Today we have been treated to the much anticipated gameplay breakdown of Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima. Ghost has been in development for quite some time and is being designed to offer a huge, dense, open world to explore rife with hidden locales, collectibles, quests, and good ol’ Samurai X Stealth combat. With over 18 minutes of footage and commentary now out in the wild, does the game really look like it will live up to expectations?
In the very first moments of the presentation, Jason Connell of Sucker Punch Productions reaffirms a statement made earlier in the year that Ghost would not feature; at least not in the traditional sense, standard waypoints. Taking cues from previous games such as AC: Odyssey, navigation in Ghost will be done by following landmarks, visual cues like animals trying to get your attention, smokestacks in the distance, and oddly shaped/colored trees in the environment. The wind itself also plays a role by guiding you with intermittent gusts in the general direction of your destination. You can also trigger wind gusts with the press of a button should you somehow lose your way.
Based on the glimpse we got of the map, the world appears to be fairly large and rather dense; Hopefully filled with plenty of secrets and side-quests to discover. Traversal can thankfully be done via horseback and will likely serve as our primary means of mobility since on foot exploration looked painfully slow. Once you arrive at your destination, you may see a prompt at the top left that offers a list of objectives (Main and Optional) that offer rewards depending on their difficulty.
After watching the presentation again in 1440p 60fps, I still find the visuals to be a mixed bag. On one hand, the world is absolutely gorgeous when observed in wide shots with plant life swaying to and fro in the breeze, a lovely sky box treating us to all manner of environmental lighting and weather effects, and lots of detail in armor/clothing and important structures. Daytime scenes were impressive as they highlighted the colors of flowers, tree leaves, and unique designs on gear. However, certain textures looked fairly muddy up close on structures and the environment, animal fur and hair textures were hit or miss, and at times the whole screen seemed tinted in that all too familiar Playstation gray and brown hue. The aforementioned daytime scenes didn’t suffer from this as much, thankfully. Certain cloth and hair physics looked like 2010 Havok engine fare at times too, but hopefully these will be exceptions and not the norm.
Next up was combat. Nate Fox was up to bat this time while he dug into the primary combat system. As a Samurai, Jin can challenge others to 1 on 1 duels that can be ended in true Samurai fashion, by executing your enemies with a singular, fatal blow. Following this, we see how group combat is handled. Jin can utilize his bow to pick off enemies from a distance to thin the herd before they close in. Once they do, you’re offered a bevy of maneuvers to dice up your foes. Jin can swap between various Stances that offer their own advantages and disadvantages versus certain enemy types, can parry attacks (even incoming projectiles), and perform power moves that can damage multiple enemies at once.
The combat looked solid and animations were well done; but quite frankly, it all seemed like standard fare swordplay featuring mechanics we’ve seen done elsewhere. I believe that the 1 on 1 encounters is where Ghost’s combat will truly shine. Right after this segment we got to finally see how Jin operates in his Ghost persona. As the Ghost, Jin is far more stealthy and relies on tactical executions, lethal ninja tools, as well as manipulating the environment to survive.
Enemies can be distracted with noises from throwing objects, interacting with wind chimes, and setting off tools like fire crackers. Once your target is within range you are unsurprisingly prompted to hit a button to perform an execution. What I found quite surprising was the absence of being able to move or hide bodies. I assume the gameplay has been designed around the lack of this, but it seems like a misstep in design as it limits the way you might approach a certain situation, or can even bottleneck your strategy. Assuredly Jin’s ninja tools should supplement this, but we won’t know until release.
Following this was a quick dive into the game’s customization options, Photo Mode, and what is arguably its most intriguing feature; Samurai Cinema. With this mode activated, the game takes on a Black and White, film grained aesthetic that hearkens back to classic Samurai films likes Tales of Ugetsu and Yojimbo. The music even seemed tailored to match the style of the era which makes this mode a treat for enthusiasts. A full Japanese audio track was also confirmed to be available at the start of the game, which is sure to please maaaany potential buyers.
Being completely honest, my expectations for Ghost of Tsushima have been quite tempered ever since its unveiling. The game certainly boasts the production quality expected of a 1st part Playstation title with substantial backing, that has been in development for years. Sucker Punch is also no slouch as a developer and tend to take great pride in their work. All this said, I can’t shake the notion that the experience stays too true to Sony’s 3rd person, Action game formula that is a staple of their biggest titles this generation.
I hope to be pleasantly surprise when Ghost releases on June 17, later this year. After all, you can never have too many Samurai games.
How about you? Excited for the game? Indifferent? Confused? What are your expectations for what might be Sony’s biggest sendoff of this generation?