Productions based on the Far East atmosphere have always attracted the attention of the actors. When the samurai sword is involved, both in the movies and in the games, the water flows in a way. The issues, action and upright stance that dealt with that period do not lose their importance much over the years. Ghost of Tsushima, which was released exclusively for Playstation, is a production that includes all these elements. So how successful is it at handling these factors? Let's take a look together.
Pros
+ The world and atmosphere of the game is fascinating
+ The fighting system that has become fun
+ Character development and armor system
+ Kurosawa mode
Cons
Artificial intelligence problems
- Similar missions that repeat themselves
- Watching the same scenes over and over again
Ghost of Tsushima focuses on the Mongol raids of 1274 and the inhabitants of Tsushima who were trying to resist these raids. In the game, we manage a character named Jin Sakai, who is the last member of the Sakai clan. The Shogun of the island, with his uncle who is the leader, is fighting against the first raids, but the samurai are defeated heavily in this war. We cannot prevent the Mongol troops from spreading to Tsushima Island, just as the Orcs' breach spreads to Helm's Deep after breaking through. Moreover, our uncle is captured after this war, and we barely save our lives. Afterwards, we become the center of a guerrilla attack against the Mongols and witness how the character turns into a Ghost.
At this point I want to open a parenthesis to the handling of Mongolian troops. The Mongols are of course portrayed as a brutal and warlike nation. But despite their cruelty, they are not treated like fools in the game. I have to say that I especially like Khotun Han scenes. The character was treated as a ruthless but sensible person. Although this situation did not deepen him, I can say that it also distanced him from being a shallow character.
First of all I want to talk about the world of the game because the most dominant aspect of Ghost of Tsushima is definitely its world. Tsushima Island, which is located in the South of Japan, between Korea and the game, has been well adapted to the game. This island, which has been handled in accordance with its original structure, contains scenic views in every aspect. We see that the island is divided into 3 parts depending on the story. On the island, where strong winds and a colder climate greet us as we move towards the north, elements such as dynamic weather are also included. With the addition of dynamic air change upon the transfer of the island so beautifully, I can say that a truly enjoyable world to explore and explore.
Yes, the research element is among the main dynamics of Ghost of Tsushima. You can find meditation areas and buy different headbands or you can increase your life bar as you soften your incubation thanks to hot saunas. While you are trying to raise your perseverance bar with bamboo practice, you are raising the evil eye slots by visiting the altars guided by the foxes. You can earn some bonuses in attack, defense and similar issues by wearing the charms that you can reach with missions and discovery dynamics. By the way, don't forget to caress the heads of the foxes that guide you, animals make such an effort.
Apart from the main task, I can say that there are many extras in the game world. Nevertheless, this process repeats itself a lot, especially in the first stage of the game. The main task structure and tasks such as clearing the regions conquered by the Mongols are very similar to each other. Throughout the game, you clear the areas captured, and you encounter the same scenes after every prisoner you rescue. We have to watch the same scenes over and over again, both in taking part and in this process. So why can't we pass, or why this forced attitude is preferred even in the simplest parts is hard to understand. Every prisoner you rescued enters an intermediate stage and you drown in dialogues, "my brother, God bless you, what would we do without you, ghost brother, thank you". After a while, I started to enter the "ya okay brother, we saved me" mode. For this reason, you start to get a little bored until the game's scenario opens and your character develops. Fortunately, this situation is slowly getting easier with the 2nd zone. However, you continue to do similar tasks until the end of the game. As in Witcher 3, some missions also feature a trail-riding style. Considering its simple but task structure, I can say that it adds color to the game.
Apart from the main story and side missions, some special missions that add color to the game are also included. First of all, almost all of the important characters in the game have more than one side story. Apart from these, epic stories that are even better than the main story are also featured. The epic stories that start to appear in the later stages of the game are very good both in terms of story handling and narration. Focusing on characters and their legends that left their mark in Tsushima history, these missions are a joy to do. Moreover, you can find legendary armor and items in Tsushima by doing these missions.
Speaking of armor, in Ghost of Tsushima, armor processing and skin are very important. Moreover, finding new armor and customizing your character is very enjoyable. Your main armor has different bonuses on issues such as concealment, attack or health. Apart from this armor set, you can change the headband, face mask and even the sheath of your sword. You have also been given the opportunity to improve your equipment such as armor, arrow and sword. These upgrades can be made thanks to the items such as rations, bamboo or hide you find in the playground. Even better, you see how different your appearance changes as you improve your armor. I can say that this is one of my favorite points about armor.
Let's come to the most important aspect of a sword-themed game, namely the combat system. The combat system of Ghost of Tsushima is generally divided into two. Someone goes the Samurai route and collide face-to-face with your opponents. The other is the privacy element, the Ghost path. First of all, let's talk about privacy aspects. This part is very important in terms of both the story and the gameplay. I will give a lot of detail about the story and of course I will not miss your taste. You use the surrounding elevations and the weeds that spread over the entire island as a cover and try to take down your opponents. I can say that the privacy factor, which has a different functioning from the samurai way, works properly in general, especially in the parts where you hang out freely. So it is up to you whether you will resolve the matter in secrecy or head-on.
At the points where you need to proceed secretly according to the story, this situation proceeds like a finger to the blind eye. It is very difficult to say that there is also artificial intelligence in the free-duty structure. But if you need to proceed with secrecy in terms of the story, this situation turns out to be much more confidential. You feel as if the enemies are scattered on your route with their backs turned to make them easy to kill.
Light and heavy attack system is used in the action part of the game. You perform lighter attacks with the square key and heavier attacks with the triangular key. In head-to-head fights, you first enter the event with a short duel sequence. Then you have to dive into whatever God has given. Here, the point that makes the fighting system of the game beautiful is the opening of the postures. You unlock new postures as you progress in the game. Each stance is added to the game according to different enemy types. You use stone stance against enemies using swords, water stance using shields, and wind stance using spears. The moon stance rushes to your aid in enemies such as grizzly. If you use the wrong stance against the wrong enemy, it becomes harder to take them down. For this reason, you constantly change your stance on the battlefield and attack the enemy accordingly.
As I mentioned at the beginning, the fighting system, which is shallow in the first place, becomes more enjoyable with the opening of all postures. Moreover, you can unlock new abilities with the experience points you earn for each stance. These abilities cause you to master that stance and create better combos. You also unlock special moves such as thunder, rage dance. Before I forget, the contribution of the blood element to the fighting system of the game is great. Watching the blood spread, especially in slow motion attacks, allows you to enjoy sword fights more. Apart from all these features, there are some surprise attacks, but I am not telling them to be a joy.
The graphics of the game are at the top of the elements that make the world of Ghost of Tsushima so valuable. Although it has an open world gameplay, I must say that the game looks quite good visually. The wind element that integrates with the gameplay or the notes you play against the setting of the sun take you to different lands. This success in the graphics and the predominance of the artistic side of the period enabled Ghost of Tsushima to create a unique structure. Watching the dance of the wind moving through the vast meadows really starts to give you pleasure. Moreover, as you discover new regions and move towards the north of the map, you are gradually witnessing how different the playground is designed.
Another point I should mention in the graphics is the character armor. Although the NPC characters are sloppy, you can see that the main and some side characters are carefully studied. Each corner of the armor you wear has a separate detail. This situation has brought the already well-functioning armor system to a higher level visually. When we look at the music of Ghost of Tsushima, we feel the weight of wind and percussion instruments. While you go on a calm journey with wind instruments in normal times, you encounter different melodies in moments of action. By the way, the option of Turkish subtitles is very important for such a large game. Although a very plain text is used in some dialogues, the progress is generally quite successful. Anyway, the general language of the game has been used a little differently than today.
Finally, I have to mention the Japanese language support and the Kurosawa mode. I played the entire game with Japanese voiceover. I find the game very successful in this regard. In fact, the English language option seems so remote to me now that I can say that this preference has taken such a place in my mind. Playing the game in Japanese is indeed a big plus for you. The Kurosawa mode, which allows you to play the game in black and white, has been specially adapted for the famous director Akira Kurosawa. Ghost of Tsushima, which has duels and scenes similar to Samurai movies in general, offers a different experience with this mode.
As a result
I can say that Ghost of Tsushima promises you enjoyable hours, especially if you like far east culture. In general, the sword fights are enjoyable and the story gets on the way afterwards. I can say that Ghost of Tsushima has reached a certain level of quality, although there are important problems with gameplay, privacy aspects and storytelling. If you think about the game a little more, it might turn out to be a classic, but Ghost of Tsushima is contented with being a nice action game.
Masha allah🌺 so nice