Welcome to our review of Ghost of Tsushima: The Director’s Cut, the fabulous tale of Jin Sakai.
Allow me to start by saying I never played the game back when it first came out. Real life was so incredibly busy at the time, that I just never found any time to start the game. When I heard about the Director’s Cut coming, I decided to wait out completely and finish some other games in my backlogs. Noticeable changes from the PS4 original, apparently the graphics mostly and the new Iki island expansion.
Anyone that has played the game before, knows what a violent game this is. True to the original samurai period, you are a noble samurai that wants to liberate your living place from the invading Mongols, the enemies in this game. Without going into too much detail, the main story is about gathering allies and then saving your lands. I dislike spoilers and despite the game being at that 1 year mark, I am living proof that not everybody plays games on day 1 or even in the first year. One of my friends actually only plays games when all expansions and all are done, so he has everything from the start and can finish everything in 1 run.
Speaking personally, I think Ghost of Tsushima: The Director’s Cut is proof of everything the PS5 can deliver, but in a way, it is sad that this was showcased on a PS4 rendition. A great game, god, this looks so beautiful on PS5, the graphics, the fluidity in movement, such gorgeousness.
Should you buy it if you already own the original game? Well, there is the Iki island expansion. On the other hand, those graphical improvements take full advantage of the console, yes. But that is it really. I do honestly think the expansion is worth it, Iki island does bring a whole new experience to the table, that alone is worth it. That glorious 4K 60 fps is a nice addition as well if you are lucky enough to own a PS5 by now.
Now, my impressions of the game itself and the weird hiccup I had while playing.
I am a big fan of anything Japanese and the atmosphere in this game just reeks of old Kurosawa movies. I would do very little different aside maybe the way the controller is being set up. Sure, there are variants available, but I found some mechanics to be slightly annoying. Having to really lift my finger to move to the middle section to see where I need to go. I know it sounds stupid, but I often felt I was being distracted by this little thingie.
Another weird thing, one that I liked more than I would normally admit to, was the option to finish an opponent at times. Ruthlessly stabbing them… I just loved it way more than I would like to admit. A shrill contrast to the weird traveling options. Fast travel once unlocked is truly awesome and so damn fast. I felt like it mostly just took a single second to finish. But if a place has not been unlocked yet, there is a lot of horseback riding, making me relive nightmares of playing a Bibi and Tina horse riding game on 3DS…
What I also liked, the game just keeps teaching you more and more, it just does not stop. Even in Iki Island, you keep learning more and more, from new subtle skills to finding armor with new limitations like not being able to parry unless done absolutely perfect, … It is like the gift that keeps on giving.
In conclusion, Ghost of Tsushima: The Director’s Cut is what it is, a great game, possibly the best game on PS5 right now. I just can not shake the feeling that the console has more to offer…
9/10
Tested on PlayStation 5 – Code received from PlayStation
