One of my goals for this year was to start publishing more articles about games and genres I enjoy and have fun with, so this might be the biggest departure you have seen so far. If you’re here just for strategy and wargames, I understand that this might not interest you, but give me a chance, and I’m sure we’ll see eye to eye on this.

What is Ghost of Tsushima?

Ghost of Tsushima is an open-world action game developed by Suck Punch Productions and Nixxes Software, and published by PlayStation. Set during the first Mongol Invasion of Japan, players take on the role of a fictional character called Jin Sakai, the leader of Clan Sakai, after his father’s untimely death when he was a teenager on Iki Island. The story begins at Komoda Beach, where the samurai of Tsushima Island meet the Mongol hordes, only to be overwhelmed and decisively defeated.

Jin Sakai is one of the lucky few samurai who survived, after being rescue by its soon to be right hand-(wo)man, Yuna. From here on out, it’s up to Jin to start putting together a striking force to forcefully expel the Mongols from Tsushima and to defeat Khotun Khan, the cunning leader of the Mongol invasion.

A True Samurai Epic

I don’t want to spoil the story for you, because it’s by far the best thing to experience in Ghost of Tsushima, and this comes from a guy like me, who’s not always very much into stories in video games. It’s not that I don’t like them, it’s just that most of them drag on for so long or become so convoluted that I eventually lose interest.

The story of Ghost of Tsushima follows Jin and his transformation as a character from a regular samurai Lord into his legendary status as the titular island’s Ghost, a larger-than-life figure that gains notoriety due to his exploits fighting the Mongols, and the unorthodox tactics he starts to employ. Along the way, Jin is forced to confront his own morality, and where his allegiances truly lie: On the outdated traditions of the samurai, or with the people they’re supposed to protect? It’s quite a character arc, and we get to experience Jin’s transformation and acceptance of his role as the Ghost. The plot has several twists and turns, alongside some emotional moments that had me really upset. The game took agency from me and didn’t allow me to stop something bad from happening; that’s how engrossing the narrative was.

Cinematic, High-Stakes Combat

I had several discussions with my friends on the topic of whether the combat of the game is good or not (mind you, these are people who have finished every Souls game in existence, at least 3 times over), and most of them agree that yes, the combat is actually good. As a samurai, your main weapon is your katana, and it will remain so from the beginning to the end of the game.

This is complemented by a wakizashi (the shorter sword), for stealth sections. There are also bows and all kinds of useful gadgets like shurikens and smoke bombs. The combat system is very reminiscent of the one in the Batman series, with its own twist, such as heavy attacks that are unblockable and have to be dodged, perfect parries, and different enemy types that you need to adapt your fighting stances to deal extra damage to their posture, and stagger their defenses. It’s cool, but above all else, it makes you feel like you’re playing a samurai in a movie, and that’s all I wanted out of it.

An Entire Island To Explore

Aside from the main story beat, there are plenty of side quests, even if they’re nowhere near as good as something like The Witcher 3. For me, the best part of its open world is the scenery, because Ghost of Tsushima has one of the best art directions of all time, and the quests where players must track down legendary pieces of equipment, each with their own lore and challenges.

With that being said, I just wanted to come here and give you my recommendation on Ghost of Tsushima, a game that I’ve been wanting to play for the longest time, and I’m so glad to say that this was one of the best experiences I’ve had while gaming in a long while.

I hope you enjoyed my take on Ghost of Tsushima, and forgive me for straying a bit from what you’re used to finding at Strategy and Wargaming, but I really needed to share this one with you. What about you? Have you played Ghost of Tsushima? Let me know in the comments!

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