'Ghost Of Tsushima (2020)' is an open-world adventure game set during the Mongol invasion of Japan in 1274. It's essentially historical fiction, spinning off from an authentic starting point to tell its own tale. That tale focuses on Jin, one of the few remaining samurai after an initial battle on the beach, as he fights to regain his strength and, using tactics he normally would never consider and allies who previously might've spat in his face, reclaim his island. The narrative deals with resonant themes of honour, sacrifice and family. It's really engaging, enjoyable and, at times, emotional, too. It ties itself into the fundamental design of the game in an incredibly intrinsic way, which means that everything you do - from the main missions to the side content - actually feels as though it's moving towards a single, inevitable stopping point. Basically, this means that nothing seems like busy work and that you'll actually want to participate in the non-mandatory stuff because it all adds up to a more complete, cohesive and thematically rich experience. It feels like a proper samurai story, clearly inspired by Japanese Jidaigeki (period drama) and Chanbara (sword fighting) films (and, in particular, the work of Akira Kurosawa). It feels remarkably authentic, despite the fact that it obviously takes some liberties when it comes to accuracy (the katana wasn't invented until well after the plot's events, for example), and is possibly the best representation of East Asian culture I've seen in a western game. For added immersion, I recommend you play through the title in Japanese with subtitles. The Japanese voice acting is very good and, though the character's mouths don't line up with the non-English dialogue (which is getting 'fixed' in the upcoming director's cut), the title almost feels designed to have been played using it right from the start; it's no botched dub, that's for sure. The gameplay is basically a mixture of combat, stealth and exploration. It's all really fun. The combat is highly satisfying and totally avoids feeling like a 'button mash' sort of thing. You have to consider your blows and be ready to dodge or parry at a moment's notice. As the game progresses, the fighting evolves to include multiple enemy types, sword stances, ranged weapons, ammo types and special abilities, all of which have distinct effects and enable you to adjust the way you want to take on your foes. The title's duelling mechanic, which pops up ever so often when you face a more substantial enemy than your standard Mongol soldier, puts the focus firmly back on skill-based swordplay (your secondary weapons can't be used) and does a good job of emulating the showdowns seen in samurai media. These mastery-testing one-on-one battles are actually some of the most intense in the game, partly due to their difficulty and partly due to the fact that they're often directly fuelled by the story. The combat in general is really fun and is potentially the highlight of the game. The stealth is a bit more basic than the out-in-the-open combat; it's primarily line-of-sight based stuff. Still, it's challenging enough to be rewarding when you remain undetected. You can hide among tall grass or use high ground to your advantage, use your bows to pick off foes or get up close and slip your tanto in-between their ribs, throw a wind chime as a distraction or cause panic with your poison. There are plenty of options and if you're seen you can usually just engage the enemy in a more traditional manner (though some missions do require stealth to succeed). Exploration is perhaps what you spend most time doing. Between main missions, you're left on your own - with your trusty steed, that is - to roam around Tsushima and discover what it has to offer. Be it fox dens, Inari shrines, bamboo strikes, pillars of honour, Sashimono banners, Torii shrines or haiku spots (my favourite collectible type), there are plenty of things to find as you ride around. What's especially nice is that each of them reward you with something that has a tangible impact on either gameplay (charms can be used to augment certain behind-the-scenes statistics, for example) or Jin's appearance, meaning that finding them never feels like a chore. The other two types of collectible, records and artefacts, aren't as compelling to find, but they still provide some solid background story / information and prove that Sucker Punch have done their research. Traversal is always intuitive, though slightly floaty, and there is a good balance between moments of peace and Mongol patrols that need your attention. A large part of the game is liberating settlements of various sizes which have been captured by the enemy. Some of these require you to kill everyone inside, some require you to save hostages and some require you to complete a series of bespoke objectives. Whatever the case, they're always entertaining and - much like the experience in general - never get repetitive. Throughout your journey, you will find materials that can be taken to various smiths and merchants to upgrade your gear. This progression system is very linear but, because you have a variety of armours to choose between (each of which have their own distinct benefits), there is an element of resource allocation that keeps you on your toes. The skill-based progression isn't as linear; you gain skill points for increasing your legend (earned by completing missions and taking on enemies), which you can then trade for an assortment of stance, tactic, weapon and exploration enhancements. It's possible to gain every skill before the end of the game, so the levelling up system is more about choosing what you want to upgrade first rather than choosing between two contradicting skills. That's not a bad thing, though, as it allows you to feel truly powerful as the experience draws to its close - if you've mastered your newfound abilities and equipment, that is. Alongside the main missions and more general open-world elements (such as liberations), the game offers three kinds of side missions. The first are a series of varied, character-specific stories that further explore five key characters to give them some welcome depth. The second are one-off stories that often act as small morality plays and are interesting despite their meat-and-potatoes usually just being "go here and kill these guys". The last are known as 'mythic tales' and explore modern-day remnants of ancient legends, ultimately rewarding you with a new piece of gear or a special ability. They arguably have the most substantial rewards and have a distinct, often almost otherworldly feel to them. It's also worth mentioning that the title introduced a co-operative mode in a post-launch update, but I don't have any experience with it so I won't discuss it further. Graphically, the game is really impressive. Its world is colourful, varied and sprinkled with prime opportunities to use photo mode. A stand-out element is certainly its particle system, which can see seemingly thousands of cherry blossom leaves swirl around your feet or paint the scenery red with accurate arterial spray from your enemies. It's spectacular stuff. The animation is great, too, and the cut-scenes are top-notch. Ultimately, 'Ghost Of Tsushima (2020)' is a phenomenal open-world game that somehow avoids the pitfalls of its genre despite playing pretty closely by its rules. It has an excellent story that's surprisingly affecting, highly enjoyable gameplay and a sometimes downright beautiful aesthetic. 10/10.
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