Ghost of Tsushima takes you on an incredible journey through the chaos that characterized Japan in the 1200s. With a compelling set of characters and mesmerizing combat, this open-world adventure game is just brilliant. You, like a Samurai warrior, have to fill in the shoes of a great hero who has a dangerous villain to contend with. But the traditional Samurai fighting pattern won’t be enough to disintegrate this evil force that threatens the prosperity of Japan.

Published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Ghost of Tsushima is a well-crafted game, albeit with little adherence to the historical facts of the story it represents. However, the environment is vast and rich, with a safe immersion of magic and mythical elements. While it carries a unique drive on its shoulders, it bears a great deal of semblance to other open-world action games.

A long journey back in history

The game is set in 13th-century Japan, at the time when the great samurai era begins to dwindle. It begins with the invasion of Japan by the Mongol empire, led by Khotun, a fictional character that is portrayed as the grandchild of Genghis Khan. His ultimate goal is to gain total control of the mainland of Japan. But first, he has to establish a foothold in Tsushima, but the people of the island weren’t going to let that happen without a fight. That sets the stage for the battles that ensue.

The Mongol forces have no problems outnumbering the people of Tsushima Island. So when the latter gather to launch an attack on the former, only a handful could survive. But the defeat wasn’t the end of the matter. Fortunately, as later events do reveal, a young Samurai boy is rescued by a common thief. The boy, Jin Sakai, grows up with the conflict of two ideals in his head, dictating his life. One is that he had learned from his Uncle that a true Samurai isn’t cowardly, but faces his opponents head-on. But, on the flip side, the peasant thief that saves him teaches him that it’s foolish to go to war with the Mongols.

His dilemma is an entire journey we have to follow throughout the game. He knows what true honor is and isn’t ready to ditch all of that for the lessons his open-mindedness has embraced. When he first kills someone stealthily, his emotions were in pieces. However, with enough stealth kills here and there, we move past that. But the trauma of abandoning his traditions and the ideals of the people that he loves isn’t completely removed. 

With time, he wears the cloak of a warrior, Ghost, on an unstoppable mission to avenge the death of his people. He employs different strategies – that are hardly fair and direct – such as poisoning and backstabbing. He exemplifies most of the heroes we know, who are often burdened with going against their ideals just to protect those they love. In Ghost of Tsushima, Jin carries the huge task of saving Japan from the Mongol forces right on his shoulders.

An Intriguing Gameplay

Jin begins his mission to save Japan by recruiting the few Samurai soldiers that remain. Before a battle, the new allies will go around poking on the opponent’s defense, strategizing on the best way to penetrate it using their meager military capability. The aim was always to take advantage of the enemy’s weaknesses in the best way possible. The characters do come well along with another. Although it did have a slow start, character conversation improved and became increasingly enjoyable. 

Besides the main battles that are the game’s  focal points, several side quests make for great fun. These also provide an opportunity for you to bond with your allies. There is very little to say about the combats that happen in these quests, but the conversations are incredibly remarkable. Having a good conversation with your allies while moving between quest locations is always a great sight. While the fights in these quests were predictable, the revelations about the personal ideals of the characters were surely intriguing. When you quest with the old Yuriko who cared for Jin as a child, you’ll appreciate the reflections of childhood memory and growth.

Ghost of Tsushima’s open world is full of activities, but nothing close to the popular Assassin’s Creed installments. The map is large and extensive, with loads of icons indicating a task to perform. It does arrange your tasks in an easy way, even though the main elements of combat and structure lack in substance. There’s a constantly-chirping golden bird everywhere you go on the map. These birds lead you to different tasks you can perform for a reward. Initially, this appeared rewarding but became overbearing as time went on because it took my attention away from the main trajectory of the game.

Once a Samurai…

The combat is a mix of stealthy and open combat approaches. However, most of your fights will involve sneaking up on a foe and performing terrific stealth kills. You’ll also deploy fun strategies like opening the cages of bears belonging to your enemies so the bears can run wild, causing chaos. You will also deploy different methods in distracting your enemy so you can catch them disorganized.

The variety of techniques available ensures you don’t depend on one method. In some scenarios, you’ll have to enter a Mongol castle stealthily, and in other cases, you have to attack an enemy head-on with your allies flanking your sides. You have to employ both approaches throughout gameplay. However, when it comes to boss battles, your ability to observe the enemy and launch an attack at the right time wins you the match.

There’s no doubt you’ll enjoy playing Ghost of Tsushima, but there’s so much left to be desired. It doesn’t sit with some of the greatest open-world adventures, but it does stand on its own feet.