I've been playing GoT off and on since it released, with the intent of getting close to 100% before finishing the main story. I did that a few nights ago, so I feel comfortable actually reviewing it now. I love this game. Sucker Punch have essentially made my comfort game, Japanese backdrop and playstyle included.
I suppose the first thing to say is that this game is absolutely gorgeous. Without a doubt the prettiest and most consistently pretty game I have ever played. After literally 80+ hours I was still getting shocked by the vistas every few minutes. The step away from photorealism to near-fantasy instead was genius. Colors pop everywhere, the lighting is sublime regardless of it being day or night, the trees and grass and flowers all paint the landscape in a way I've never seen before. Part of the reason I waited so long to log this game is because I have spent many hours just wandering the countryside doing nothing remotely story related, just soaking in the landscape and the ambience and getting into minor fights. I was skeptical of it at first but the Kurosawa mode is genuinely pretty neat. Stuff like the fox dens, shrines, onsen, and bamboo cuts are littered throughout the world in just enough quantity that there's always something begging you to check out nearby. I will say, while there are some cool random events that can happen, there definitely could have been more variety. The mythic tales are a special highlight of the game too, not only giving you super cool moves and techniques to play with, but wrapping them up in little mini storylines with their own setpieces and ANIMATED INTROS! How cool is that?
Combat is smooth and buttery, with enough complexity to be constantly engaging but simple enough that you can get into a flow state and just chop dudes up. You've got a variety of styles to play with, too. you can go full stealth mode, you can go archer, you can go pure stagger or pure damage, and that's not even touching on the armor and tool options. I do plan on going back for NG+ and when I do I'll probably play on one of the higher difficulties where you do more damage and take more damage.
That's not to say it's not without faults though. Combat can sometimes be a little frustrating if you're on a back foot and constantly making mistakes, and it's undeniable that there is a certain degree of repetition with the side content. Furthermore, some of the story missions can require you to do things (like tracking) which aren't always well explained. It's a personal gripe, but I really hate how there's a Legends storyteller every 20 feet.
If you'll allow me to flex my degree for a moment, I have some gripes with the haiku system in the game. I've read a significant chunk of the canonical works of Japanese poetry (the Manyoshu, The Tale of Genji, Tosa Diary, The Kokinshu, etc) and unfortunately I feel like the haiku in this game sort of misrepresent the form in a traditional sense. A lot of Jin's haiku options are WAY too specific and introspective (in a modern sense), and they often ignore the form for the sake of an inflexible metaphor. If you put in the effort, you can definitely make some solid pieces with the options given to you, but some of them do not flow in the way that they should, to my mind. It's a minor complaint but it was one I couldn't ignore.
The story is something of a mixed bag. The central themes of war and inter-family and intergenerational conflict are strong, but the writing isn't always interesting enough to really sell it. There's some good parts for sure, especially the ending to Act 2, but outside of Jin's characterization there aren't really many plot beats that I'd say are all that interesting. The Tales of Tsushima (character sidequests) are pretty good. Masako's story is probably the weakest but still solid, Norio's is cool, and Ishikawa's was my favorite. (Spoilers ahead) I did end up feeling like the final act was a little anticlimactic, especially killing the khan, but I suppose the intention was to focus on Shimura more. Still, the final mission could've included a bigger setpiece with more npcs and perhaps a final scene with all your allies gathered, but I might be being overly critical. As for the final decision, I spared Shimura. To me, letting him live is both the kindest and meanest choice you can pick. It's mean because it's a slap in the face to his pride and his honor, as well as a burning indictment of how he failed the people of Tsushima - a reminder that he will have to live the rest of his life reckoning with the lives he failed to protect just because of his moral code. It's kind because Jin has spent the whole game slaying hordes of people, sinking further and further into the pool of blood - but finds the strength to spare Shimura, even in spite of his actions and his own wish for a warrior's death.
Finally, I'd also just like to touch on how much Sucker Punch did for the quality of life in this game. the most obvious thing is that this game runs fantastically on any console, non-pro PS4 included, and it looks and runs even better on PS5. The loading times were mind bogglingly short on the previous gen and they're essentially non-existent on current gen hardware. The menus and UI are spectacular, giving you so much control in so few button presses, and giving you all the info you need super easily. The guiding wind is a miracle of open world design that adds a ton of immersion. But there's so much more than just that - there's the touchpad sheath sword shortcut, the bow, being able to remove your quiver, having gear sets you can change out on the fly, etc etc etc. While I do like the modern rpg-style Assassin's Creed games, they need to take a page out of SP's book when it comes to the "user experience", for lack of a better term. All the little annoyances that exist in those games and others are absent from this, instead replaced by things that make you go "wow, they really actually did want me to have a good time." That's not even to mention the free Legends content and all the other updates they did for the community. It's also just really really nice to have tons and tons of cosmetic options for gear, and it's rare that a game actually manages to get me hunting for armor colors and sword designs, but I totally fall for it here.
So… I guess those are my thoughts. It's a phenomenal game with one of the strongest open worlds I've ever played. The combat loop is downright addictive, the visuals are unparalleled, the ambiance is incredible, and everything comes together to make a truly fantastic package. I really hope that we get a "Tsushima 2" with new areas and cities in a few years because I'm really just fiending for more. I'm planning on starting Iki Island soon, which I do plan on reviewing as well.
Note: Logging this one in addition to the base game since my playtime was split across both.
I suppose the first thing to say is that this game is absolutely gorgeous. Without a doubt the prettiest and most consistently pretty game I have ever played. After literally 80+ hours I was still getting shocked by the vistas every few minutes. The step away from photorealism to near-fantasy instead was genius. Colors pop everywhere, the lighting is sublime regardless of it being day or night, the trees and grass and flowers all paint the landscape in a way I've never seen before. Part of the reason I waited so long to log this game is because I have spent many hours just wandering the countryside doing nothing remotely story related, just soaking in the landscape and the ambience and getting into minor fights. I was skeptical of it at first but the Kurosawa mode is genuinely pretty neat. Stuff like the fox dens, shrines, onsen, and bamboo cuts are littered throughout the world in just enough quantity that there's always something begging you to check out nearby. I will say, while there are some cool random events that can happen, there definitely could have been more variety. The mythic tales are a special highlight of the game too, not only giving you super cool moves and techniques to play with, but wrapping them up in little mini storylines with their own setpieces and ANIMATED INTROS! How cool is that?
Combat is smooth and buttery, with enough complexity to be constantly engaging but simple enough that you can get into a flow state and just chop dudes up. You've got a variety of styles to play with, too. you can go full stealth mode, you can go archer, you can go pure stagger or pure damage, and that's not even touching on the armor and tool options. I do plan on going back for NG+ and when I do I'll probably play on one of the higher difficulties where you do more damage and take more damage.
That's not to say it's not without faults though. Combat can sometimes be a little frustrating if you're on a back foot and constantly making mistakes, and it's undeniable that there is a certain degree of repetition with the side content. Furthermore, some of the story missions can require you to do things (like tracking) which aren't always well explained. It's a personal gripe, but I really hate how there's a Legends storyteller every 20 feet.
If you'll allow me to flex my degree for a moment, I have some gripes with the haiku system in the game. I've read a significant chunk of the canonical works of Japanese poetry (the Manyoshu, The Tale of Genji, Tosa Diary, The Kokinshu, etc) and unfortunately I feel like the haiku in this game sort of misrepresent the form in a traditional sense. A lot of Jin's haiku options are WAY too specific and introspective (in a modern sense), and they often ignore the form for the sake of an inflexible metaphor. If you put in the effort, you can definitely make some solid pieces with the options given to you, but some of them do not flow in the way that they should, to my mind. It's a minor complaint but it was one I couldn't ignore.
The story is something of a mixed bag. The central themes of war and inter-family and intergenerational conflict are strong, but the writing isn't always interesting enough to really sell it. There's some good parts for sure, especially the ending to Act 2, but outside of Jin's characterization there aren't really many plot beats that I'd say are all that interesting. The Tales of Tsushima (character sidequests) are pretty good. Masako's story is probably the weakest but still solid, Norio's is cool, and Ishikawa's was my favorite. (Spoilers ahead) I did end up feeling like the final act was a little anticlimactic, especially killing the khan, but I suppose the intention was to focus on Shimura more. Still, the final mission could've included a bigger setpiece with more npcs and perhaps a final scene with all your allies gathered, but I might be being overly critical. As for the final decision, I spared Shimura. To me, letting him live is both the kindest and meanest choice you can pick. It's mean because it's a slap in the face to his pride and his honor, as well as a burning indictment of how he failed the people of Tsushima - a reminder that he will have to live the rest of his life reckoning with the lives he failed to protect just because of his moral code. It's kind because Jin has spent the whole game slaying hordes of people, sinking further and further into the pool of blood - but finds the strength to spare Shimura, even in spite of his actions and his own wish for a warrior's death.
Finally, I'd also just like to touch on how much Sucker Punch did for the quality of life in this game. the most obvious thing is that this game runs fantastically on any console, non-pro PS4 included, and it looks and runs even better on PS5. The loading times were mind bogglingly short on the previous gen and they're essentially non-existent on current gen hardware. The menus and UI are spectacular, giving you so much control in so few button presses, and giving you all the info you need super easily. The guiding wind is a miracle of open world design that adds a ton of immersion. But there's so much more than just that - there's the touchpad sheath sword shortcut, the bow, being able to remove your quiver, having gear sets you can change out on the fly, etc etc etc. While I do like the modern rpg-style Assassin's Creed games, they need to take a page out of SP's book when it comes to the "user experience", for lack of a better term. All the little annoyances that exist in those games and others are absent from this, instead replaced by things that make you go "wow, they really actually did want me to have a good time." That's not even to mention the free Legends content and all the other updates they did for the community. It's also just really really nice to have tons and tons of cosmetic options for gear, and it's rare that a game actually manages to get me hunting for armor colors and sword designs, but I totally fall for it here.
So… I guess those are my thoughts. It's a phenomenal game with one of the strongest open worlds I've ever played. The combat loop is downright addictive, the visuals are unparalleled, the ambiance is incredible, and everything comes together to make a truly fantastic package. I really hope that we get a "Tsushima 2" with new areas and cities in a few years because I'm really just fiending for more. I'm planning on starting Iki Island soon, which I do plan on reviewing as well.
Note: Logging this one in addition to the base game since my playtime was split across both.