I usually don't get super into major western AAA blockbuster games, especially open world ones that are rife with RPG elements or what have you.

Something about Ghost of Tsushima was different. While it didn't immediately catch me, everytime I'd boot the game up for another play session I'd find myself wanting to play longer, do more. In what I thought would just be a simple inbetween game to play after Spider-Man 2, but before LaD Gaiden, ended up becoming a massive adventure of an experience. What I initially thought would only be a simply play through of its main campaign, evolved into doing every single substory, liberating every single Mongol territory on the map, finding every health, resolve, or charm power upgrade I could, upgrading all of my equipment and getting every upgrade and so on. I got fully sucked into this game and its absolutely incredible world.

Straight up, this is likely the most beautiful game I've ever played in my life. Just bafflingly stunning art direction and visuals in every single second of gameplay. Every second is screenshot worthy and I was frequently left staring at the screen like an entranced idiot, baffled at the beauty they managed to capture. Its the only game I've used the camera mode in frequently, and just looked around in. Ghost of Tsushima lives and dies by its world, and how much you get out of it. Exploring its scenic beauties, seeing how its being ravaged by the war, running across the sad stories of the lives of the people of your home, and how the war has affected them, then doing your part to protect it, and how much you enjoy doing so will probably affect your enjoyment to a degree, but damn if

The story, while it initially didn't click with me, after the first act starts to ramp up into something much more interesting, and by the end of the 2nd act I found myself fully invested in Jin Sakai's journey and the development he'd undergo, and the change into the legend he'd become, and the people you come across, and the broken, shattered individuals they've become due to what the war's put them through.

The gameplay took a bit to click with me, but once I got used to the flow of parries, attacking, and swapping styles and weapons to most optimally cut through the Mongols, I came to really enjoy it.

I suppose the biggest thing I can knock against the game is that later on, the objectives and side quests can become a bit repetitive, and the combat can fall into the same trappings with how powerful you can grow while doing everything. The game starts out with some teeth, but definitely loses them as you get better and better.

Anyways wow this game got fucking snubbed in 2021's TGA's how the FUCK did TLOU2 beat this game in anythi-

Usually, when I've played 50+ hours of a huge open world game like this, I am desperate to finish and move on to the next game in my backlog. Usually, once the credits roll, I let out a sigh of relief that the main story has been completed and that the part of my brain that would irk me forever if I didn't force myself to finish the beleaguering narrative has been satisfied. Usually...

I have rarely come to the end of a game like this and been so desperate for more content, more side quests, more DLC, more anything. The passion with which this game was made seems palpable. The writing is powerful and though-provoking. The performances, committed. The aesthetic, respectful to the culture and classic films which inspired it. The gameplay, perfectly balanced between fun and challenging.

I wish more open world games would follow this example narratively. The central story is intense, but requires exploration to be able to progress. This allows the player to explore the beautifully crafted environments without the dissonance that more urgent narratives create. The side quests primarily focus on a handful of select characters, with full story arcs of their own seen through from beginning to end. These characters add depth to Jin's journey, providing actually interesting content, a far cry from the usual procedurally generated fetch quests that so many open world games resort to now.

Really a masterclass in so many ways

Ghost of Tsushima is a stunning open-world game where, even after years, some of its effects are still mesmerizing to look at. Its cinematic combat and stealth tools make for a delightful experience to play and observe. Everything is wrapped in a well-told story that culminates in an epic and emotional ending. The only thing I could ask to be better, if they ever do a sequel, would be side-content rewards. Past a certain point, you really have no incentive to play them beyond the stories they tell.