Ghost of Tsushima

Ghost of Tsushima is a sandbox in a large open world, a dynamic stealth action game with a third-person view set in the time of samurais, from the creators of the InFamous series. The events of the game unfold in feudal Japan in the year 1274 — a period in history when the Mongols invaded Tsushima Island. You can expect limitless freedom of action — you are free to decide where to go and what to do. You are the last surviving samurai, who must rise from the ashes and take revenge on the invaders.

The authors of Ghost of Tsushima did not chase authenticity but made Tsushima a miniature version of all of Japan: one region is filled with harsh mountain cliffs, another is covered in snow, a third is occupied by bamboo forests and green fields, in the fourth, cherry blossoms bloom, and in the fifth, there is a forest of luxurious trees with golden leaves, and so on.

The game stands out with its unique visual style, creating beautiful, picturesque landscapes, aided by several lighting models, dynamic weather changes, and time of day. The world needs to be actively explored, as puzzles, secrets, and additional quests are scattered everywhere, and to move around, you need to ride a horse.

The island is quite populated, with houses and settlements of local residents, camps of the conquering Mongols appearing periodically. However, there is almost no destructible environment; you cannot cut bamboo with a katana. The interface is organically woven into the game world: the wind serves as a primitive compass, guiding you to points of interest, foxes will lead the hero to the shrines of the goddess Inari, and a yellow songbird will guide you to some important place.

The basis of Ghost of Tsushima is a real historical event — the Mongol invasion of Japan in the late 13th century, which passed through Tsushima Island. The game begins with a battle between 80 Japanese samurais and a massive army of Mongols, in which the latter achieve a confident victory. By a miracle, the main character Jin from the Sakai clan and his uncle Shimura, who governs the island, remain alive.

The plot is linear and simple: save the uncle from the captivity of the Mongol leader Khotun Khan, disrupt the Mongol supply lines, free the people from the invaders by driving them off the island. There are no gray areas; these are only the bad ones, and these are only the good ones; the villain does not try to prove his righteousness or win over the player. However, the game has a good storytelling and an ending that leaves no one indifferent.

A significant part of the script consists of the hero's internal struggles. Jin is raised according to samurai concepts of valor and warrior honor, while his enemy is not burdened by these frameworks, giving him an advantage in battle. His salvation is entirely due to a thief trying to teach him "unfair" fighting.

Here runs a line of moral dilemmas: is the invasion of the invaders a serious enough reason to change established traditions and commit quite unworthy acts? After all, as events unfold, Jin increasingly uses tactics and weapons that are uncharacteristic of his samurai past — and the game directly states that this is wrong.

In Ghost of Tsushima, the combat is diverse and well-developed, where action with samurai swords coexists with stealth in a ninja style. Both gameplay modes use standard mechanics: in action, we attack, defend, parry, dodge, and counterattack with timing, while in stealth, we sneak and kill without raising alarms in the camp.

A separate mechanic is responsible for sword duels — Jin can challenge and quickly eliminate several enemies. The character also has access to four stances that can be changed on the fly, each effective only against certain opponents, and different ways of killing enemies are encouraged. Parkour elements allow climbing to heights and buildings, jumping across rooftops, and sitting on ledges and tree branches.

Smoke grenades, poisoned darts, explosives, throwing knives, and a bow with different types of arrows help to ease the difficulty. To replenish health , there is a resolve mechanic that fills up when killing enemies. Resolve is also spent on using special attacks that can be unlocked by completing certain quests.

Ghost of Tsushima can be completed by strictly following the storyline, but there are also plenty of side quests. Some of them are standard activities, like killing patrols or "find and bring," but there are also unique "stories" where the player travels the world, talks to NPCs, finds clues, and at the end faces a challenging fight for a very valuable item that once belonged to a great warrior.

The player gains experience only by completing main and side quests, which allows them to unlock more skills as they level up, enhancing their abilities, especially against crowds of diverse enemies. The character becomes stronger with new gear, such as armor, helmets, charms. However, Jin has no companions; he only receives occasional help from the side.

Most of the gameplay revolves around destroying Mongols, who are not just numerous but very numerous, with only their locations changing. There are also challenging boss fights that require certain skill and patience from the player — only the katana is available from all weapons, with no tricks.