As an annual series there has always been speculation as to where and when the next instalment in the Assassin’s Creed franchise might take place. From there, personal tastes in terms of history, knowledge and aesthetic take hold, Ancient Greece, Roman times, Vikings, Ancient Egypt — a list as long as a free-fall dive into a bale of hay, but a list that has always had an underlined entry continuously scribbled in by a large and vocal proponent of the ‘Creed’ community. Assassin’s Creed open-world action-adventure set in Feudal Japan.

This is not to say that Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima is a direct answer to that call, or a response to fill a library shelf-sized gap. It’s been in development for several years, covering a large portion of the PlayStation 4 lifecycle. In terms of its presentation you can feel the thought, care and passion put into the story of Samurai Jin Sakai as his home on Tsushima Island suffers at the hands of invading Mongols in the year 1274.



Throughout its lengthy and rewarding narrative there are several cinematic flourishes that call upon the greats from the Samurai genre. Kurosawa, Misumi, and broader cinematic influences present in everything from simple interactions to lighting, shadows and how a character might compose themselves after striking an opponent. It’s also one of those rare breed games that gets better the deeper you go, with an ending that packs an emotional punch. A cinematic end that, as the credits roll, leaves you satisfied. Like warm sake.

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"Throughout its lengthy and rewarding narrative there are several cinematic flourishes that call upon the greats from the Samurai genre.”

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The comparison to Ubisoft’s series is unavoidable though, especially if you’ve played the more recent entries into the Animus. In terms of structure and framework, Ghost of Tsushima plays like a variation on a theme. An open-world cover of a song one moment, and at another a completely different piece of music. But with both born from the same instrumentation and chord patterns.

This was glimpsed in early previews that showcased the stunning environments and locations found throughout Tsushima where wind, grass, leaves, flowers and shafts of light intertwine to create a living spirit. A presence that isn’t overtly acknowledged in-game but one that plays into navigation – where if you select a Tale or position on your in-menu map, the wind will point you in the right direction, guiding Jin and the entire world towards his destination… his path.


It’s thematically powerful and interesting as a mechanic. It adds a level of identity to Ghost of Tsushima. But it’s also a half-measure like several of the places you discover that aren’t tied to the narrative and its wonderfully realised cast of characters.

Having access to a map for direction and situational awareness, in addition to a countdown in metres, diminishes the impact of incorporating the environment and its inhabitants and history into the very core of how it all plays and moves. The same could be said of birds and other animals guiding you towards points of interest – the either-or approach, kind of having a readout but not. The addition of traditional flourishes is at odds with the thematic weight behind the beautiful presentation, and this applies to quite a lot of Ghost of Tsushima when you’re not sticking to its three Act story and various Tales.

This is to say that you can often see the seams, a Shrine to discover for the sake of another Shrine to discover, where the rewards err more on the side of pure static 1 of X collectibles rather than meaningful elements on par with the dramatic tension on hand. The exception here being locations to discover that let Jin and the player compose Haikus, reflecting on emotion through poetry, scenery, and meditation.



Ghost of Tsushima is another visual feast for the PlayStation 4. It takes the one thing that has defined a lot of first-party PS4 titles this generation in terms of graphics, grass is a lush forest setting, and gives it all a dose of the spiritual. Exploration for the sake of exploration is a means to an end, and through the beauty of the locations found throughout Tsushima, stopping to take stock of nature is something to revel in. And one of the reasons something as strange as a location to compose a Haiku feels more relevant than a platforming exercise in A-to-B traversal.

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"You can often see the seams, a Shrine to discover for the sake of another Shrine to discover, where the rewards err more on the side of pure static 1 of X collectibles rather than meaningful elements on par with the dramatic tension on hand.”

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A region mostly split into forts and camps and shrines and hot springs pales in comparison to stumbling onto temple grounds to find its peace disrupted or the remnants of a village turned into ash. It works well for Ghost of Tsushima, the open-world Assassin’s Creed in Japan, but not so well for Jin Sakai looking to drive the Mongols from his home and save his people at any cost.

The problem isn’t the existence of open-world elements, but that most of these are a little rough around the edges. Detective mode Jin has him always following perfectly formed footprints on pathways that magically appear after you finish investigating a scene, to climbing that only happens on bits of jutting out rock-face designated as climbing spots. The latter of which is of course pure game, but also leads to some completely unrealistic movement and still animation that breaks immersion.

Plus, one too many follow this character to see where they go bits. In that zero is always the correct number there.


When the story enters the picture, Ghost of Tsushima’s world goes from problematic to picturesque to beautiful, violent, haunting, melancholic, and even divine. From side quests and stories found via bumping into travellers on the road to Legendary Tales that see Jin hear about local folklore as history merges with myth setting him on an adventure into the unknown. Legendary Tales are great examples of Ghost at its off-the-beaten-path best, well written tales where exploration and discovery can be revelatory and the rewards tangible things Jin can touch - like sweet new armour or a heavenly sword strike.

But even here it all doesn’t quite come together. Let’s say you’ve got new Legendary Armour (or a regular set of Ronin robes) and you want to upgrade it, the seams begin to show as soon as you need to amass ‘Supplies’. Which are littered everywhere; next to peasants you’re looking out for, in the homes of those Jin calls his friend, and next to armourers that need Supplies to do their thing. Of course, the whole loot-anything and everything isn’t new, it’s optional, and Ghost is simply calling on a system that works. But, it’s still lazy compared to Ghost’s stronger aspects.



‘Supplies’ are also the core element used to upgrade weapons, armour, Jin’s bows, his projectile weaponry, and so forth. Each category calls on other ingredients like wood or steel, but 500 Supplies and that or 750 Supplies plus this falls short of the initial pot of gold found at the end of the Legendary Tale rainbow. There’s no mystery and wonder, no beauty, just numbers. Well, the mystery here is trying to figure out what 1 Supply is.

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"When the story enters the picture, Ghost of Tsushima’s world goes from problematic to picturesque to beautiful, violent, haunting, melancholic, and even divine.”

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Noticing a smudge on the collar of a well-tailored suit, or an impeccable robe, isn’t indicative of the broader picture. One could easily compliment another element of the ensemble they’re presented with. In Ghost of Tsushima, one could criticise the often poor combat camera or the lack of a proper lock-on targeting system, but having Jin slice his way through entire groups of swordsmen, archers, and speared infantry – whilst changing his sword stance and strategy every step of the way – often becomes a violent and mesmerising dance as impressive to watch as it is to be in control of. Beauty on par with seeing the wind, leaves, and grass roll out into the horizon.


Stealth on the other hand is far less interesting, entirely predicated on Jin finding tall-grass or a rooftop he can walk on. That said evocative moments, bursts of red adding shadow to steel glinting in the moonlight, can happen. This side of the experience is billed and narratively presented as becoming the Ghost. Putting aside a lifetime of Samurai teaching and honour to win at any cost. It’s a bargain that admittedly Jin makes a little too easily very early-on, but one that serves as the foundation for the story and the tools in which you get to use to deal with the Mongol army. Narratively, this choice is a moment-to-moment combat decision, what to spend skill points on, but overall something that has little bearing on the narrative.

Heading into Ghost of Tsushima, based on pre-release material it’s safe to say that expectations were high. As a lifelong fan of Japanese cinema being able to play through the story with Japanese voices, subtitles, and experience a tale of this magnitude being told on such a broad yet focused canvas was thoroughly rewarding. By focusing on war, invasion, nobility, honour, and legacy it's a tale that is more epic in scope than say a wandering Samurai walking into a town to find out that everything is not what it seems. But it's this very atmosphere, scope, immersion, and grand setting that accounts for a lot. Enough of one thing is, well, enough to accept a string of lesser things. Ghost of Tsushima isn’t perfect, not even close. But neither is Jin Sakai, and his journey from Samurai to Ghost is one worth savouring, and a Legendary Tale all its own.