delight and complements every moment it fades in and out of. The soaring combat theme is amazing and the general softer tracks during exploration really add to the immersion. The voice acting is of a very high standard and the sound effects are excellent and you can have the voices in English or in Japanese depending on your preference. The combat is well thought out in-depth visually it's a stunning experience the story is intriguing the variety of side missions add a huge amount of depth to the game world the character customization is impressive it's got one of the easiest to use photo modes out there and it's one of the most playable open-world games that I have encountered. But I occasionally experienced glitching when climbing under buildings which required a reset and the missions have a leaving the area countdown that appears way too often.

Final Thoughts

Ghost Of Tsushima is a wonderful game with a beautiful and in-depth game world to explore. The combat system is comprehensive with various fighting stances that have a genuine impact on how the battle unfolds. The main story is an interesting one as Jin struggles with the dilemma of having to break the samurai code in order to defeat the Mongol army. The side quests are well handled in particular the folklore missions that unlock new armor and items and it's also got one of the easiest and fun photo modes when you need to break from all of the action. So, for me it's right out there with the very best ps4 exclusives Horizon Zero Dawn is still the best but this one is hot on its tail and it's one of if not the best game I've played this year. One other thing to commend the developers on is that they're a western company so to make a game about japanese culture that feels accurate and authentic. Shows they took the time to research and refine this game to ensure it was faithful to the traditions of the era but it doesn't feel like a japanese game in terms of the gameplay it's more like a horizon or God of War or even a Days Gone in terms of how it's structured so it's a fantastic game about japanese warrior culture that's designed in a way that's more palatable for a western audience. I loved it and enjoyed it from the start to the finish and i would strongly recommend you check this out also they are releasing a multiplayer game spin-off later this year which i understand will be free to own for players who own the base game so keep your eyes out for that one.