Ghost Of Tsushima is a Game full of incredible Highs and no Low Lows, however with a good chunk of mediocrity. It is as great as I remembered it being and I loved my entire time playing and Platinuming it as my First PS5 Platinum.
To start on a downer I must say that After playing so much of it's repetitive Collectables which are greatly implemented in its open world, doing these even in between the story bored me over time and thus a month long hiatus I took unrelated to the game was actually a blessing in disguise as It gave me a brand new wanting to play. I found the same complaints through coming back however it was still a fun enough experience with it's collectables.
Being A platinum you know I love this game in all aspects, so Here is my list as to my pro's to this masterpiece of a game.
Story - With no Spoilers, This is a story of heartbreak, revenge and growth/Change. Jin's Growth from Samurai subservient to his code and his struggle finding ways to defeat his enemy, The Mongols, to embracing the change and becoming The Ghost. This inner turmoil is the principle of the story with each other beat like regaining the island and helping his allies and civilians working alongside this, each quest and side quest has Jin learning some new mentality, from quoting Sun Tzu to creating his own Quotes, Jin is always growing. Tragedy too is huge, loss of friends and civilians you don't know but love as you feel you are Jin, so many areas of this story is a Tragedy, this helping you more and more hate the threat, leading to a final showdown with so much depth into it. In summary this story is a dark tragedy with a story of growth, a true mastery of video game storytelling which can hold up to the better story based games of the same ilk.
Style - From environment to audio this game Oozes Art in each o it's pores, on a first look it is gritty and realistic but taken a better look you see it doesn't try to look as good as red dead 2 or The Last of Us, but instead goes stylised and fits by looking beautiful in its masterful use of colour theory and world design, Further the level design, while in areas like towns can be annoying is generally impeccable with the world grabbing your attention all the time, is perfectly guided with scenic vistas and paths, and Using Nature evokes the themes of rebirth, growth and renewal with Jin's connection to each facet of it brings an emotional connection.
Travel - Not much to say except the Mechanic of the guiding wind is a game changer from the standardised and boring waypoint and/or compass, the standout feature of the game and helps the Horse mechanic feel much more fun whilst being rudimentary.
Combat - The swordplay is absolutely impeccable, especially on Lethal which is what I played, it makes each strike deadly to both you and enemies creating a hard but not soulsborne Combat, interesting and engaging with a robe=ust toolkit which is completely optional, The stance system is beautiful and if pulled of correct can lead to beautiful combos, The duels especially is where this system is in full force, Incredible side content wholly worth seeking out.
Stealth - The Stealth in this game is nothing new, and in fact I would compare it most to the system of a game from 5 Years prior to this games release - Batman Arkham Knight. This is seen in each core pillar of the strength; A vast array of tools, A fear system which causes enemies to get scared if they witness a move in stealth or combat, Multi takedown and basic Stealth Features like crouch, line walk, Jumping Takedowns etc. A fun but basic stealth system
Overall I give this game...
8.75/10 - an absolutely incredibel game with some premier mechanics and some basic mechanics, Repetitive content but fun gameplay and amazing storytelling and a masterpiece of world design and style.
A must buy at any Price.
To start on a downer I must say that After playing so much of it's repetitive Collectables which are greatly implemented in its open world, doing these even in between the story bored me over time and thus a month long hiatus I took unrelated to the game was actually a blessing in disguise as It gave me a brand new wanting to play. I found the same complaints through coming back however it was still a fun enough experience with it's collectables.
Being A platinum you know I love this game in all aspects, so Here is my list as to my pro's to this masterpiece of a game.
Story - With no Spoilers, This is a story of heartbreak, revenge and growth/Change. Jin's Growth from Samurai subservient to his code and his struggle finding ways to defeat his enemy, The Mongols, to embracing the change and becoming The Ghost. This inner turmoil is the principle of the story with each other beat like regaining the island and helping his allies and civilians working alongside this, each quest and side quest has Jin learning some new mentality, from quoting Sun Tzu to creating his own Quotes, Jin is always growing. Tragedy too is huge, loss of friends and civilians you don't know but love as you feel you are Jin, so many areas of this story is a Tragedy, this helping you more and more hate the threat, leading to a final showdown with so much depth into it. In summary this story is a dark tragedy with a story of growth, a true mastery of video game storytelling which can hold up to the better story based games of the same ilk.
Style - From environment to audio this game Oozes Art in each o it's pores, on a first look it is gritty and realistic but taken a better look you see it doesn't try to look as good as red dead 2 or The Last of Us, but instead goes stylised and fits by looking beautiful in its masterful use of colour theory and world design, Further the level design, while in areas like towns can be annoying is generally impeccable with the world grabbing your attention all the time, is perfectly guided with scenic vistas and paths, and Using Nature evokes the themes of rebirth, growth and renewal with Jin's connection to each facet of it brings an emotional connection.
Travel - Not much to say except the Mechanic of the guiding wind is a game changer from the standardised and boring waypoint and/or compass, the standout feature of the game and helps the Horse mechanic feel much more fun whilst being rudimentary.
Combat - The swordplay is absolutely impeccable, especially on Lethal which is what I played, it makes each strike deadly to both you and enemies creating a hard but not soulsborne Combat, interesting and engaging with a robe=ust toolkit which is completely optional, The stance system is beautiful and if pulled of correct can lead to beautiful combos, The duels especially is where this system is in full force, Incredible side content wholly worth seeking out.
Stealth - The Stealth in this game is nothing new, and in fact I would compare it most to the system of a game from 5 Years prior to this games release - Batman Arkham Knight. This is seen in each core pillar of the strength; A vast array of tools, A fear system which causes enemies to get scared if they witness a move in stealth or combat, Multi takedown and basic Stealth Features like crouch, line walk, Jumping Takedowns etc. A fun but basic stealth system
Overall I give this game...
8.75/10 - an absolutely incredibel game with some premier mechanics and some basic mechanics, Repetitive content but fun gameplay and amazing storytelling and a masterpiece of world design and style.
A must buy at any Price.