Table of Contents
- Tsushima in Feudal Japan
- technical beauty
- like a samurai
- Structure (not so) accurate
- Mandatory exclusive
The time has come for one generation of video games to end, for another to begin. How PlayStation 5 knocking on the door, the PlayStation 4 established itself as the best-selling video game device in its period of existence (since 2013), with more than 100 million units sold. Much of this success is undoubtedly due to the amount of high quality exclusive games that the platform had. AND Ghost of Tsushima It's one of those great titles.
after the amazing The Last Of Us Part II, released last June 19, Ghost of Tsushima arrives on PlayStation 4 as the last exclusive game for the console — since, at least so far, there is no announcement by Sony of new games suitable for this generation.
Developed by Sucker Punch Productions, which has in its curriculum the series InFamous, delivers a work with a lot of cultural content and an enviable technical excellence.
Tsushima in Feudal Japan
Ghost of Tsushima takes place in a very specific period of Japanese history. Although its history is fictional, the setting takes place in the year 1274, the time of the first invasion of the Mongols to the land of the rising sun. The island on which the events of the game take place is a real place, called Tsushima.
The game begins at the time of the Mongol Empire's invasion of Japan. Jin, the protagonist, is part of an army of samurai who set out to defend their land. After the Mongols conquer Tsushima Island, it's up to Jin to fight to seek justice for his people, as well as drive out the invaders.
the first moments of Ghost of Tsushima follow a linear narrative and serve to teach the player the basics of gameplay. It doesn't take long until the map is all (or almost) available for the player to follow his path and explore it as he pleases. At this point, it is already possible to see that the people at Sucker Punch have taken the successes of other games of the genre as a lesson.
The game screen of Ghost of Tsushima It's the cleanest possible. Aside from the setting, there is little information appearing. Outside of combat, it is common for the player to not even see information such as health, the next objective or even a map. This draws attention to scenery elements, encouraging the player to constantly change their route to reach locations that for some reason caught their attention. Something that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild did it masterfully in 2017.
Just like in Nintendo's game, in Ghost of Tsushima the scenery is the best indicator of what is interesting to visit. Smokes seen on the horizon, animals that guide the player, trees or rock formations are points of interest and that almost always tell a story or improve the protagonist in some way.
The setting of the game is a point worthy of praise. Tsushima Island seems alive, whether in nature or in the presence of human characters. The vegetation is characteristic of Japan, as well as the architecture, which refers not only to the place, but also to the period in which the game takes place.
All over the island, there are several camps or villages of Japanese survivors trying to survive and escape Mongol domination. There are also enemies that roam the island, causing terror to the locals, especially in areas where the player has not yet driven out the Mongols, something seen in the series. Far Cry, from Ubisoft. It is in the villages, or saving people from the invaders, that Jin achieves secondary objectives, which, in addition to granting rewards, tell a little bit of the history of each place.
Here's a review. While the story of Ghost of Tsushima is exciting and manages to hold the player's attention, the side missions do not follow the same level. They are not bad, but they follow a basic structure of going to a location, killing some enemies and coming back, which ends up not holding the player's attention for so long. Especially considering that the game's story is short, but the amount of side missions is huge.
Either way, there's room for many hours of gameplay, even for players who are in a hurry and don't like to explore.
technical beauty
Ghost of Tsushima is certainly one of the most beautiful games on the PlayStation 4, especially the vegetation. Sucker Punch knew how to use the capabilities of Sony's platform well to bring to life the different environments that the game has. Tsushima Island has the characteristic Japanese foliage, and the bright colors yellow, orange, blue, among others constantly appear on the trees, and the artistic direction makes it always pleasant to see the island's landscapes.
The game even provides two features for the enjoyment of its beauty. One of them is the possibility of playing with a black and white filter, as if it were one of the famous director's films Akira Kurosawa, who became known for his samurai films. The filter is even called “Kurosawa Mode”.
The other visual feature is the photo mode. In it, various visual filters can be applied, as well as camera effects and even time manipulation and graphic effects. Players who understand photography will certainly have a good tool at hand for striking images.
The setting was such an important factor for Sucker Punch, that it is possible to play the game completely in Japanese — after all, the story takes place in Japan. It is always important to highlight, as a positive point, when games offer the opportunity to choose speech and subtitle languages individually and without being tied to the video game language. It is the case of Ghost of Tsushima, which also offers Spanish-language audio and subtitles from Spain — yet another welcome case of localization by Sony.
For the production of this analysis, the game was run on a slim model of the PlayStation 4. Despite being a late-generation game, which was designed to make good use of the processing capabilities of the PlayStation 4 Pro, Ghost of Tsushima runs very well on previous models, without anything that compromises the experience of the work.
There were no noticeable drops in performance, even when multiple characters appear on screen simultaneously, which is really impressive given the level of graphical detail present in the game. Another impressive factor is the loading screens, which are practically non-existent in Ghost of Tsushima.
Once the game is loaded, the entire island is available to explore without any loading screens appearing. If the character dies, or the player performs the fast transport to another area of the map, the loading screen that appears is so fast that it is difficult to read the hints that appear while the player waits.
Even playing on a platform that is not the most powerful available, no technical flaws were found in Ghost of Tsushima, and the result is a splendid game. It is worth mentioning, however, that the technical perfection comes at a price: to keep it at an acceptable temperature, the PlayStation 4 turns on its fans at maximum speed, which causes considerable noise in the environment.
like a samurai
Ghost of Tsushima it has many qualities, but among them, the combat system stands out. Focused on samurai, the game goes deep into the fighting characteristics of the warriors of Feudal Japan. Battles against Mongol warriors take place from the beginning to the end of the game, and the attention given to this aspect is impressive (positively).
Samurai are highly trained warriors who fight based on a code of honor that is extremely important to them. For example, they always face their enemies in face-to-face disputes, in which the most skilled warrior lives. However, early on in the game it becomes clear that Jin will not be able to take back his homeland without putting aside his code of honor.
Having to watch over the lives of his countrymen and protect his home, Jin is forced to fight in the shadows, adopting a stealthy style and often stabbing his enemies in the back. Here comes the "Ghost" warrior, present in the game's title.
In this context, two aspects deserve to be commented. The first is the narrative impact that Ghost of Tsushima wants to show. Right away, it is evident that the choice for the new fighting style does not please the protagonist, especially the protagonist's expressions, which make it clear that the hero's journey is not just an adventure of justice, but also a personal transformation. The character's discomfort aligns with the consequences of his decisions in the story.
The second aspect is the combat itself. Often, Jin will face several Mongol warriors at the same time, and to defeat them the player will have to combine the skills of the samurai and ghost styles.
Ghost of Tsushima It's not an easy game, as Jin doesn't need to take many hits to be defeated. The path to victory, therefore, requires precise movements from the player, who needs to hit (much) more than miss. The protagonist's animations were very well programmed, made to resemble samurai movies. The result is combat that feels more like a dance.
As he advances through the different areas of Tsushima Island, and consequently conquers territories, Jin gradually unlocks new abilities. Gameplay advancements range from samurai stances, which are effective against different types of enemies, to using phantom items such as smoke bombs for scattering or explosives for damage.
At any time during battles, the player can opt for a stealth or direct combat approach, in other words, between using samurai or ghost skills. There are no positive or negative consequences for player choices, just different styles.
The attention to detail is such that each cut made with the blades generates a lot of blood in the combatants and on the ground, and at the end of each combat the terrain is very marked. This, added to the violence of the game, make Ghost of Tsushima be a game not recommended for children under 18.
Structure (not so) accurate
As we have already discussed in this text, Ghost of Tsushima it has a considerable amount of side quests, however the main story is not that long. This implies that players who prioritize secondary objectives end up unlocking almost all of Jin's improvements without having delved into the story, which considerably lowers the overall difficulty level of the game.
Fortunately, there are several improvement categories present in Ghost of Tsushima. During the game, the player will unlock new phantom weapons, abilities, in addition to receiving various outfits, each with its own combat advantages. As the player performs the tasks, his deeds gain fame and Jin gradually becomes a legend on the island, which guarantees skill points that must be spent on the character's evolution. Fortunately, there is a constant sense of progress, which excites the player to continue the adventure.
The main story missions are varied, with different styles of gameplay. The secondary ones, in turn, generally follow the same structure: with the excuse of helping some inhabitant of the island of Tsushima, Jin must go to a place where there are some Mongols and kill them. If it weren't for the skill system, the side quests would tire quickly.
Another point worth mentioning is that, when taking points controlled by Mongols, optional objectives appear, which, if accomplished, grant special bonuses, as seen repeatedly in the series. Assassin's Creed.
Mandatory exclusive
Ghost of Tsushima, Sony's latest major release for the PlayStation 4, masterfully closes an excellent collection of exclusive games for the console, on the market since 2013. Indispensable for those who like action games, cinematic scenes and a good dose of Feudal Japan culture, the game is a meeting of the best in gender in the video game industry.
In short, an amazing and must-play game.
Also take the opportunity to check out our video review, on the Techlifers channel on YouTube:
