Ghost of Tsushima Review: Dancing Between Honor and Survival

Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment / Developer: Sucker Punch Productions / Platform: Playstation / Release Date: July 17, 2020 There is a certain appeal to the tale of the lone warrior. You know the archetype. The one that makes friends along the way but ultimately walks a certain path all on their own. In the west, these stories tend to manifest in the form of cowboys. Messy tales often set to the backdrop of the old west and filled with disreputable folks, betrayal, and opportunity. However, in the east, there are stories of the samurai. Warriors trained in the art of the blade. Beautiful stories of ronin or wanderers that are generally poetic in how they are told. Most deal with internal conflict and reflection of the self. So, it’s a bit curious to see Sucker Punch, a western studio behind titles like the Sly Racoon and Infamous series, create Ghost of Tsushima. I’m not saying that they can’t or shouldn’t tell a story in this genre but it’s interesting to see a very eastern type of fiction come from a western lens. What you end up having in Ghost of Tsushima is a very romanticized idea of the samurai tale. The game does a very, very good job of paying homage to its influences, while at the same time making the story its own thing. Even better is that Ghost of Tsushima makes it its mission to leave players in awe of its world and characters.

Story Ghost of Tsushima tells the story of Jin, …