90%PC

Must play for open world rpg enjoyers, 10/10 ending, great progression, some people say it gets repetitive by the end of the game but I didn't find it so, maybe because I stepped into Iki island (expansion) just as I went in to Act 3, and the enemies and things to do are a bit different than the base game.

80%PlayStation 5

Assassin's Creed-lite set in a very beautiful open world. Story was decent, but not amazing. Loved how they were able to incorporate normal open world mechanics into the world (yellow birds, wind, etc.)

90%PlayStation 5

92

100%PC

Quite possibly one of the most refined games of the last few years. An awesome PC version that's gorgeous to look at and it well optimized. The only criticism I can offer is that if you achievement hunt, the objectives do get very repetitive. Don't know why I pushed this off for so long... its now one of my favorite games of all time!

85%PC

Graphics - 9
Gameplay - 8.5
Audio - 8
Story - 8.5

30%PlayStation 4

combate muito repetitivo, a mecanica do vento te guiar é legal porém mal aproveitada, o uso do touchpad foi porco, historia do jogo é boa porém lotada de partes repetitivas.

70%PlayStation 5

I didn't expect to rate this so low. The first impression was great, and from what I heard I was expecting a masterpiece. In the end it's just a very good game, but I was disappointed that it plays a lot like Assassins Creed, as I'm just so burnt out on that formula. The visuals are stunning, and the gameplay is great, but the story was uninteresting, rather flat and self serious about honour. My score is perhaps overly harsh, because towards the end I just pushed through, and even though it's a thoroughly well made game, it's nothing new and the enjoyment I got out of it personally amounts to a 7/10. The visuals carry it to a great extent.

100%PlayStation 5

An absolutely incredible experience from start to finish.

Front and center for this game stands the gameplay/combat.
The stance-system makes the melee combat fun and engaging. It also looks flashy and feels great to fight the enemies in this game.
The ranged combat works great with a satisfying feedback to it, and the various different throwables also serves to keep the combat system feeling fresh throughout the entire playthrough.

Another part of the game I really enjoyed was the story.
I found myself invested in the characters and their relationships, aided by the solid voice acting, and I was eager to push the story forward to see how the next part would unfold, as well as follow the development of the MC.

Visually the game looks gorgeous. I never got tired of riding on my horse through the Japanese landscapes, just taking in the scenery.
The wind system they've implemented, that replaces the classic objective marker, is also a really nice touch.
That, together with the visuals, as well as the games soundtrack and audio-design really helped me to immerse myself when traversing around the Island of Tsushima.

Only two things detracted from my experience.
The first one being the facial animations off non main missions. These looks quite stiff and janky, which when put in contrast to an otherwise gorgeous world, stands out quite a bit.
Secondly is about combat. While I think the combat system in this game is amazing, I did find it a little too easy towards the latter half of the game.
I am by no means a "sweat", I am actually quite casual, but I played it on the hardest difficulty, and once you unlocked a certain amount of skills and upgraded your weapons all the way, it did trivialize the combat a little bit.
I just wish the enemies would pose a bigger threat than they did by the end.

Still, these two minor gripes is far from enough to put a damper on my enjoyment of an otherwise incredible game.

100%PC

мне очень нравится японская культура и конечно же мне понравилась эта игра! что тут сказать, играйте как хотите, можете играть более бесшумно и по стелсу, можете играть более агресивно! с помощью доспехов можно выбирать разные геймплеи! очень жду другую часть по призраку и буду играть в нее! конечно рекомендую, игра проходит как фильм! очень напряжено и круто! /// I really like Japanese culture and of course I liked this game! What can I say, play as you want, you can play more silently and stealthily, you can play more aggressively! With the help of armor you can choose different gameplays! I'm really looking forward to the other part of the ghost and I will play it! Of course I recommend it, the game goes like a movie! Very tense and cool!

90%PlayStation 5

Um jogo que respira cultura japonesa e direção de arte, o mapa desse jogo é um colirio para os olhos, me vi diversas vezes entrando no modo foto desse jogo apenas para tirar uma fotinha da vista. No geral Ghost of tsushima é uma experiência interativa daqueles filmes de samurais clássicos japoneses, de certa forma a história é meio clichê porém é o que dar um charme pro jogo em minha opinião, o combate do jogo é um espetáculo e muito gostoso de se jogar, a mecânica das posturas é muito legal inclusive, e o arco também é um ótimo inclemento neste combate, a exploração também é muito legal pois como já havia mencionado antes o mapa desse jogo é belo e rico em detalhes, andar por tsushima em seu cavalo com as vistas deste jogo é simplesmente incrível, porém um ponto a se destacar daqueles que irão fazer o 100 % do game é que as missões secundárias são um pouco repetitivas de mais em um certo ponto, a narrativa destas missões continuam sendo um roteiro de um filme de samurai o que é bem legal de se acompanhar porém estas missões estão sempre no mesmo padrão, você vai lutar com alguns inimigos, ver uma história e completar a quest, ou faz stealth em determinada coisa ou faz uma busca de algo em algum lugar, enfim é tudo muito repetitivo e chato depois de várias vezes repetindo essas missões. Mas no geral é um ótimo jogo principalmente para quem apenas planeja zerar ele.

65%PC

This game was sold to me as a masterpiece but that was just alright, the story is basic, the secondary missions useless and the characters not very impactful but i have to admit the gameplay and the katanas fights are amazing

70%PlayStation 5

Game has no self restrains for side content, which ends up diluting experience quite a bit. Individually each activity is fun but the should have been at least half as many hot springs, fox shrines, and haikus, they are way too repetitive and rewards are not worth it after a certain point. 20+ side quests "ride 200 meters, kill 10 mongols" also are a bit excessive. Surprisingly enough I wasn't bothered by unreasonable amount of mongol camps (50+ in base game only!), due to nice variety in size, layout, and complexity. Also they are easy to spot from far away and completely ignore if you are not in the mood.

One can say "duh, just skip side content", but I wanted to do some of it, like bamboo cutting is fun, and tori gate temples are each unique and typically most picturesque areas of the game. So when exploring naturally I constantly stumble upon activities I'm done with already, but if I target these directly, than I just following map markers with extra steps, so exploration experience suffers both ways.

Combat is fun and flexible, could have used more variety though. Enemies that often switch stances should have been introduces earlier in the base game.

Iki island almost pushed overall score from 7 to 8, but wasn't quite enough. But it fixes most of base game issues, much better balance of quality/quantity/density of things to do in an open world.

60%PlayStation 4

It's okay. I didn't like how Ubisofty it was.
For many years I tried to be as cool as other mid-20s guys, pretending to be at least mildly interested in Chinese/Japanese history, but unfortunately I couldn't care less about this world and time, therefore I dropped it.

The combat is pretty good and offers genuine challenge. Music and visuals could leave anyone in awe.

80%PC

Main story: A good game with decent but a little too simple gameplay (stances). Gameplay is too much focused on choosing the correct stance against a specific enemy type. More variety and it would an earn extra points in the overall score. Best part where the "boss battles". Beautiful graphics and good characters. A little too much repetiveness on the sidecontect (non story missions) to get a higher score. A amazing port by Nixxies again,

81/100.

DLC: 78/100. Okay story but a little short with a cool island.

overall 80/100.

85%PC

O game é gostosinho de jogar, os elementos de combate trazem um diferencial com as diversas posições para os 4 tipos de inimigos, porém me irrita o fato de n poder "focar" no inimigo. A evolução do personagem é o que mais me chamou atenção, você acha coisas no mundo como fontes termais para aumentar a vida, ou estátuas de lobo para aumentar o número de amuletos e assim por diante. O mapa é cheio de campos de inimigos para poder limpar, porém n vi muita vantagem em fazer, pq basicamente vc só ganha pouco pontos de habilidade. A histórias secundárias tbm não fiz todas até o fim pois n foi cativante, apenas o suficiente para evoluir na principal. É um jogo gostoso de jogar e muito bonito de apreciar, vale a experiência e aguarda uma promoção para comprar.
8,5/10

100%PC

absolutely amazing

90%PlayStation 5

7
1
1

100%PlayStation 5

Really fun

100%PlayStation 5

Absolute masterpiece. The characters are amazing, the story is amazing, the graphics are amazing, the word building is amazing, the dlc is amazing, the gameplay is amazing. Awesome experience, would recommend

85%PlayStation 4

Ghost of Tsushima is an impressive new IP that has some aspects that allow it to stand out from the crowd of open-world experiences, like a cinematic and more personal approach, but it's mostly excellent groundwork for something greater yet to come.

Visually, Ghost of Tsushima is amazing; the environment is a great highlight, realistic and, at the same time, focused on the aesthetic and beauty of nature. Flowers and leaves constantly fly around with the wind, giving a pleasant atmosphere that, more often than not, makes you try to find a good spot to just look at what surrounds you. Character models are highly detailed to the point you can see them sweating in real time, but lip sync out of curated cutscenes is a hit or miss. I played it on PS4 Slim, and although visually it is great, 30 fps is not stable, and during big battles, it is all over the place. I would recommend playing the native PS5 version instead if you can.

Narrative is a highly compelling personal story of a samurai contemplating the worth of honor in times of a great tragedy brought up by the Mongol invasion of the islands of Tsushima. Jin Sakai is a good protagonist you want to root for; he has a well-written, in-depth personal arc that allows the character to be flexible and change a lot throughout the story. The main villain is an interesting opposite of a samurai, not just dishonorable in battle but also a highly intelligent manipulator who is compelling to follow, but I feel like he was mostly done well at first, but despite his being flexible, he fails to do any pushback or surprise you in the later half of the game. Side characters are pretty solid, with some standouts like Lord Shimura and Lady Masako, well-written and acted characters you see and spend a lot of time with. What is a thing I dislike about the narrative? It is the pacing; the game loves to force you to dig deep into side arcs of side characters for far too long while also locking some substantial skills and gears behind them. While the main invasion plotline is good, you just take too much time helping others instead of focusing on the greater picture. These side tales are presented as side missions, because of that I expected them to last a few missions, but each has up to 10 or more missions, each with narrative in them, progressing at a snail's pace, and how can you ignore them when interacting with just one of them unlocks you a bow and all skills behind them? It's a substantial reward, but you still feel your time is being wasted.

Gameplay is pretty good; combat is in-depth and satisfying. Different stances require you to always adapt during combat and tackle different enemy types differently, as well as dozens of skills and equipment you can use on the fly, which makes combat my personal highlight of GoT. Stealth is just okay; it's satisfying to take out the entire camp stealthily, but AI is pretty basic, and it doesn't require much skill to be successful at it; you might as well just trigger an open combat. Open-world is full of interesting activities, but these activities only have some amount of types that repeat at nauseam far too many times. What I can give some credit for is the way you find activities to interact with, the gust of wind that is meant to represent the spirit of your father guiding you to where you need to go, as well as leaves in the wind, birds, and foxes asking you to follow their lead. It's really cute and a unique way to get rid of a radar and the need of opening up the map at all times; it makes GoT stand out with this approach. The best side missions are definitely the old tales, since they only provide the much-needed variety, while every single side mission just ends up being some random tragedy that was caused by Mongols that ends with you fighting a pack. The sequel really needs to provide some bigger variety of side activities worth interacting with. Customization is rather extensive, providing different perks with different types of outfits. Personally, I am a sucker when games do this, and I easily am eager to praise GoT for it.

To sum up, Ghost of Tsushima is a great experience and a good first entry in the new series of games, but it suffers from a lack of variety in its many aspects, both in side activities and in narrative. It's a great groundwork that can later on give us a true masterpiece, which is what I hope Ghost of Yotei is going to be.

70%PlayStation 5

+ : Histoire
Bonne progression dans les systèmes
Système de combat avec les différentes armes/postures
Exploration rewarding

- : trop de collectibles/camps
Certaines quêtes redondantes

90%PC

Amazing Combat, which never gets boring even after liberating the 50th area.

The open world has it's up and downs, somehow really nicely designed areas, other are a bit bleak - often you just ride around and try to get every objective.

The Story was amazing - the side tales of your companions had some really good moments as well.

Will recommend this for people that like Open world games with a strong story. I can't judge how good the game is if you only rush through the main quests.

85%PlayStation 4

Great story, great gameplay, fairly dense open world

80%PlayStation 4

** preliminary review of the intro.

100%PlayStation 5

holy shit, awesome videogame, awesome story, awesome combat, exploration and gameplay. 100% recommended.

90%PlayStation 5

Na medade do jogo, fazendo as dlcs de forma simultanea, chegando a 30 horas.

90%PC

Hard
NG+ - Lethal+

95%PlayStation 5

买PS5很大的原因是冲着它（再过几天要上PC了。。。），没有让我失望，简直戳到了我所有点上，画面极美，打斗稍有难度但是很爽快，搭配PS新手柄的震动，拉弓骑马反馈巨好。如果不是后期太重复，在我这里是可以给到100分的

95%PlayStation 4

I don't Know my time played.

70%PC

Its a really nice game. Good open world. But its nothing really outstanding. Many friends of mine praised the game so high that I was kinda expecting a lot, but it played like a assassins creed with better story.
Nothing wolrd changing but certanly a really good game.

The legends mode achievements tho....0/10 like bruh. I dont want to play multiplayer online on a story rpg game. And if so make 2 or 3 achievements not 10 and not 10 that are so dang hard wtf sucker punch.

100%PlayStation 5

MASTERPIECE!

90%PlayStation 5

Great story, great protagonist, great graphics, amazing world!

90%PlayStation 5

"Ghost of Tsushima is one of them games that rolls around once a generation. It's beautiful vistas and samurai setting had me hooked instantly, and it's probably up there as one of the fastest I've ever completed a game. Its combat mechanics are effortlessly amazing to play with, its characters are well rounded and understandable, and I connected with the main character on a personal level. The satisfaction of bringing down an empire that is so well communicated and feel insurmountable is very satisfying.

My only criticism of the game is its forcing of stealth through the storyline. As enemies become more difficult, the game encourages you to use stealth mechanics, however I found the gameplay to be lacklustre and always chose to fight enemies with my katana when I could. Therefore, when my Uncle berates me for using stealth tactics that are not honourable, I feel hard done by because I have literally only used my bow when the game forced me to. I feel like this is a missed opportunity, whereby the more enemies you kill with your bow, the more a 'dishonour' meter fills, or maybe the Uncle reacts differently in cut scenes, or something... it stood as the only immersion-breaking moment of an otherwise stellar experience."

85%PlayStation 5

Just a super fun game that does little to no major misssteps

-Story
Story is really fun and a pleasure to expirience. Some parts are weaker but the highlight are so high it overshadows them completely. I loved the story line with Jins uncle, felt real and believable. I can see the game being shorter but the game did not drag and remained just fun throughout. Not to mention the characters are simply well written, they feel like people, have their own motivations, story and it just underlines the story perfectly.
8/10

-Gameplay
One of the best swords combat I´ve ever played, if not the best. I can´t describe it better than that you feel like a samurai. You can have your own playstyle, even though you have only 1 main melee weapon you can still archer, stealth or use ghost gadgets and you can wear amulets or armor that benefit your playstyle. One issue I personally have is with stealth being super easy because the enemies are not the sharpest tools.
9/10

-Final thoughts
Great game, with stunning visuals and a fantastic atmosphere. I believe 100 % of what the game is selling. I was never ripped out of the game by some bs and enjoyed my stay with the game so much I´m close to platinuming it.
The game is often described as the best Assassin´s Creed game but I think that does the game a great deal of disservice. It´s much more than some sort of an AC clone, the game has it´s own identity, yes you have some parkour elements but I don´t feel like the game is build arround them.

I cannot wait to play Ghost of Yotei. I hope the game identity will remain similar while offering new fun stuff to play with.

40%PC

Ghost of Tsushima can unfortunately be called "Open World: The Game"

It is one of the most formulaic open-world games I've played. The only unique elements are the setting and that the UI is very minimal. Other than that, it ticks all the boxes:

Skill system, Equipment upgrades, Stealth system, Stealth-based missions, Trailing missions, Climbing sections, Collecting materials, Various map points that allow you to collect/unlock something. It's all there. And none of it is interesting.

The game is very pretty, yes, but everything you do in it is rather dull.

On top of that is a story that, while very authentic to old samurai movies, also did not seem particularly compelling. I'm about 7 hours in (my Steam playtime includes some pausing) and the game did not to click for me. I don't find the characters or circumstances interesting.

Maybe my opinion would be different if I found the combat or traversal in this game enjoyable or compelling.

But as it stands, I'm a bit surprised that this game received so much praise. Again, the game looks great, the production value is there. But the game itself is just... extremely underwhelming, especially for someone that spent thousands of hours playing open-world games in the last 17 years or so.

This game goes on the "retired" pile.

85%PC

Ghost of Tsushima - Review (85/100)

Ghost of Tsushima delivers a breathtaking journey through feudal Japan, blending cinematic storytelling with exhilarating combat and an open world brimming with beauty and history. While it excels in atmosphere and immersion, a few repetitive elements and minor mechanical shortcomings prevent it from achieving absolute perfection.

Pros:

Stunning Visuals and Atmosphere:
The island of Tsushima is a masterpiece of design, with its lush forests, golden fields, and dramatic skies. The use of wind as a navigational tool is both innovative and deeply immersive, keeping players grounded in the world’s natural beauty. This is one of the most visually striking games of its generation.

Engaging Combat System:
Combat is a highlight, offering a balance between precision and fluidity. Switching between stances to counter different enemy types keeps encounters fresh and tactical. Whether engaging in brutal sword duels or sneaking through enemy camps, the gameplay feels responsive and rewarding.

Strong Protagonist:
Jin Sakai’s journey from samurai to ghost is compelling, showcasing an internal conflict between honor and survival. His development feels authentic, and his interactions with side characters like Yuna and Lord Shimura add emotional weight to the narrative.

Rich Historical Setting:
The game captures the spirit of 13th-century Japan during the Mongol invasion, blending historical elements with creative liberties. The attention to detail in architecture, culture, and weaponry adds authenticity to the experience.

Cons:

Repetitive Open-World Activities:
While the world is beautiful, many side quests and activities feel formulaic. Clearing Mongol camps, finding fox dens, and composing haikus, though charming at first, can grow monotonous over time.

Basic Stealth Mechanics:
The stealth gameplay, though functional, lacks depth. Enemy AI is often predictable, and options for creativity in stealth takedowns are limited compared to other stealth-focused games.

Final Thoughts:

Ghost of Tsushima is a love letter to samurai cinema and Japanese history, offering a visually stunning world and engaging gameplay. While it stumbles with some repetitive elements and underdeveloped mechanics, its heart, atmosphere, and sheer beauty shine through.

Final Verdict: 85/100. A must-play for fans of open-world adventures and samurai epics, even if it doesn’t completely reinvent the genre.

75%PlayStation 4

Some of the best combat out of any game I have ever played. The open world was also beautiful but didn’t really have that much to do in it, a lot of POI’s were also pretty bland and basic due to how realistic this game is. A fantasy setting would have made the open world more interesting. 7.5/10.

85%PC

8.5/10

100%PlayStation 5

Que jogo incrível! Com toda certeza, o melhor que joguei este ano.

O enredo do jogo é lindo. Algumas coisas são bem previsíveis, como o confronto de Jim com seu tio, que você só aguarda o momento de acontecer. No entanto, isso não tira totalmente o mérito da história, que tem um final lindo e digno de cinema.

A jogabilidade é excelente. Os combates diretos são sensacionais, embora eu tenha sentido falta de algum "gatilho" para se defender de vários inimigos ao mesmo tempo. Caso prefira ser "stealth", a experiência é ainda mais divertida. Existem várias maneiras de agir de forma furtiva, e o jogo deixa essa escolha completamente em suas mãos.

Por mais que Jim lute contra se tornar o "Fantasma" e abrir mão das tradições dos Samurais, o jogo permite, na maioria das vezes, que você escolha se quer avisar ao bando que está ali e enfrentar em um combate direto, ou ser furtivo e eliminar os inimigos um a um, silenciosamente, por trás — algo que vai contra o código Samurai. Sinceramente, essa escolha não influencia na história, mas funciona como um desafio extra, já que, de qulquer forma, ele é e será o Fantasma.

Um ponto negativo foi que, em algumas cenas de interação, aparece uma tela preta com sons de fundo. Isso estraga a experiência? Não. Mas também não agrega. Considerando que o jogo é de 2020 e feito por um grande estúdio, poderiam ter caprichado mais nesses detalhes.

Sobre o cenário, o que dizer? Com certeza é um dos mais bonitos que já vi em um jogo. Talvez seja "chover no molhado" rasgar elogios, mas é realmente prazeroso explorar cada canto desse mapa.

Uma última ressalva: no começo do jogo, senti falta de um mini mapa para me locomover. O sistema do "vento" me causou desconforto no início, mas depois se tornou algo automático. O que inicialmente parecia um erro acabou se revelando uma jogada ousada que deu super certo.

Ghost of Tsushima é espetacular. Agora...partiu Ilha Iki!

Ah, para quem interessar, eu platinei o jogo. Não é difícil, só um pouco trabalhoso por conta dos colecionáveis, mas vale muito a pena.

85%PlayStation 5

Großartige Grafik, super Geschnetzel, macht Spaß!
Story ein bissl viel "hey, hilf mir mal, dann helfe ich dir".

Die Erweiterung ist nochmal erheblich besser und schwerer. Hat mir besser gefallen als das Hauptspiel.
War ein wenig "Hellblade" Feeling

100%PlayStation 5

This game is amazing, The visuals are so beautiful for a game that came out in 2020 running through the grass is just so breath taking

the main story is also super immaculate with so much epic stuff happening. there are no parts were it is stagnant or boring.

this is easily the best game that i have completed so far.

85%PlayStation 4

Some of the duels had really cool settings, story was dramatic and entertaining. Nice selection of attacks/subweapons. Loses some points for open world collectathon fatigue, most sword stances not being viable, things feeling too repetitive as I drew closer to the end.

I thought it was funny how there are no child characters. One NPC was like, "please, save my boy!" and his boy was a full grown man.

A little disappointing I tried to fight with honour around Lord Shimura to make him proud, then Jin goes full Ghost in a cutscene. I know they have a story to tell, but let me have a say in how my character behaves!

90%PlayStation 5

Ghost of Tsushima" поражает своим потрясающим стилем и красотой, представляя собой игру с элементами Assassin's Creed, но с более акцентированной боевой системой и менее разработанным стелсом. Искусственный интеллект врагов иногда кажется несовершенным: они могут стоять неподвижно, но в то же время обладать мгновенной реакцией при атаке сзади. История и персонажи хорошо разработаны; хотя история не предлагает неожиданных поворотов, персонажи кажутся живыми, следуют своим убеждениям и развиваются в течение игры.

Открытый мир поражает однообразными 'ассасиновскими' башнями и знаками вопроса, но невероятный стиль и красота игры, а также отсутствие обязательного стелса, делают его исследование приятным. Зачистка мира представляет собой медитативный процесс, включающий сочинение хокку, паркур на святилища, сопровождение лис и игру на дудочке. Побочные задания, хоть и не выдающиеся, представляют собой интересные японские басни с моралью. Мир наполнен записками и монгольскими артефактами, которые погружают в историю и культуру.

Однако интеграция DLC в игру оставляет желать лучшего: оно становится доступно во второй части острова и частично раскрывает события основной истории, что ведет к спойлерам. Это становится особенно заметным, когда игрок вынужден продолжать DLC, продолжая поглощать спойлеры, проходя основные задания DLC.

Стиль — ради этого стоило играть
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Итоговая оценка: 91/100

80%PC

The Open World got a bit dull and the gameplay loop got a bit repetitive (prolly cuz I finished the game in 5 days). Solid game tho

75%PC

Good game with good scenery but the game is just a few hours longer than it needs to be but has a satisfying conclusion to a captivating story. On the pc it's really not optimized and it crashes all the time, it could have been more polished. Overall good game,

80%PlayStation 4

Brilliant game, with great combat, great writing, fun gameplay, and a fantastic story. Well-paced and never boring. Left me wanting more. Sadly, still not as good as some of Sucker Punch's other games in my opinion, though that's a high bar to clear.

90%PC

War ein sehr schhönes Spiel. Grafik und Szenerie wirklich herausragend. Habe mich oft im Fotomodus verloren weil die Welt einfach wirklich unglaublich schön gebaut ist. Tolle Story auch wenn man nicht wie ich ein Fan von Japanischer Kultur ist.

Sehr zu empfehlen.

100%PC

Freakin awesome. Good revenge/liberation story. Good variety of enemies, techniques and tools. Fun companions with compelling stories. Literally the only thing I would have liked more from it, would have been some more freedom of climbing movement, so that I could climb more wherever, rather than where the painted platforms indicate.
Oh and I didn't touch on the scenery. Drop dead gorgeous. There were multiple occasions where I just had to stop for a moment and just... look at the view and take it all in.
This is everything I want in a game!

90%PC

Great game, this is what all Ubisoft games should be, with perhaps a bit less side bloat.

This game is reminiscent of the AC series from Ubisoft, but with less bloat. Unfortunately there's still a lot if it and there will be plenty of question marks on the map that will drive the OCD players out of their mind. I have done all of the side quests and about 90% of the question marks and by the end of it was feeling a bit burned out, but nowhere near like when playing the latest AC games.

Despite the basic exploration side content, which some players may even find enjoyable to do, the story itself and the combat are top notch. Especially the combat system. Cutting down enemies with perfect parries, dodges and what not feels awesome. You got a bunch of different stances to deal with the varying defensive mechanics of enemies (even though I barely switched stances, because I didn't play on the hardest difficulty), bunch of ninja tools like kunais, smoke bombs, darts, bows etc. Armor really can switch up your combat approach, since they all provide different effects either for bows, ghost weapons or melee combat. This game also has several difficulty levels, which really makes it accessible to most players, unlike Sekiro or Dark Souls games.

Also I can't praise the UI enough, it is honestly the best designed in any of the games that come to my mind. Minimal information at all times, which lets you enjoy the graphical fidelity of the game. It is also dynamic and dissapears completely while travelling horseback or just running around the map and really immerses you into the game. The devs also came up with a great idea of removing the minimap and replacing the objective marker with in game wind which points you into the right direction. In my opinion every developer should strive for this level of minimalism and immersion in a single player game.

A few words about the graphics. The game is simply gorgeous. The textures are not the most detailed when zooming in up close, and there's some issues with AA noise, but visual art style and vivid colors really give the game its own flare. There were multiple moments when I just whispered to myself in awe to how gorgeous the game is. I remember times when I was going through a forest under the moonlight with fireflies around me, or going through misty foggy groves at dawn or riding through a field of Sakura petals or red flowers and just forgetting about everything else going on in the game and enjoying the view. The fact that the game doesn't weight that much when compared to the latest COD or AC games (around 51 GBs) and still manages to achieve smooth framerate is awesome.

So while I loved most of the game, there were minor hiccups that I want to mention. First of all, the ragdoll physics. Sometimes they were quite wonky and bodies got stuck in environment, jittering around or the character sliding into an animation when interacting with something or trying to pet an animal. Also enemy attacks should affect their allies more consistently. Like when a brute is swinging his 2handed weapon around, his allies around should be scattered more often and not just ignore the swings through their heads. Decapitation would be great as well and make the game way better. Flying limbs as you cut through enemies would bring that much more chaos and wow factor into the combat.

Writing and conversations in the game are mostly great, but are very "mild". From the calm tone of your protagonist to the delivery and substance of the conversation, every dialogue felt a bit monotone. Sometimes I got lost in my own thoughts while listening to two characters conversing in this style, which I guess could be attributed to my restlessness. In the English version of the game, Tomoe was often confused and addressed as both he and she, even though she's a woman. The part where you got knocked out by a guard with a wooden stick while talking to Ryuzo was very dumb and then afterwards no guards were posted around to keep an eye on you, and all your gear was sitting unlocked in a chest nearby.

These are sort of minor gripes with the game, but other than that the plot made me feel something at the end when confronting your uncle, and that's not something a lot of games can achieve. I got so invested in becoming a martyr for Tsushima and donning the mantle of ghost, while tearing the uncle's heart due to our shadowy methods that the Mongols themselves employed, and in the end choosing to kill our uncle so he would not live with the shame that he felt. Honor was a big part of samurai culture, and It's a bit absurd, but also painful to see how it can tear up families and lives because of it.

Overall, amazing game that I can recommend to all RPG fans. Devs gave us a visually beautiful game with a good plot and combat system.

(P.S. fire the developer who decided to kill off our horse)

80%PC

Ghost of Tsushima is gorgeous, but dark.

Before I criticize what's actually an incredible game, let me cover the good points. The characters are brilliantly written. The dynamics between the MC and his uncle, Lord Shimura, as he turns away from the traditional Samurai ways to save his home are worth the price tag alone. However, there are also plenty of really fun/dark/epic side characters who make the world feel just that much more full. Kenji is hilarious, but also concerning. Sensei Ishikawa is brilliant, but also needs help dealing with his past. And so on and so forth. The characters are believable and awesome. The game is absolutely gorgeous, and the mechanic of the "guiding wind" is one of the most brilliant new game mechanics I've seen in years.

The music in the game is pretty good. Its soundtrack is no Assassin's Creed: Black Flag/Revelations, Gris, or God of War to name a few examples, but it's pretty good. It shines in the final duel of the game, but honestly the rest is kind of lacking imo. The combat is innovative, fresh, and fun. It isn't too hard or too difficult, and most importantly its believable.

Where this game falls a few points for me is honestly that it doesn't quite fulfill its massive potential. This could easily have been Game of the Year, but its story, soundtrack, and polish just weren't quite there. You can tell they put so much love into the characters, combat, and world design, but the rest falls just shy of incredible. Basically, I expected/wanted more. If I'm going to play a game that I know will be dark and emotional, I expect the payoff to be worth it. I really hope Ghost of Yotei lives up to the hype and doesn't fall just short as its predecessor.

Overall, an 8/10, would recommend.

TL;DR - Ghost of Tsushima's characters are brilliant and the world is gorgeous, but the game falls just shy of incredible. It's still a really awesome game and is definitely worth playing if you enjoy combat-focused story games.