No Honour, Only Glory

Introduction

Let me first begin by saying that Sucker Punch Productions created one of the most stunning games that I have ever laid my eyes upon. 2020’s Ghost of Tsushima is by far the most beautiful Assassin’s Creed game to ever grace my PS4. You are probably wondering why I am making this comparison. Well, it’s because this game sure feels like an Assassin’s Creed game!

Setting and Plot

Inspired by historical events, Ghost of Tsushima takes place during Mongolian invasions of the Japanese island of Tsushima led by the cunning and brutal Kotun Khan. You play the role of Jin Sakai, a fallen samurai fighting to save his uncle and homeland from the Mongol menace. To do so, he must change and become something else other than a samurai—a ghost.

Ghost of Tsushima’s only weakness regarding its plot is that it feels far too predictable. With only a handful of random guesses, I was able to deduce the characters’ fates early on within the narrative. While it is not a serious issue, certain aspects of the story made elements feel as if they were blatantly foreshadowing future events. One could say it is more how or when these events will transpire that gets people excited, rather than if the event will occur.

Characters and Performances

Jin Sakai

A samurai, along with eighty of the island’s bravest warriors, were sent to battle the entire Mongol army. As one might have guessed, it was a complete massacre, with our hero surviving by the skin of his teeth. Thankfully, Jin was found and nursed back to health by a thief called Yuna (Sumalee Montano). He requests her to tutor him in her deceptive ways to save his uncle, Lord Shimura, from Mongol captivity and reclaim his homeland.

Throughout the game, Jin is torn between his idealistic code of conduct as a samurai and the more effective way of fighting in the shadows. It is a real struggle that the character goes through, and to some extent, it takes a while for him to embrace what he has become.

The more I play as Jin, the more I am reminded of Assassin’s Creed’s Ezio Auditore and his decent and acceptance of the darkness within him. However, unlike Ezio and many others who have crossed these roads, Jin visibly feels shame for his decisions. This characterization is something Ghost of Tsushima has executed beautifully, especially whenever Jin learns a new dirty trick that blurs the thin line between an honourable samurai and a dishonourable warrior fuelled by revenge. During these crucial moments, we are treated to flashbacks of Lord Shimura lecturing a young Jin about honour and the ways of the samurai. One can view this as Jin trying to look away from the abyss while slowly being absorbed by it.

Lord Shimura

The relationship between Jin and his uncle is a strong one and is one of the defining focal points of the narrative. The two men share a father-and-son dynamic, and it is Lord Shimura who trained Jin into being a Samurai.

The game, for the most part, presents Lord Shimura as almost obnoxiously conservative, unwilling to bend go tradition and the Samurai Code. It’s a trait that makes him sound classist to the people under his protection. It even puts his relationship with his nephew to the test as their ideals clash.

I have to salute Eric Steinberg for his portrayal of Lord Shimura, as his unwavering faith in Jin’s honour made me resent incorporating the shadowy skillset into Jin’s playstyle for a large sum of the game. It made me hope that there was a hidden mechanic where Jin could still follow the way of the Samurai and not the Ghost. Alas, I was wrong.

Kotun Khan

Kotun Khan, portrayed by Patrick Gallagher, is the ruthless and manipulative leader of the Mongolian forces and the game’s primary antagonist. The Khan is a beast of a man who learns customs and languages of his foes to exploit their weaknesses in battle. He does not fear the samurai, thinking their honour makes them predictable. However, the man’s most intimidating feature is his silver tongue, as he is easily able to cast doubt and lies on to characters. Even when not onscreen, Kotun Kahn’s presence is still felt in his lingering words.

Gameplay

A lot of Ghost of Tsushima’s gameplay feels heavily influenced by the Assassin’s Creed open world format with a Japanese samurai aesthetic. The climbing, combat, and assassination controls all feel like they were taken out of a game from Ubisoft’s catalogue. While there is nothing inherently wrong with this playstyle, it has been incorporated repetitively into many games in these last two console generations and now comes off as stale and not very innovative.

Thankfully, Ghost of Tsushima does incorporate a significant amount of Japanese culture to spice up the open-world formula. As a samurai, Jin has the option to enter an enemy fort sword swinging by demanding a challenge from nearby opponents in the form of a standoff. In this mini-game of swordsman chicken, you have to time strike your opponent the moment they attack.

Jin can also use special attacks that take up resolve, a form of energy, or mana to inflict more damage upon his enemies. Resolve represents Jin’s determination as he fights and takes damage in combat, giving him the ability to get up and keep going. From a gameplay standard, one can compare it to sort of meter that can help Jin recover from fatal wounds. Jin can also use resolve to perform powerful moves that can heavily damage an enemy or even instantly kill them.

Jin also has an assortment of stances to handle the various types of enemies the game has to throw at him. These stances can stun enemies or break their defences before slaying them. My go-to stance is the Water Stance, which is very handy on shield users and also comes with a variety of quick slash attacks to keep any foe on their toes.

The game does equip Jin well with a decent anti-Mongol starting pack. Lord Sakai has the option to take headshots with his bow or set his enemies ablaze with the fire arrows. He can also use various poisons to stealthily kill or debilitate his targets or use explosives to take down groups of them at a time.

There are several moments in the game where Jin would be requested by another opponent of equal skill to duel him to the death, in surprisingly dramatic and gorgeous locations. These duels do not allow you to use any of your ninja skills or items but instead require you to take on the opponent in head-on combat. Here, the enemies are vicious and mostly function as bosses, so getting dragged in these duels with little life and resolve can be tedious, yet the game does give you the option to run away and try again later.

Side Quests and Extra Content

Outside of the main game, there is an overwhelming amount of content to get through. Around the island of Tsushima, Jin can partake in many different sidequests. Lord Sakai can either assist some common folk with their problems regarding the war or can take part in smaller multipart adventures with his allies. The allies’ sidequests are long and could have been entire plots by themselves. I especially enjoyed partaking in his archery mentor’s sidequests as they cross the islands, searching for his renegade student. Something about using the bow makes me feel majestic.

By completing quests and other challenges, Jin can be rewarded with experience points to add to his skills or different customizable armour. There are also legendary quests. These multipart quests have Jin embark on a journey to find a mythological treasure or legendary technique from Tsushima’s folk tales and past.

Ghost of Tsushima also has a wide variety of mini-games and collectibles to keep players occupied, some of which do feel a tad extra. I am personally not much of a fan of the haikus. This particular ‘mini-game’ has Jin sit down and bask at the beauty of the Tsushima while combining fancy phrases to make a haiku.

While I was not too fond of the haikus, I did find the sword striking button combination mini-games to be a pleasant break between the Ghost of Tsushima’s regular gameplay. The fox dens, while plentiful, did not lose their charm either and I was eager to search for them. These have Jin follow a fox until it reaches an Inari shrine. Showing respect to these shrines grants Jin some benefits in the form of charms, which can passively upgrade abilities.

As with most open-world games, some tasks revolve around base assaults and tower climbs. Ghost of Tsushima does try to spice these climbs up a bit, substituting the towers with treacherous trails, where one slip up can lead to certain death. Visiting the shrine at the end of this trail grants gifts in the form of charms from the Yami, the Japanese deities.

For base assaults, there are two main types of missions. One of them is a hostage situation, where Jin must sneak inside a captured village and stealthily save the Japanese captives from Mongolian clutches. Then there is the standard assault mission, during which you can sneak in like the ninja ghost that you are or go in full Samurai-Rambo on those Mongols.

Visual Presentation

As I have mentioned earlier, Ghost of Tsushima is breathtakingly beautiful. It relies a lot on lighting and particle effects to capture the mood for the game. The deep, warm, and sometimes blinding sunsets shrouding the shanty village houses make the showdowns and duels feel like they were part of some blockbuster movie, but with more rolling and running away involved.

The particle effects, while also stunning in their own right, help guide Jin on his way to his objectives. Jin, as crazy as it sounds, allows the wind to guide him on his quest to save Tsushima. It can be very tedious to get the hang of at first, and sometimes this mechanic might be a bit unreliable, but it sure is amazing when it works.

Jin also relies on birds for directions. By following these beautiful golden avion creatures, he can locate new areas across the map. Sometimes, I do wonder why these birds keep leading me to healing hot springs. I am starting to think they are doing this just to see some steamed buns.

Conclusion

If you felt disappointed by 2020’s Mulan but still want to see an Asian warrior go toe to toe against the Mongolian empire, I would suggest giving Ghost of Tsushima a try. I would also recommend this game for those who prefer the parkour and assassination rich open-world games of the Assassin’s Creed franchise or for those who want to experience a more relaxing version of feudal Japan after playing Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

Ghost of Tsushima is a well-polished game that wears its tried-and-tested mechanics and historical inspirations as badges of pride. The classic tale of the lone warrior gathering allies to take down an army against insurmountable odds is daunting and fascinating. While the main narrative is rather predictable and the gameplay mechanics feel like they have heavily borrowed from other titles, Ghost of Tsushima is a magnificent piece of art and a welcomed addition to PlayStation 4’s library.