The following contains minor spoilers for Ghost of Tsushima.
Ghost of Tsushima is without a doubt one of the greatest games in modern history, and one of the most surprising at that. More or less, it seemingly came out of nowhere in 2020 during the COVID pandemic. It's likely that not many expected Ghost of Tsushima to succeed as much as it did, but it did anyway, paving the way for the eventual launch of Ghost of Yotei later this year. To this day, it remains a worthwhile experience, especially if players choose to get back into it ahead of the next entry.
For the most part, Ghost of Tsushima allows players to enjoy the game without feeling boxed in between its own self-imposed borders. However, like any game, it still comes with its own cardinal sins — a set of unwritten rules about what players should refrain from doing during a playthrough.
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What Players Should Avoid Doing in Ghost of Tsushima
Treating Stealth as Optional
One of the biggest cardinal sins of Ghost of Tsushima is treating stealth as optional. While stealth gameplay isn't universally appealing, not only is it a core part of Ghost of Tsushima's gameplay, it is also one of the most prominent driving forces of its narrative. Jin Sakai was raised to honor the samurai code, which demands that he look his enemies in the eye when striking them down. However, after Tsushima Island is invaded by the Mongols, with almost no hope left for its inhabitants to survive, Jin adopts the persona of the Ghost — one who dishonorably assassinates his enemies from the shadows — to attempt to liberate the island.
For the most part, Ghost of Tsushima allows players to enjoy the game without feeling boxed in between its own self-imposed borders.
While the Mongol invasion is indeed a central conflict in Ghost of Tsushima's story, an even greater conflict is perhaps that which takes place within Jin himself, as well as the strife between him and his uncle, Lord Shimura. Whereas Shimura wants Jin to abandon the Ghost's ideals and return to samurai honor, Jin sees his identity as the Ghost of Tsushima to be much more effective in quelling the Mongol threat. This contention carries on throughout Ghost of Tsushima's narrative and is a core aspect of Jin's character development, which means that abandoning stealth gameplay entirely essentially derives the premise of its meaning.
Ignoring the Guiding Wind
Unlike most open-world games that only hold the player's hands with traditional HUD navigation like a compass or mini-map, Ghost of Tsushima has a more immersive way of guiding players to their objective. Guiding Wind is Ghost of Tsushima's crown jewel, which sees wind regularly sweeping through the area to lead players to their custom waypoint or quest objective. What makes Guiding Wind even better is that players can manually trigger it at any point if they lose their sense of direction. Needless to say, relying too much on the map screen or fast-traveling at every opportunity ultimately cuts players off from one of Ghost of Tsushima's most immersive features.
Using the Same Playstyle for the Whole Game
Stealth may be an essential part of Ghost of Tsushima's gameplay and story, but that doesn't mean players should ignore every other playstyle the game offers them. Apart from stealth, players can indeed apply a straightforward approach to combat scenarios and treat their enemies honorably, as a true samurai would. However, protagonist Jin Sakai is also well-trained with a bow, and it can be an effective way to thin enemy numbers from a distance before engaging in combat. In other words, players should remember every playstyle available to them and use them when the situation calls for it.
Ghost of Tsushima holds up so well today because of how carefully its mechanics are woven into its themes. As such, regarding stealth as optional, ignoring the Guiding Wind, or relying too heavily on one style of play all work against what the game is trying to do. It may seem subtle, but these design choices are part of the story itself. Players who recognize that are more likely to appreciate everything Ghost of Tsushima is still capable of offering, especially with Ghost of Yotei arriving come September.
Ghost of Tsushima
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 84 /100 Critics Rec: 88%
- Released
- July 17, 2020
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, Partial Nudity
- Developer(s)
- Sucker Punch
- Publisher(s)
- Sony
- Engine
- Proprietary
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- PC, PS4 & PS5
