Ghost of Tsushima is a 2020 action-adventure video game developed by Sucker Punch Productions, published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, and released for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. The story follows samurai Jin Sakai on a quest to protect Tsushima Island during the first Mongol invasion of Japan.

Like any good open world game the players can determine how long the campaign is by their decision to stick to the main story or put time into the world around it. If you’re anything like me, you appreciate setting and will deviate from the main story first chance you get to explore the lore, the different areas, engage with the characters, and embark on as many side quests as possible and there’s no shortage of them here. Tsushima’s broken up into three parts and each part plays its own role in the main story as well as continues the various subplots and introducing new ones. The game is single player but entering the Legends Mode allows up to four players.

The story itself starts off rather strong, pulling players into the conflict within Tsushima and how it affects now only the lead, Jin Sakai, but also the very people he’s trying to protect. It’s really engaging and the emotional undertones give it unexpected depth. But as big in scope as it is, it’s still a personal journey for Jin and his growth and development are well warranted. Not only him but for the supporting characters and their personal journeys as well. Undeniably my favorite character next to Jin is Yuna.

I would’ve liked the game to have been a bit more choice based so that your choices and actions affect the outcome of the story. If your actions are honorable then you should get a Samurai ending and if you pick more dishonorable you are you get the Ghost ending. (5 out of 5)

It’s an open-world RPG and does share the usual formula. Players can run around doing main and side missions, gain experience and level up to gain new abilities, explore and gather hidden content, and scavenge supplies to craft ammo and purchase weapons and armor. You can travel across the land either on foot, by horse, or fast traveling (the best thing since sliced bread).

One of the main quest you’ll do quite a lot is freeing settlements from Mongol rule and with the variety of weapons and equipment, players have different ways to approach them. You can go the way of the samurai and take the enemies head on or stick to the shadows like a ninja picking enemies off one by one. I love using the hallucinogenic darts to make my targets go crazy and attack their allies. Or use the poison darts to have enemies vomit as they die painfully sending the others running scared. Something special to game are the duels. Jin will challenge enemies throughout the story and across the land one on one with no aid and no additional weapons outside of the Katana. Beating the game unlocks a new game plus mode for players wanting an even greater challenge. Now I can say that despite the large amount of side missions most of them feel unimaginative and are repetitive as hell. Most revolve around Mongols, Ronin, or bandits attacking a settlement and you seeking revenge.

Players can customize their weapons and armor with charms to give them various effects such as making arrows more powerful, increase defense, or have enemies lose sight of you faster. Even the armor have different abilities. Also, weapons and armor can have different color schemes and designs which can be earn through side quests, gathering collectibles, or story progression. Also, Jin learns four different fighting styles each for a specific enemy type and each style can be leveled up. The AI itself can be challenging and unpredictable especially if you’re not adept at the fighting mechanics.

There are only two problems I have with the gameplay. First, the skill tree in the game is awesome but I think it would’ve done wonders for the replayability if you were limited to the skills you can get. So one playthrough players could’ve focused on the Samurai capabilities, one for the Ghost capabilities, and a third playthrough for something in the middle. Also, Jin gains many allies in his quest for justice and it would’ve made the game more fun to enlist their aid to do side missions or to liberate settlements. Still, awesome gameplay for an awesome game. (5 out of 5)

Visually this is one of the most beautifully designed games that I’ve ever seen and experienced. If not for the wonderfully render cinematic cutscenes then for the beautiful landscape. Whether it’s the beach, the background scenery, or just standing in a forest of Japanese blossoms, these moments are peaceful and a joy to admire. You can tell that careful planning was given to the overall design. No one place looks the same and each section of the island brings new landscapes.

The cutscenes are wonderful, allowing character interactions to feel personal and they help to progress the narrative. Character animations are smooth and the models are expressive giving characters depth. There are some really good cinematic shots that make certain moments impactful. The fire effects, the smoke, the flowers and leaves blowing in the wind looks great. All in all, a really good looking game. (5 out of 5)

What can I say about the audio design? Simple perfection. It’s hard for me to find any flaw with how this game sounds. First, the voice performances are just brilliant. Daisuke Tsuji completely kills the English dubbing for Jin, making the character grounded but giving him so much range. Thumbs up to everyone because they all did a great job with the main and supporting characters.

The sound design is deep, its rich, helps the immersive experience. While doing research for this review I was surprised to hear that Sucker Punch was so dedicated to bringing authenticity to the audio that they even sent their team there to actually record sounds. When swords clash or are deflected it sounds like it. When characters take damage it sounds like metal parting flesh. The very sound of the wind, the storms in distance, the bird calls, the beat of hooves, even the sound of armor has been meticulously designed. And as a bonus some of the sounds come through the controller itself.

The music itself is designed with Japanese influences. When you go into combat drums play like the rumble of thunder. Also, there are the woodwinds that give the game a peaceful, thoughtful tone. Hell, Jin can play different melodies on his shakuhachi, an heirloom from his deceased mother. Just a great sounding game all around. (5 out of 5)

There’s a ton of stuff to do and you’ll be hard pressed not to find something to get into. Going into the world, players will constantly run into Mongols, bandits, and Ronin, so they’ll get plenty of practice. Not only that but there are plenty of settlements that need liberation each with their own unique challenges to get extra points. And after you beat the game, all of the settlements and duels that you beat can be replayed again and again. When they introduced this in Far Cry I was like “Hell, yeah” and I’m glad they have it here.

Exploration is key to building a stronger more capable character. There are tons of Shinto Shrines with charms, fox dens and Inari Shrines to increase charm slots, bamboo strikes to increase Resolve, and hot springs to increase health. But those aren’t the only things to find in the game. There are also Mongol records and artifacts to learn about them, Singing Crickets that unlock more songs and songs that affect the weather, Haiku spots that give players headbands with poetic inscriptions on them and Pillars of Honor give hats, Hidden Altars, lighthouses that need to be lit, Sashimono Banners that represent the different clans: there’s just a lot of crap to find and unlock. And lastly, there’s the online multiplayer in the Legends mode and the DLC Iki Island but since I haven’t played either I’ll just name them in passing. Just a lot in terms of replay value. (4 out of 5)

The Verdict: In the end, Ghost of Tsushima is one of the best games out there. Despite the few gripes I had with some of the repetitive missions and the restrictive skill tree I had a blast with this game. But this game is art in its purest form. The story is great, the world is immersive, music is great, the sound design is great, voice performances are spectacular, combat is great; just great in nearly every way. Ghost of Tsushima gets 5 out of 5.