When it comes to gaming, I’m always a little late to the party, but I do make it. I recently got the chance to play Ghost of Tsushima by Sucker Punch (the same studio behind the inFAMOUS series), and I thought the game was very unique in a lot of ways. It actually felt good playing as a samurai for a change, and the story had me captivated throughout.
Luckily, I have a PlayStation Plus premium subscription, which automatically gave me access to the game since it is a part of the game catalog. On top of that, my Xfinity Internet connection let me download the game in a couple of minutes, and ever since then, I have been playing the game like a maniac. If you want to download games faster, too, you should take a look at Xfinity broadband plans for high-speed options.
Coming back to Ghost of Tsushima, here are some things that I found really interesting, to the point that I might consider playing it again.
It Has a Very Engaging Storyline
The game takes us far into the past when Japan was invaded by the Mongols. In fact, right at the start of the game, the invasion begins, and it was honestly one of the most thrilling intros I’ve ever played. The game continues the tale of a Japanese Samurai, Jin Sakai, who makes it his life’s purpose to bring down the Mongols.
Everything about the game is action-packed; there is never a moment’s rest, and traveling across the islands of Tsushima makes the experience quite exhilarating. Ghost of Tsushima is the kind of game that you can’t miss; it intrigues your interest in Japanese rich history and the samurai customs and traditions.
It Has Four Samurai Stances
Another thing that I LOVED about the game was the four samurai stances that you unlock down the line as you play: Stone, Water, Wind, and Moon.
Each stance is specific to different types of enemies; for instance, the Stone stance works best against swordsmen, the Water stance is great against shielded enemies, the Wind stance is effective against spearmen, and the Moon is to bring down brutes.
At first, it’s a bit difficult to get used to the mechanics, but once you get the hang of it, the gameplay keeps getting interesting. Once you develop the reflexes for it, you seamlessly transition between stances in accordance with your enemies, and the fluidity blows your mind! Just make sure that you take down as many Mongol leaders as possible so that you can unlock the stances quickly.
It Has a Great Range of Secondary Weapons
Besides his katana, Jin has other weapons as well that he can strategically use against his enemies. These weapons include a bow, which can fire regular arrows and flaming arrows, kunai to instantly break the enemy’s blocking barrier, a smoke bomb to distort the enemy’s vision, a sticky bomb, and a blow dart that can shoot poison darts or hallucination darts.
While you primarily fight with your katana as Jin, you can use these other weapons to help yourself out when you are stuck in a tricky situation such as having to deal with a group of opponents. It makes it easier to take on multiple people at the same time. You’ll have to play the game to familiarize yourself with the weapons and the different strategies that you can use.
The Game is an Aesthetic Masterpiece
You can experience and see the different climates of Japan throughout the game. You come across hot springs, forests, grasslands, and even snowy mountains and frozen lakes. Not only that, but the game’s animation is a bit different than what you would see in other games. It’s hard to put it into words, but it’s sort of like Life is Strange, but a bit more refined.
Regardless, the movement of grass, the warm sunlight, and every other minor detail in the game are beyond beautiful. You’ll have to play the game to experience it, and I recommend that you try playing the game on at least a 2K display, and if you really want the best version of it, then you should play on a 4K display.
It Has the Perfect Story of Alliance and Betrayal
Main story aside, the game also has themes of alliances and betrayal as you progress through the game. Jin has to travel across the islands to gather his allies, and in the process, he is also betrayed by someone close to him. These themes can be applied to real life as well, since we get to experience friendships and betrayals in the game.
Jin also slowly accepts his status as the Ghost, which basically showcases his will to free his people no matter what. At times, he has to go against the code of samurai, but honestly, I feel like the title of Ghost suits him more. You’ll have to play the game to see if you agree with me or not.
Sucker Punch never disappoints with its games. At first, I was a fan of inFAMOUS, but now I like the Ghost series as well! I can’t wait to see what they do next in the Ghost of Yotei, and you can explore more thoughts like this on wendyreicher.
