Ghost of Tsushima

Rated M for Mature, (PS4)

Ghost of Tsushima creates a must-play Samurai adventure with all the action, gore and breathtaking scenery you’d expect in a Samurai title.

The island of Tsushima has some of the best scenery you’ll see. The game has some of areas where cherry blossoms fall from trees in the rising sun, creating breathtaking moments.

The map has a large variation in visuals from the beaches, trees, to barren burnt sections to snowy mountain areas.

Each new area looks distinct and different from the past one. The character models are detailed and have a nice variety to them.

The audio shows the research and dedication to detail the developer put into this game. The sounds of steel-on-steel combat are as you might hear them in classic samurai movies.

Whether it’s your katana against other katanas or the sound of your sword hitting a shield, the sound is satisfying. Sound of birds chirping in the woods while cherry blossoms are dropping around you is an astonishing experience.

Players can even change the audio to full-on Japanese dialog to make the experience seem more authentic.

The game revolves around Jin, a samurai warrior who is the last of his clan after a brutal battle.

You go on a journey to stop the Mongolian invasion led by Khotun Khan. The island of Tsushima is the last line of defence before Japan.

The game is set in the 13th century.

The controls seem simple enough. You move the character with the left thumb stick and have a heavy attack and a light attack. These are the starting attacks.

Players can parry enemy attacks with the LB button. If you time it perfectly, an enemy will be staggered, leaving the enemy open for an assault.

The game’s combat is about precision and speed. Each slice of the sword is satisfying and bloody with blood flying from your cuts.

You have a smaller sword called konto which is used for stealth.

The variety of combat tools is what keeps you engaged. You have throwing knives, black powder bombs, smoke bombs or wind chimes, all used to help when your surrounded.

You also have special stances that will give you an edge depending on type of weapons your enemies have.

When you run across a group of Mongolians, you can go one on one with an enemy and press and release the triangle button just before an incoming attack to instantly kill that enemy.

Stealth is another option. Go in like a ghost or like an unstoppable warrior, it’s your choice. There’s lots of places you can hide, too, for a sneak attack on your enemy.

The game’s map is divided into three sections with a large area to explore. The map has the main story quests highlighted with a gold icon and secondary quests with a silver icon.

There are a ton of fun things to find on the different map sections. You have serene places to compose Haiku poetry, foxes to follow for charms, and more.

There are forts and villages to liberate from the Mongolians. There are even shrines, which require you to find a way to the top, usually requiring you to climb rocks and traverse areas.

Side missions offer more background on some of the characters you run across. These side missions are just as fun as the main story missions.

I found myself spending hours and hours exploring each part of the map to find all the hidden secrets.

The game even has a filter that let’s you change the games graphics to a black and white filter.

With the Last of Us Part 2 and Ghost of Tsushima, PS4 is ending the console cycle at a high point.

• Ghost of Tsushima gets a 9/10.

Contact Sascha at sggall@

telus.net with gaming questions and more.

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