“It's an ambitious title that punches above its weight class a bit too often but still manages to put on a hell of a show."
PC | PS5 |
HOW I PLAYED: I played the PS5 Director's Cut Edition via PlayStation Premium streaming.
STORY — 17/20
INTRO (5)
In the year 1274, a Mongol fleet led by Khotun Khan invades the Japanese island of Tsushima The jitō, Lord Shimura, and his nephew Jin Sakai lead an effort by the five great families of the island to repel the invaders as they land at Komoda Beach. However, the battle ends in disaster, with the samurai killed by the superior weapons of the Mongols, Shimura captured, and Jin severely wounded and left for dead. He is found and revived by the scavenger Yuna, who informs him that the whole island has fallen to the invaders.
Ghost of Tsushima's opening cutscenes is blended in seamlessly after difficulty options and basic settings are confirmed. The Intro really grabbed my attention and I was immediately invested in the world and its characters.
CUTSCENES (4)
I found the game actually pretty heavy on the cutscenes but luckily they were entertaining and offered artistic angles. They flesh out the story and give the characters a chance to shine.
WORLD BUILDING (4)
Ghost of Tsushima successfully builds a rich world that is full of lore and feels live-in rather than fabricated. Environmental storytelling is on full display from butchered whales on the shore to intricately designed villages showcasing the many vocations of its occupants.
Side-quests are abundant but they didn't feel like the usual throwaway "go round up some cats" garbage. Each NPC has a unique struggle that feels like it is part of and adds to the big picture.
OVERALL STORY (4)
The story in Ghost of Tsushima really surprised me if I'm honest. The Mongol invasion of the
island is given a beating heart and coloured as vividly as the landscape where it takes place.
Characters are well developed and written so that they each felt like they have a unique voice.
They all have their own personal dilemma that fits in and adds to the world.
Jin's emotional struggle between maintaining Samurai honour and saving the island through
dishonourable means was convincing and relatable.
GRAPHICS — 15/15
CHARACTER MODELS (5)
What can I say about this game's graphics that haven't already been said? I mean, its truly one
of the defining games of its generation. Even now in 2025 it still surpasses new games that I've
played recently.
Body language and subtle facial expressions are captured with so much nuance and are
convincing. Costumes are vividly detailed and rendered with artistic flair.
ENVIRONMENTS (5)
I'm just going to say this right now - this is the most impressed I've ever been with the environments of a game. Sure I've felt more connected or inspired by other game worlds: To this day nothing has really touched Final Fantasy XII's vibe and aesthetic, Elden Ring probably had more of a "holy crap" factor, and yeah, Death Stranding definitely has better rock graphics, but its how Ghost of Tsushima presents the full package that makes it so exceptional.
The serenity of some of these areas speaks louder than words. The use of lighting is unparalleled and the range of just bland yet still beautiful to sheer jaw-dropping-showing-off is like nothing I've ever come across.
SPECIAL FX (5)
So much blood. Particle FX are absolutely stunning. Fog, wind obviously, the lighting which
literally reflects off of every single piece of grass. Fire looked really good. Ghost of Tsushima is
cutting edge impressive everywhere you look.
AUDIO — 12/15
AMBIENCE (4)
Lots of traditional flutes and percussion influenced by 13th century Japanese music make up the bulk of the audio. It never got in the way and added a welcome texture to the experience.
A gorgeous as the game is I definitely felt like it was lacking a unique atmosphere, however. Maybe it was too clean. Overly designed. It didn't "speak" (and I put that in quotations) to me if you know what I mean.
BOSS MUSIC (3)
I can't recall really feeling amped during any of the boss fights. The music did the job of supporting the
encounters but it didn't elevate them to new heights. The one exception would be the final boss of the game
which ticked off every single box you can tick.
SOUND DESIGN (5)
I actually played the first 7 hours or so with the Japanese audio because I was so worried the english acting would spoil the experience. I was wrong. The voice acting was outstanding as was the casting. I grew familiar with the sound of everyones voice and they brought each character to life so wonderfully.
PERFORMANCE — 10/10
FRAME RATE (5)
You can chose between Graphics, Performance and Kurosawa mode. The game was silky
smooth for me. I never encountered anything even resembling a graphical hiccup.
STABILITY (5)
I got stuck in the rocks a handful of times trying to scale cliffs or mountains. The game just
faded to black and repositioned me on solid ground after I'd hover in mid air for about five
seconds. Other than this the game was very responsive and had a tangible level of polish and
refinement throughout.
GAMEPLAY — 29/40
CONTROLS (3)
The controls felt heavy, if that makes sense. In literally every single encounter I wish that Jin was
more nimble and able to roll or dodge more effectively. Clunky's too strong of a word but
combat especially, kind of felt two dimensional or like I was struck on some sort of grid. The
swordplay itself was quite good and parrying was fun but moving Jin around in general just felt
weighed down. I suppose this is in an attempt to add a sense of accuracy to the game - like he's a
human with armour on but yeah I still wish it was more responsive.
Ghost of Tsushima borrows heavily from game's like Uncharted and Ico, obviously that
pioneered wall climbing and hanging. There was actually a lot of platforming and swinging
with your grappling hook. Platforming was super goofy. The way Jin floats through the air
looked more like a cartoon than a game thats rooter in realism. These sections of the game
control fine...they just don't look good while doing it.
I personally dislike when game's place you off centre. I didn't like the camera being so close to
the action either. Far too often I'd have to adjust the camera while taking on double digit
enemies at the same time because someone would be off screen. This added an unnecessary
obstacle to an already perforated battle system. Even with the target lock function which I only
discovered after platinuming the game - the camera is still never really where you want it to be.
It felt claustrophobic. It doesn't do the player any favours and was frustrating especially during
heated combat.
Riding the horse was great but again, the camera was too close and why do I need to be placed
to the left?
MECHANICS (4)
The game is layered and rich with mechanics that are satisfying and well designed for the most
part.
The defining mechanic of the game would have to be the guiding wind system. So, instead of having a mini map, giant white gusts of wind will blow in the direction of your next objective. All you need to do is swipe up on the control pad. You can also chose from a list of options such as various items and collectable that the wind can guide you to. I thought this worked well on so many levels and the omission of a mini map left the screen clear of any extra clutter letting you fully appreciate the scenery.
Stealth plays a significant role in the adventure and is amplified through the focused hearing mechanic. This will allow Jin to detect nearby enemies, interactable items and NPCs; affectively letting him see through walls and buildings. Enemies are outlined in red and intractable items in white.
I found this especially useful when I had to clear out a village of invaders and couldn't find the last enemy. Usually they'd be hiding upstairs in a building I'd already explored.
Focused hearing can also be especially useful for sneaking up on enemies and performing a lethal stealth blow. It added a whole new layer of gameplay and strategy.
When you approach a group of Mongols either out in the open world or near an occupied village you can chose to enter a standoff. These are essentially quick time events that give you a opportunity to one shot your enemies. By holding and then letting go of the attack button at the right moment you enter a slow motion sequence and deal a lethal blow; even enemies with thick armour or larger grunts that would normally require a ton of hits to finish die in one swipe of your sword. As the game progresses the number of enemies you can take out in a single standoff increases and they were satisfying each and every time.
Whether I was respawning after a death or fast traveling across the map, the load times were non existent. This was really impressive.
The stealth sequences in the game were a mess. They felt poorly designed and badly tested. I couldn't decide if it was me figuring an area out of it I had just accidentally made it through. There didn't seem to be any sophistication or refinement in any of these areas.
PACING (3)
This is one of my biggest issues with the game. The open world design was great but its how the
story fits into it that felt like the wrong approach. I was invested in the story and the pacing was
fine up until the world map was introduced and the game split up into branching paths. Holy
crap this was chaos. This is where I stopped caring during my first playthrough of the game.
For me personally it was too much, too quick. It didn't feel like options it felt like a list of chores.
The game essentially has you recruit other warriors to help you on your journey, but their
stories seems to contradict each other. I'm supposed to be in a hurry to go save this person
but I can chose like 4 other branching paths at the same time instead.
Aren't they going to be in trouble. Are they cool while I just do all this other stuff first?
This open world design with multiple storylines overlapping felt majorly contradictory and
ultimately inconsequential. It stressed me out. I think it would have made a lot more sense to
just guide the player or have each "tale" as they're referred to in the game become
available one at a time. This is a case where I wish the game was more linear. For me, it would
have helped the story and given the narrative more impact.
UI/UE (3)
Overall I just really disliked the aesthetic of the UI and the Menus. Wrong design choice for the
game. I feel really strongly about this ones. Too clean and too modern. Too ugly. They were
organized and intuitive enough but, ughh.
Also the map is terrible. Its just flat out bad. The fog you clear off by exploring it is almost the
same colour as bodies of water. This was really confusing. I hope in their next game they can
improve this because you spend a lot of time looking at the map and it was a real drag.
BOSS QUALITY (2)
Probably the lowest point of the game for me. The story without extra content and side quests
is probably like 17-20 hours and in that time there are, what, like 5 legit bosses. Is this low? It
felt low. They're the same, too. Every single major encounter (if we're including all the duels
which are essential no different than the boss fights are just that - they're duels. You stand
across the enemy and engage them 1 on 1 in a sword fight. Some of them have unique
movesets but there are no unique mechanics or, fuck, just style points. They were repetitive
and really failed to wow me. Boss fights didn't feel like climaxes they just felt like part of the
game.
I haven't touched on the Ghost, weapons, but Jin gains a bunch of cool stealth and offensive
abilities throughout the game called weapons.
You don't get to use any of these in the boss fights. That cool new move you just learned, nope!
Ooo smoke bombs! Nope!
I'll stagger him with these Kunai's then chop his arm off..
Nope!
I see how this plays into Jin's whole struggle with upholding his Samurai code but if he's already
using all these abilities out in the open why can't he use them in the boss fights? They're the
same bad guys after all.
Remember in Toy Story where Andy's mom only lets him bring 1 toy the Pizza Planet. Yeah. That
was the feeling.
ENEMY VARIETY (5)
Bears attack you out in the wild. The Mongols have these annoying ass dogs, holy fuck hate
those
bastards. The actual Mongol army itself is pretty diverse and as the game progressed they
became increasingly more armour clad which felt like progression. There are archers, sword
fighters, spear wielders, grunts and shielded enemies.
Each of them can be taken out however you like but Jin has "stances" that he will learn that will
dispose of the corresponding variant most effectively. This was a cool idea but a bit tedious in
its execution. In any given fight you might face all of these while archers are shooting at you
from towers and those fucking dogs are hanging off your arms. There was a lot of stance
switching which, I don't know I kind of liked it for variety but also it felt like it broke up the
gameplay a bit. Maybe it was the button scheme that made it a bit sluggish?
GAMEPLAY VARIETY (5)
For those of you who don't like puzzles, don't worry there are no puzzles in the game. For those of
you who like puzzles, sorry there are no puzzles in the game.
There are however:
Haikus
Bamboo strikes
Hot springs
Links grappling hook from Wind Waker
An Uncharted simulator
A flute you can play
A shit ton of collecting
Giant flaming arrow launchers called Hwachas
Riding on horseback
Climbing on rooftops
Climbing under homes
Poison blow darts
Chasing foxes
Legends Mode where you can play online which is a whole game and review in itself.
Did I miss anything? Let me know if I missed anything.
REPLAYABILITY (4)
If only for the sheer amount of stuff to do in the game I feel like it's worth exploring a few times.
The Director's Cut edition also feature access to the Iki island expansion which is an optional
area in the game with more difficult enemies, additional mini games like archery practice and
one of the best bosses in the game.
In addition to this, the Director's cut also includes new game + where all of you previously
unlocked techniques, armour and vanity gear cary over into the next playthrough. New and
unique charms can be unlocked as well as a special vendor.
BONUS — 1/3
Ghost of Tsushima offers assist options for its quick time events and mini games.
OVERALL — 84/100
GREAT
Look, I went the whole review without comparing this to Sekiro! This was initially my downfall I think, other than the confusing pacing and open world design. I saw feudal Japan and I couldn't let go go the comparison. I couldn't turn off my FromSoftware fanboy brain and just enjoy the game for what it was. Ghost of Tsushima is an absolutely phenomenal looking game with rich gameplay, solid world building and an engaging story to back it up. It's an ambitious title that punches above its weight class a bit too often but still manages to put on a hell of a show.
PROS
✅ Unbelievable visuals
✅ Great voice acting
✅ Immense gameplay variety
✅ Overall story is captivating
CONS
❌ Unhelpful camera
❌ Stealth sequences are a mess
❌ Map is terrible
❌ Open world storytelling is chaotic
TLDR: 84/100 (GREAT) .
Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut earns a solid 84/100 in this detailed review, praised for its breathtaking visuals, immersive world-building, and engaging story. Played via PS5 streaming, the game hooks players early with a dramatic Mongol invasion narrative and a protagonist torn between Samurai honor and necessary stealth tactics. The stunning character models, vivid environments, and slick special effects make it a visual showcase, while the atmospheric sound design and authentic voice acting round out the sensory experience. Gameplay is deep, with smart mechanics like the guiding wind and stance-based combat adding tactical layers, though clunky controls, an unhelpful camera, and awkward stealth segments detract from the experience. The open-world structure and overlapping quests sometimes clash with narrative urgency, and boss fights lack variety and flair. Still, thanks to its rich content, strong enemy variety, and a replayable structure including New Game+ and the Iki Island expansion, Ghost of Tsushima stands as a flawed but ambitious and visually stunning action adventure.
PICK UP (GHOST OF TSUSHIMA) HERE:
PlayStation: https://www.playstation.com/en-ca/games/ghost-of-tsushima/
PC: https://store.steampowered.com/agecheck/app/2215430/
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