Ghost Slayer – Review of the game “Ghost of Tsushima”

Over the centuries, Japan has participated in many armed conflicts, being an aggressor attacking other countries. For hundreds of years, no one has managed to conquer the Land of the Rising Sun. However, this does not mean that no one has tried. Ghost of Tsushima is based on the historical events of the 13th century, when the Mongolian invasion of the country took place. The first destination was the eponymous island: Tsushima. According to sources, eighty samurai stood against eight thousand Mongolian soldiers. Well, no miracle happened here, Tsushima did not become the second Thermopylae. The aggressor, led by Kublai Khan, quickly defeated the defenders, murdered civilians and burned their homes.

The last Samurai

Ghost of Tsushima , based on these events, tells a fictional story about Jin Sakai, one of the few samurai who survived the invasion of Kotun-chan (created for the game of Kublai’s cousin). His goal is to avenge his people and to recover the captive uncle – Lord Shimura, the feudal lord of the island. The Mongols, however, do not care about the fighting rules known from the bushido code . Faced with the bestiality of the enemy, Sakai must abandon his previous teachings and reach for measures that are not befitting the samurai.

Something Playstation 4 is lucky this year with stories of revenge. Let me mention right away that Jin’s fate is far less complicated than the emotionally draining journey of Ellie and Abby in The Last of Us 2. The story, broken down into three acts, is simple – based on a scheme from zero to (anti) hero. Jin himself is somehow a particularly interesting character, he is not a typical representative of the Japanese nobility, brought up in prosperity and wealth. But what works great is the aforementioned character transformation during the game. Difficult times require the protagonist to contradict all previous teachings. To become the title “Ghost”, Jin enters the path of assassination that his uncle openly despises. It is not a complete deconstruction of the romantic samurai myth, although it is also good. The title even applauds the terrorist plays that are committed by the main character – I do not know to what extent this rather problematic aspect is made aware of by the creators. I will mention immediately that practically the whole game is done in a deadly spirit (hehe) and the layers of pathos are greater than the Polish resources of coal. The few humorous elements are introduced very subtly. Rarity these days.

Seven doomed

Jin is not alone in his mission. Among the companions you can find, among others a master of archery, whose pupil went to the side of the Mongols, a lonely nestor of a samurai family taking revenge for the death of her relatives or a thief who has been wanting to sneak out of the island for years and start a new life. The starting point of each of them is much more interesting than “a boy from a good home”, the more it is a pity that it was not decided to make any of them playable. Nevertheless, the side quests that are divided into many chapters and can be completed in different order (which is a big plus) are very pleasant.

There are also special quests waiting for the player , preceded by great stylized animations showing the local legends of Cushima, allowing you to unlock secret combat techniques or high-quality armor (they have several levels and give bonuses to character statistics, so it is worth changing them often). And there are also side missions usually commissioned by the peasants you meet; short and closed, and their number is in the tens. It is a pity that the tasks set for the player, both the main and the additional ones, are limited to a few patterns: climbing (solved very poorly, being one of the worst elements of the game, where the character jumps by himself when the knob is pulled out – same play), “stealth ”, Investigations and fights.

Stroking the fox

Little? Ghost of Tsushima squeezes as much out of the open world formula as possible. Jin gets into some kind of interaction wherever he doesn’t spit. There are dozens of forts and farms to be liberated on the map (consisting of three sections). You can also build your reputation by lighting a fire in lanterns or freeing villagers captured on the roads. Searching for crickets in cemeteries ( Tsushima Raider?) allows you to learn new melodies on the flute, and the banners unlock the pimped saddles. In addition, the player collects various types of resources (often robbing villagers – another dishonor!), Which can then be exchanged for improvements at the armorer or other armorer. Parkour enthusiasts will find their way to temples where a reward in the form of a katana talisman awaits. Additionally, you can run after falcons that indicate bonus decorative items or follow the foxes (which you can stroke later!) Leading to the altars. Bathing in the encountered onsen (hot springs) increases the health bar – contrary to the maxim “frequent washing shortens the life”. I cannot fail to mention the most atmospheric activity – some places are so beautiful that Mr. Sakai writes haiku under their influence. There is a harvest defeat of all this and filling all markers is a job for several dozen hours.

Stone, water, wind, moon

The syndrome of “one more liberation of the camp” is triggered quite often thanks to a well-designed fight. Katana is not a flail, and in Jin’s hands, minor opponents die after two or three hits. Enemies tend to block attacks, so you need to break their guard. And for different types of vulnerable units, you can gradually unlock four combat schools, each with its own set of blows. Boss fights, preceded by cinematic inserts, are a separate element in which the arena is limited and the opponent’s health bar is extended accordingly. The prerequisite for winning is dodging and parrying the opponent’s blows. I liked the character healing system based on the so-called “Fortitude”, which can also be used for special blows. The player thus decides whether an offensive or a defense is more profitable for him.kunaias, bombs) or a poison blower. There is a lot to kill opponents, although the interface could be better – despite the several dozen hours I spent on this title, I still had to choose the wrong weapon context menu.

Hanami

Taking screenshots from the game is an element that I always forget about during the game. The title is different from Sucker Punch, where the setting is beautiful. The Last of Us 2 , despite the great atmosphere, tormented me with its gloomy color palette. Ghost of Tsushimait makes up for ten other titles in this respect. Wherever the player does not move, he encounters an atmospheric place where leaves fall from trees and flowers sparkle with all the colors. Sometimes it balances everything on the verge of kitsch and over-aestheticization, which is not a disadvantage for me in this case. Throughout my time with the game, I took at least a few dozen screenshots, and choosing the final shots for review was incredibly difficult. The creators, realizing the job well done, gave players a very extensive photo mode. And if someone gets tired of all these visuals, you can turn on the “Kurosawa mode” in the options and explore the world in black and white. The audio setting is also an advantage – the game is enriched with traditional Japanese melodies and sounds, which further deepens the atmosphere. Jin’s story was introduced to our home market in full Polish translation, but I switched to Japanese dubbing almost immediately. I can’t imagine playing otherwise.

I bragged about it, so it’s time to complain. You can see some budget shortcomings in the title. Most of the cutscenesit is made in the most boring way possible, not compatible with modern games – the characters just stand and talk to each other. In the case of side missions, there aren’t even close-ups on them, probably to save on animations. Cost cuts are also visible where, in theory, the heroes should perform more complex moves. Meanwhile, when Jin has to destroy the siege machine or hide in the sake barrel, the game simply blacks out the screen and jumps to the finished action. In addition, it is common for objects to pass through or get stuck on objects. Artificial intelligence also leaves much to be desired – it does not take much for the enemy to lose interest in the Spirit and continue his scripted activities, despite dozens of dead bodies around.

Ghost of Tsushima Creed

Ha! Managed to! I’m finishing my review and haven’t mentioned Assassin’s Creed once . There are hundreds of such comparisons on the Internet… and rightly so. You can see that Sucker Punch has not decided to pave any new path in a slightly worn-out open world formula and created a game heavily modeled on Ubisoft’s achievements. And nothing wrong with that, especially as the task was completed with a very pleasant result. Ghost of Tsushima even benefits from the fact that it was not made by a French studio – it is in vain to look for animus hereinclusions or any other fantastic elements. Thanks to this, the story of Jin Sakai can easily be placed next to classic samurai films, to which, moreover, he often refers. It is strange that the game so saturated with Japanese spirit was not created in the Land of the Rising Sun. Is it goodbye to the Playstation 4? Yes! As I wrote, I do not want to say goodbye personally, but Ghost of Tsushima, despite the flaws, schemes and budget shortcuts, I can recommend to anyone who has a Sony console.