Ghost of Tsushima

The PlayStation 4 gets to bow out of this console generation in suitably epic fashion with this incredible title. Ghost of Tsushima sets a new standard in open-world action games with one of the best games of this generation or any other, for that matter.

Ghost of Tsushima takes the best elements of Assassins Creed and Far Cry, throws in some of the signature Sucker Punch flair that made Infamous so successful and ends up being something that is both familiar and unique at the same time. The stealth elements are not the strongest, and aside from the missions requiring stealth, I almost always took the more forward approach to combat, but the freedom to DO that is part of what makes the game so good. Sony has consistently released incredible, single player, story focused exclusives for the PS4, and Ghost of Tsushima stands tall as one of their best yet.

Ghost of Tsushima is a riveting tale complemented by infinitely fascinating combat, inventive navigation mechanics, and arresting visuals, effortlessly earning itself a spot as one of the absolute best games released on the PlayStation 4.

While many of the elements here made their debuts in other games in the genre, Sucker Punch does an amazing job of weaving them together in a way that not only creates a satisfying gameplay experience but also enhances an already stellar narrative. I cannot think of a better way for Sony to send-off the generation.

It's the way Ghost of Tsushima combines elements players are both familiar and unfamiliar with that makes it such an enjoyable experience, and one which players will want to continue playing long after the credits roll.

I think that your enjoyment of Ghost of Tsushima will come down to how you like the game’s structure. If you’ve played Horizon Zero Dawn and Days Gone, you’ll know exactly what to expect. While I understand the comparisons, calling the game “Assassin’s Creed but in Japan” is doing it a bit of a disservice, in my opinion. Yes, you will raid hideouts. Yes, you have a “listen mode” where you can see enemies behind walls and stealth kill them. The game also does have similar ideas from its contemporaries, like Sekiro’s focus on parrying and Nioh’s stances. But Ghost of Tsushima does many aspects exceedingly well – and it's more than the sum of its parts. The gameplay is fun, the narrative and its characters are great, and the art direction is absolutely beautiful. The pros here vastly outweigh the cons. Ghost of Tsushima is a breathtaking adventure.

Ghost of Tsushima is a game I could not put down because the combat is so good, the world is fun to explore, and the stories it has to tell are rich and compelling. And I’m already anxiously awaiting a sequel.

Ghost of Tsushima is a gorgeous game that has Sucker Punch taking its shot at telling its own samurai story. The combat feels great; and you have a lot of freedom when it comes to building up Jin. It’s simply a stunning way to say goodbye to the PS4.

Undoubtedly, Ghost of Tsushima is the greatest game of the generation. With perfect storytelling, supremely satisfying combat, and an astounding world that's packed with content and gorgeous sights, it raises the bar for open world games.

Ghost of Tsushima is a beautifully crafted adventure that distinguishes itself as one of the great titles of this console generation.

From the trailers, we always knew Ghost of Tsushima would be pretty. But I was not expecting a combat system this engaging and fun, or a story this gripping and emotional. It is easily one of the best games of the entire PS4 generation, and given its competition, that’s saying something.

Ghost of Tsushima is greater than the sum of its parts: it does not reinvent the wheel in any of its aspects, but offers an experience that will thoroughly entertain lovers of open world and oriental settings.

Ghost of Tsushima captures the mystique, fierce violence, and barely contained emotional angst of the great samurai films. The line of inspiration is clearly purposeful; Sucker Punch included a gorgeous “Kurosawa Mode,” which sets a black-and-white, film-grain, audio-treated effect that doubles down on the classic cinematic vibe. It’s well worth turning on, if only for a few missions. But even beyond that cool feature, this is a game that nails the aesthetic it’s shooting for, firmly establishing itself as the medium’s defining samurai saga.

Ghost of Tsushima is easily the biggest and most ambitious game Sucker Punch has ever undertaken. It’s also the best game they’ve ever made. Akira Kurosawa would be proud.

With Ghost of Tsushima under its belt, Sucker Punch deserves to be in the same conversation as Insomniac, Naughty Dog, and Sony Santa Monica.

Ghost of Tsushima is an excellent homage to classic samurai films and a darn good game to boot. It is truly a master class in presentation and has fun, engaging gameplay throughout.

Ghost of Tsushima brought me epic joy, which is a special thing to find in the bottomless library of experiences out there. I'm deliberately leaving out the description of a moment in the game during the second act that is probably one of the dopest sequences I've ever seen. I don't want to spoil it. I'd rather you see it for yourself, either by playing or seeing it on the internet later. When the credits rolled after the final scene, I felt like I was in a movie theater and ready to applaud. I got to binge-watch and play the samurai story of my dreams. For anyone else who's ever picked up a long, empty wrapping-paper tube, held it with two hands a few inches apart, and swung it like a samurai, I have good news: We found it. We've got our game.

Video games are just about putting us in the role of the character we control, and Ghost of Tsushima more than succeeds in making you feel like you are a thirteenth-century Samurai, thanks to great achievements in terms of game mechanics, controls, a world Interesting open and genuinely vivid, stunning graphics and of course a screaming art direction. Yes, we have the presence of some clutches and design flaws very typical of the subgenre to which this title belongs, but nothing that overshadows the experience that this closure represents to the great exclusives of the PlayStation 4.

Ghost of Tsushima is a beautiful game. This samurai open world has a great combat system and it is technically flawless, but its gameplay is too conservative and it often feels too generic.

The world is enormous, filled to the brim with rich content to explore. It can be a bit much sometimes with the number of artefacts you can find or haikus to sit and devise bloating things a little bit, but players will be blown away by the deep storytelling and unbelievable style and personality that Ghost of Tsushima brings to the table.

Ghost of Tsushima is a stunning mix of Assassin's Creed and The Witcher 3, based on samurai films and traditional Japanese contemplation of nature. At the same time, this is the best Assassin's Creed ever created. There are no emasculated positive heroes and unambiguous villains, the tasks are exciting and interesting. And this is currently the most fascinating and visually impressive game on the PlayStation 4.

Ghost of Tsushima is a flawed game. But, at the same time, it is as much as innovative, remarkable and one of the best atmospheric games of all time. It has its problems with camera and repetitive activities, but its beautiful open-world, innovative interaction with it and overall great story and one of the tightest combat systems are the sendoff for PS4 anyone would ask for.

Ghost of Tsushima is one of the best open-world games this generation with a thrilling tale of revenge, great characters, satisfying swordplay and a stunning world that’s chock-full of things to do making it so easy to get lost in this game for hours at a time.

Ghost of Tsushima is Sucker Punch’s masterpiece. With the depth of its combat, its incredible open-world design and its rich historical authenticity and cultural legacy, it’s a heady contender for the most incredible release of this console generation. It’s definitely the best samurai game ever made.

Ghost of Tsushima is a beautifully crafted samurai adventure filled with elegance and marvelous treasures to discover. The combat is engaging, yet challenging, and it has yet to get old. Despite a few hiccups in the lackluster AI and a few glitches, I managed to continually get lost and awe-struck at the truly extraordinary experience Sucker Punch has created.

Ghost of Tsushima is the best Sucker Punch game to date. Anyone who is a fan of the developer, or samurai games in general, should not hesitate to pick this one up.

Ghost of Tsushima makes it easy to immerse yourself in this dark and historical setting. The story’s pacing is expertly tuned to how the player wishes to take it on, and the controls allow actions to be both fluid and responsive. The enemy AI could definitely use some attention, and the menus are exceptionally vast, but in the end, I was glad to find something that reminded me I was playing a video game because there were moments I forgot.

Whether you are a fan of action adventure games, RPGs, or deep open world games, you'll probably enjoy Ghost of Tsushima, and if it weren't for some AI issues and repetitive side mission, it would have even reached higher. Nevertheless, GoT is a poetic and cinematic experience that will suck you into its each and every moment.

A tribute to the Japanese nature and culture. Ghost of Tsushima manages to deviate from the ugly tropes of most open-world games by delivering a beautiful world with a solid narrative and great gameplay mechanics.

With deep characters, heaps of interesting narratives you can tackle as you like, constant gratifying upgrades, a stunning look and potentially the greatest sword combat in modern gaming, this is a Samurai adventure I couldn't get enough of, even if I had some niggles with the overall story and a few outdated design choices.

Despite my issues with the combat, Ghost of Tsushima isn’t just a great Samurai game, it’s a great period piece the creates a loving and grounded look at Japan as a whole. Set amongst the backdrop of a real world battle, Sucker Punch has created a game that is masterfully crafted, and is a huge leap forward for the studio. It’s got a lot to unpack and dig into for those who like exploration, with plenty of things to upgrade and improve upon. If you’re looking for precise, deliberate combat along the lines of Sekiro, you won’t find it here. However, if you want the biggest Samurai epic that’s ever been created, Ghost of Tsushima is at the top of the class.

Sucker Punch has made their best game to date. Ghost of Tsushima offers tons of content for dozens of hours, a superb combat system, gorgeous graphics, and a unique atmosphere. This is a perfect game to end the PlayStation 4 era, and it makes us optimistic about the future.

Ghost of Tsushima is the samurai game I’ve personally always wanted, and it’s one I can find myself diving into just to explore the world and take in the sights as I play, helping Jin find some small measure of peace along the way, assuming the wind guides us there.

Ghost of Tsushima isn’t very original gameplay-wise and its open world feels a bit tired, but the sheer quality of content, the stylish action, the fantastic sound design and the beautiful environment make this a must-play.

Ghost of Tsushima is one of the best games I’ve played this year — it might’ve been my favorite, if not for The Last Of Us Part II. Jin Sakai’s story is violent but thoughtful, delivering an experience that feels unique on the PlayStation 4 despite the fact 2020 is the console’s last year before the PlayStation 5 makes it obsolete.

Ghost Of Tsushima is Sony's swan song, the perfect game to wrap up this generation and a line of amazing exclusives that came out for the PS4. It encourages exploration in a unique way, and tells a story about a man who has to stand against everything he was taught, and it's definitely one you wouldn't want to miss.

For me, the era of PS4 exclusives ends with an absolute highlight.

The game may not be an evolution of the genre but it is one of the best versions of it. By mixing a beautiful setting with visceral combat, Ghost of Tsushima hopes that its lesser elements won’t be as bothersome and its story will be able to propel players forward. Personally, the compulsion to uncover every question mark, complete every Tale, and master the combat was very strong. If the idea of controlling a deadly Samurai in an Assassin’s Creed-style open world sounds enticing, the game more than delivers.

Ghost of Tsushima is a narrative-driven game that has unique combat, a plethora of exploration, and enough heart to keep gamers coming back for more even after the game is beaten. The lack of a combat camera locking system will certainly cause some frustrations, but that is small potatoes when compared to the rest of the experience. This is the game Sucker Punch said it would be, and you won’t be disappointed.

Ghost of Tsushima ends the current generation of consoles on a high note. A fantastically gorgeous world sets the stage for high-stakes close quarters combat, with multiple enthralling stories told over many chapters that keep the player moving across the island. Core combat is rewarding, and while enemy AI is disappointing outside of combat, all other aspects of Ghost of Tsushima have been lovingly crafted, and will be thoroughly enjoyed by players of all types. It’s not Sekiro or Dark Souls/Bloodborne difficult, but challenge can be found for those who seek it. Ultimately, Ghost of Tsushima allows you to pick up a sword and become one badass samurai, and have fun while avenging your fallen brethren.

Ghost of Tsushima is an enormous and densely packed samurai adventure that often left me completely awestruck with both its visual spectacle and excellent combat. By steadily introducing new abilities instead of stat upgrades, its swordplay manages to stay challenging, rewarding, and fun throughout the entire 40 to 50 hours that it took me to beat the campaign. A few aspects are surprisingly lacking in polish in comparison to other first-party Sony games, especially when it comes to enemy AI and the stealth part of its stealth/action split. Still this is an extraordinary open-world action-adventure game that solves several issues that have long gone unaddressed in the genre, while also just being an all around samurai slashin’ good time.

Thanks to its novel, clear approach to sandbox design, and just how damn fun it is to play, this is an unmissable experience for anybody that enjoys open-world games or is enthused by its aesthetic and setting.

Ghost of Tsushima is Sucker Punch's best game yet and a great open world title capable of measuring to some of the biggest names in the genre. The excellent rendition of feudal Japan, along with its well-written characters and story, make Ghost of Tsushima stand out as the last must-have PlayStation 4 exclusive.

While flaws such as repetitive side quests and an often-annoying navigation system can sometimes drag the experience down a little, epic sword fights, beautiful locations, amazing discoveries and a deep Bushido story make Ghost of Tsushima a unique open-world adventure.

Ghost of Tsushima elevates the existing open world adventure template with a fantasy-free Samurai adventure that deftly pays loving homage to the Samurai cinema of old. While your mileage may vary according to your level of open world fatigue, Ghost of Tsushima undoubtedly remains not only one of the best open world romps money can buy and a stunning PlayStation 4 exclusive, but also Sucker Punch Productions finest effort to date.

Ghost of Tsushima is a joy to play and a joy to behold. Sucker Punch has crafted one of the most memorable open world games of this generation, buoyed by an immensely satisfying combat system and an engaging, dramatic story. Unlike many of its open world peers, it's a refined and focused experience -- gripping and immaculately presented at its best. A fitting first-party swansong for the PS4.

It’s wonderfully balanced and doesn’t punish you for needing to attempt something more than once. And, even with the camera working against me, I was able to become a masterful samurai. Perhaps Ghost of Tsushima isn’t a perfect cherry blossom, but it is pretty damn close as far as I’m concerned.

Ghost of Tsushima is the samurai Assassin's Creed Ubisoft will wish it had made.

Ghost of Tsushima is a landmark game that blends its narrative with its visuals perfectly, and has delicious, satisfying combat to boot. Climbing is clumsy, and the story takes a while to get going, but overall it's a truly wonderful game.

Ghost of Tsushima is one of the few games this generation that left a momentous impression on me. This is an original, impactful, beautiful and deep game, but most importantly, it’s just downright fun. Even with so few main story quests, Sucker Punch Productions focused on quality over quantity, ensuring every second is spent on something to savor.

Ghost of Tsushima is definitely the last great game PS4 deserved. It's a fantastic open world game, visually stunning, incredibly fun to play, whether you choose to progress as a noble warrior or a stealthy ninja, a very immersive representation of feudal Japan and a truly admirable love letter to the samurai movie genre. If you own a PS4, you MUST play Ghost of Tsushima.

Ghost of Tsushima is a stunning homage to the mystery of Feudal Japan and the Samurai warrior. Sucker Punch's world is a sight to behold, offering up plenty of excitement as you walk the path of the honorable samurai or the cunning Ghost.

Once I successfully reconciled my expectations with my reality, the game revealed itself as a compelling, masterful work of art. Nothing feels useless or extraneous. The story wastes little time, the fights are all exuberant and engaging, the exploration is addicting, and the entire game is gorgeous. I can think of no better game to be the swan song for the PS4.

A melancholic tale of war and a fitting epilogue to a current-gen era, Sucker Punch’s latest effort is a slick showcase for the PlayStation 4 that draws you into a world that never fails to impress. Ghost of Tsushima is a masterpiece of precise gameplay, emotional turmoil and powerful world design.

Ghost of Tsushima is a it is an aesthetic masterpiece, confined in the canons of the typical open world. However the combat system works, and the setting recreated by Sucker Punch has a magnetic appeal. Recommended.

Ghost of Tsushima is a masterclass on how to make a palatable and focused open world experience.

Sucker Punch has successfully solved the challenge of creating such an extremely Japanese game by an occidental studio. Despite being essentially a blueprinted open world game, its historical setting and combat with katana are extremely satisfying to have enjoyed the more than 20 hours of game it has to offer.

Ghost of Tsushima closes the current generation of consoles for PlayStation 4 offering a Samurai story that fans of Japanese culture will fall in love with, especially its excellent setting and incomparable landscapes.

Ghost of Tsushima is a beautiful adventure. If you are interested in samurai, you can look forward to an aesthetic as well as gameplay elegance worthy of the tradition of feudal Japan.

Ghost of Tsushima is a flawed, but fun, game. While the gameplay itself was solid, and the story was decent, I definitely expected a lot more from Sony’s final PlayStation 4 exclusive. It had enough to keep me hooked, but lacked the polish we’ve all grown to love from a Sony first party game.

A smattering of small niggles ultimately prevents Ghost of Tsushima from reaching the upper echelons of PS4 folklore, but it's still an absolute must for your game collection, and a fitting end to the PS4's line of exclusives. Ghost of Tsushima is a fantastic journey through the trouble and strife of 13th Century Japan and is complimented perfectly by a set of great characters, a likable main character, and a loathsome villain. Some repetition in the game's side-missions and a lack of polish in some areas just bring the score down a tad, but these issues can be overlooked in favor of the jaw-dropping visual dessert that will keep you coming back for more.

Ghost of Tsushima is, despite some minor blemishes, an impressively sharp swansong for the PlayStation 4.

Ghost of Tsushima is probably one of the most beautiful games this generation and it oozes love for its theme. Its combat is fine and well researched, but the game lacks some content to excel as an open game in 2020.

The beautiful sightseeing, intense samurai combat, and fascinating side-missions of Ghost of Tsushima are appealing for me. But the dull and repetitive open-world makes the exploration experience boring.

With Ghost of Tsushima, Sucker Punch offers an intense adventure with an incredible atmosphere. The whole is so powerful it makes us forget about the numerous shortcoming of the game, like a serious visual downgrade in some places, the AI or the stealth mechanics.

Ghost of Tsushima has a lot going for it. Combat is fast and fluid, and the story is engaging thanks to some great characters. Most disappointing is that taking a stealthy approach can sometimes make victory feel simple and unearned. Despite that, the island itself is the biggest draw, taking you on a captivating adventure through its beautiful world.

Ghost of Tsushima is not revolutionary, but it’s really enjoyable. Although some aspects, like the AI, are flawed, its setting and the experience are memorable, and they stay with you after you finish it.

Sucker Punch has the honor of bringing us the last PS4 exclusive with Ghost of Tsushima. The game delivers an immense adventure of more than 30 hours, based on a true war. The battles, the environment, the animation, all look amazing. Still, it misses an original touch in its gameplay. Next to that, the battles tend to be the same once you get the hang of the stances.

Tsushima's geography is rivetingly beautiful, from bamboo forests and heaving mountains to picturesque waterfalls and seas of swaying pampas grass composed of thousands of gently moving blades each of which will catch the moonlight on a clear night. I could almost feel the chill of thunderstorms as they came crashing in and the heat of the sun as it rose above the horizon in a dazzling blaze of light.

Ghost of Tsushima might be built from the same stuff as its AAA, open world contemporaries, but that doesn't stop it from being one of the best open world experiences of the generation. Sucker Punch has set its samurai fantasy apart by presenting players with a beautiful world that is rewarding to explore, with many mysteries to uncover. Jin's story is a compelling tale pulled from the pages of the epics, and it's just one of many that the game has to offer. The game isn't perfect, but it's not often I spend upwards of 50 hours playing an open world game to total completion and immediately want to jump back in, even if it's just to sit and watch the breeze roll by.

Ghost of Tsushima isn’t perfect, due to a clumsy lock-on system and repetitive mission design, though at times it comes damn close. It’s a truly beautiful adventure with a strong lead character, deep combat and an engaging world. Definitely worth picking up.

It's not bold enough to be excellent, but Ghost of Tsushima is enjoyable enough to keep fans of these kinds of map games busy and happy for a good while.

Finally, even with its flaws (camera, perfectible AI, not very original screenplay...) Ghost of Tsushima takes you away. Its system of character evolution and its enjoyable gameplay make it a good experience, but it’s above all its highly elegant atmosphere that makes it the game, with details of absolute finesse and very cinematic sequences. The world offered to the player is a breathtaking beauty and one that yields an indescribable pleasure to roam. A sublime Haiku that feels like a graceful breeze around you after finishing it... Good Job Sucker Punch!

Ghost of Tsushima offers a well-designed open world that combines great combat with enticing exploration. The excellent art style brings this unique historical setting to life, and smart design choices help the game overcome its minor flaws.

Ghost of Tsushima is probably the best game about Japan, but the story is too simple and the complex combat system can be tricked by evasive actions that transform it into an easy game.

With its satisfying gameplay and solid lifespan (about 30-40 hours), Ghost of Tsushima is another quality exclusive for the PS4. It knows how to reuse mechanics and fundamentals established by other licenses, and give them its own personal touch. And what a touch. It's not just an Assassin's Creed in Japan: it has its own visual code and almost cinematographic atmosphere, and the sublime island of Tsushima naturally replaces some of the interface elements. The whole game is infused with poetry, which is rather bold for a mainstream title. However, we regret the big weaknesses on a few fundamental points, as it lacks variety regarding the points of interest, the fights and especially the duels, which, combined with an ill-fitting difficulty, wearied us at the end. Nevertheless, it remains a very good experience and a game full of personality.

When the story enters the picture, Ghost of Tsushima’s world goes from problematic to picturesque to beautiful, violent, haunting, melancholic, and even divine.

It feels as if Sucker Punch decided to make the most picturesque open world ever, while still keeping it grounded in reality. Not an easy task, but the studio really nailed it. [Issue#247, p.38]

I think some of the intricacies of Ghost of Tsushima’s presentation will be written off as novelties, but I really do think it boasts some of the smartest design I have seen in a video game.

A very enjoyable mix of activities set in one of the most elegant open worlds on PS4. Ghost Of Tsushima does nothing particularly new but it does it all to a high standard. [Issue#178, p.71]

Ghost of Tsushima offers an amazing open-world experience and satisfying combat, only mildly held back by its writing and characters.

Ghost of Tsushima is a beautiful open world game with satisfying stealth and combat. It does little different to other games of a similar nature and the combat camera needs some tweaking but those who like exploring and savour filling in a map are in for a treat.

Ghost of Tsushima is a vast game. I have poured at least a couple dozen hours into it but have much left to see. I suspect it will keep me enjoyably busy until the leaves fall from their trees and the next console cycle begins.

If you don’t usually go for this kind of game, if you just can’t get enough open-world action, and/or you’re a massive mark for samurai movies, Ghost of Tsushima is a perfectly good game with an amazing presentation. Its biggest problem is that it’s Yet Another Open-World Game, and if you haven’t played all the others, this is one of the best places to start. This score is for me, as I can’t really get into Ghost due to how repetitive it feels, but newer players can safely tack on another 10 points or more.

Ghost of Tsushima is Sucker Punch Production's most ambitious game to date, and that's something that permeates through the whole adventure. It is an epic samurai tale that balances well between action segments and the story driven adventure. A tale where we choose our own path, one which always offers more to explore just when we think we've seen it all.

Ghost of Tsushima is a slight surprise. It is an all-around experience which delivers the fantasy of being a mythical samurai warrior. However, not everything shines, especially with the stealth systems, that do not square up, mechanically nor thematically. As the old saying goes, a samurai cannot obey 2 masters, because he dishonors himself. Thus, Ghost of Tsushima is a reminder of why Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption 2 are generational gems and benchmarks in open world terms.

Ghost of Tsushima is simply a gorgeous looking game, offering a constant supply of pictures that wouldn’t look bad at all adorned on the wall of your tatami room. But underneath all the splendour you’ll find a fairly standard open world game that unavoidably will get repetitive with time, the big difference being that it offers better combat and progression than you’re used to of an Assassin’s Creed.

Ghost of Tsushima is the Assassin's Creed that Ubisoft will never make. The game lets you play the ultimate samurai - or assassin - in a beautifully designed feudal Japan, but it consists largely of generic activities that are now stereotyped for this genre.

Even a world as robust as Ghost of Tsushima’s has to run out of things for players to do eventually, and depending on how invested you were in pursuing every thread and hunting for collectibles and ways to make Jin more powerful, you may not have much to do at a certain point other than barrel through the last few quests of the main story.

Ghost of Tsushima is an excellent open-world adventure from Sucker Punch Productions which adds some innovative ideas to a fairly stagnant genre. The game's depiction of the time period is generic and inoffensive, but that doesn't prevent it from being a stunning visual showcase and a worthwhile swan song for the PS4.

The game may never have been as sweet as it was in the first of the three main areas, but, to its credit, that’s because I was swept along by the story.

Had Ghost of Tsushima released earlier into the PS4’s life, chances are it would be revered. But now, in a world in which the likes of Red Red Redemption 2 and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey exist, it feels a little underwhelming. Still, it is quite possibly the best samurai game ever made, and is well worth picking up if you’re after another epic open-world to get lost in. Just temper your expectations as much as your steel.

Shifting the focus to ancient history was always going to be a challenge, especially with competition from the likes of Assassin’s Creed with its epic scale, but I think Sucker Punch has delivered a more refined, focused experience that offers enough content without the risk of overwhelming its audience. And as there are no microtransactions infesting its mechanics and influencing its balance, Ghost of Tsushima is honorable in its approach and deserves to be played.

Sucker Punch's first stab at a stealth action adventure hits the mark. The island of Tsushima is a beautiful backdrop for this tale of revenge and honor and the environmental art is a visual treat. Combat and stealth are largely solid, though there are issues with the camera and hitting the right targets. The biggest stumble comes with the Japanese vocal track, which isn't synced correctly with the character's lips, a shame for a game like this. Ghost of Tsushima isn't the most innovative way to end a generation, but it is a fun one.

Ghost of Tsushima is a game with a twilight zone. It has one of the most beautiful worlds we have ever seen and the combat is one of the most fun systems in an open world. Its missions, however, become repetitive and simple and it fails to engage the player due to the lack of depth in its characters.

Ghost of Tsushima is an artistic triumph, capturing a real cinematic feel through its visuals, immersive world and soundtrack. However, Jin is a serviceable main character and he and his journey to save Tsushima is often overshadowed by secondary characters and smaller, more personal stories found in the side quests. Throw in some formulaic missions and an awkward user interface, and Ghost of Tsushima is at times more style than substance.

Ghost of Tsushima is an unprecedented artistic journey to Japan that delves into a dramatic Samurai World as we live action packed moments and an adventure full of hidden discoveries.

Ghost of Tsushima is an interesting and successful open world that cannot excel in its components and variety. A step forward for Sucker Punch but still not the full maturity of the team.

Ghost of Tsushima falls short of the kind of gameplay we expect from developer Sucker Punch at this point, but then exceeds all other expectations in its storytelling and world building. Protagonist Jin Sakai and the rest of the cast are all fantastic characters, and the tale they tell is one worth experiencing—even in those moments where the gameplay may falter.

Ghost of Tsushima does not manage to become the great game it wanted to be. Too many technical flaws and a lackluster story result in an enjoyable game that is not what everybody was expecting.

I was hoping for an original take on the open-world genre, but I got Assassin’s Creed in samurai drag. If that sounds like a blast to you, it will be, especially if you go into it with the knowledge of the game’s design missteps. It’s not that it’s bad - it’s just bad for me.

If the game were developed a little more it might have turned out to be a classic, but with this current state Ghost of Tsushima is only a good action game.

Sucker Punch delivers an epic Samurai adventure that is constantly debating what kind of game it wants to be, just as its protagonist questions his own actions and responsibility. Ghost of Tsushima is the pinnacle of a genre represented by great exponents. However, the game not only does not seem to bring anything particularly new, but neither does it raise the bar or represent an evolution in open world games.

A slight bitter taste emerges, which fades when the title leaves our hands free but returns when we fall back on a quest or yet another encampment to clean up.

Sucker Punch bases an adventure full of ambitions that do not always manage to materialize or find their balance. If on the one hand the combat system offers a good number of techniques and requires a certain amount of timing, on the other the inaccurate camera inevitably undermines the reading of the action. In the same way, the use of a setting ennobled by a brilliant art design collides with a story with a swinging rhythm, which only on a few occasions has managed to make us jump.

Ghost of Tsushima is a love letter to the chambara movies and delivers great atmosphere and stylish visuals, but Sucker Punch’s open world fails to bring a compelling and cohesive experience gameplaywise. With its highs (duels, mythic quests) and lows (open world structure, quests), Ghost of Tsushima is an average game, and sadly feels like a lost opportunity to bring to the players the definitive samurai experience.

Ultimately, it feels like the game could have benefited from a smaller scope or a more linear structure. Focus on the duels could have created a more engrossing product, especially if it honed in on the narrative for a more concise and cinematic experience. But as it stands, Ghost of Tsushima is another AAA open world title and doesn’t seek to define itself as anything other than that.

Ghost of Tsushima has the look of a thoughtful samurai epic, but the façade flakes under scrutiny, revealing that it serves Western blockbuster tastes and tenets above all. It’s a game that so desperately wants to be 13 Assassins but more times than not ends up looking like The Last Samurai.

As a game, Ghost of Tsushima offers tried-and-true tropes of the genre with a story of a paradigm shift, decent swordplay, generic sandbox attractions (with zero towers and grind, though) and bearable monotony. But if you accept it as a series of living wallpapers, it’s a true PlayStation 4 gem.

A competent but shallow and overfamiliar attempt to replicate Assassin’s Creed style open world adventure in the world of 13th century samurai.

In (very) short: like the initial entry in Assassin's Creed, the franchise it unashamedly copies, Ghost of Tsushima is good but not great. I finished it to complete it, not because I was invested in the mixed bag that was presented.

The game hits a lot of fantastic cinematic highs, and those ultimately lift it above the trappings of its familiar open-world quest design and all the innate weaknesses that come with it--but those imperfections and dull edges are definitely still there. Ghost of Tsushima is at its best when you're riding your horse and taking in the beautiful world on your own terms, armed with a sword and a screenshot button, allowing the environmental cues and your own curiosity to guide you. It's not quite a Criterion classic, but a lot of the time it sure looks like one.

Some people will be okay with that and will even enjoy the open-world trappings Ghost of Tsushima offers. For me, I'm not sure if I can tolerate more riding around looking for boring filler while wishing triple-A gaming could finally deliver a truly compelling story.

Its story is excessively maudlin and self-serious to the point of pomposity - it's no exaggeration to say Naughty Dog gave us more laughs. And as pretty as the scenery is, we'd rather it didn't obstruct us so often when we're fighting; with a tight camera and no way of locking onto individual opponents, you sometimes end up cornered without realising, or struck by enemies you can't see. Combat should be an entertaining, empowering dance, and though it sometimes hits those heights, too often it can't resist throwing too many enemies into the mix. It's supposed to get messy, but not like this...When the world isn't getting in your way, however, it is Ghost of Tsushima's saving grace. [Issue#348, p.86]

Sucker Punch's PS4 tribute to Akira Kurosawa is gorgeous to behold but its sparse open-world and bloated mechanics has it falling short.

Unlike Assassin’s Creed, which always uses its historical settings as stages for its own eccentric stories, Ghost of Tsushima sticks so closely to the tropes and storylines of classic samurai fiction that it sometimes forgets to have a personality of its own. After I caught myself repeatedly checking my phone out of boredom during the story missions, I decided to abandon them entirely for a while and had a great time chasing foxes, bathing in hot springs, composing deeply average haiku and climbing mountains in search of a legendary bow instead. This is the most beautiful version of Japan ever conjured in code, and when running errands and slashing Mongol spearmen to bits gets tedious, you can always just drink in the view.

It has its moments, but like Jin Sakai in the opening hours, the past holds it back. It’s Open World: The Video Game. It’s far too easy, too - the lack of consequence for failure makes it feel like you’re just going through the motions. If you’ll excuse the wind-based pun, it’s a breeze. While playing it, I often found my mind wandering. By the third and final act, I just wanted it to be over. Like the samurai, Ghost of Tsushima feels like a relic of a bygone era.

Sucker Punch’s Kurosawa homage has atmosphere and sharp combat, but it's weighed down by the genre’s more perfunctory tropes.

Ghost of Tsushima is a fine open-world game. It ticks all the boxes of what you would expect it to do - but it doesn't do anything more than that. This is one of the last exclusive games for the PlayStation 4, and it's disappointing that it has nothing new to say.

And so, at the end of nearly 5,500 words of review, everything that I’ve written leaves me in a conundrum. On the one hand, just with The Last Of Us 2, I found the moment-to-moment gameplay of Ghost of Tsushima to be excellent and massively entertaining, if a little derivative at this point in time – the open world genre as a whole does need some new ideas. Tsushima doesn’t do anything that will surprise you if you’ve played any of Sony’s other first party games in recent years, but it does it all in a way that’s as refined and sharp as a samurai’s blade, and that is fundamentally enjoyable. I can’t stress that enough – this game is fundamentally enjoyable. However, as much as I had issues with The Last Of Us 2’s narrative, it was an American story told by Americans, and it had a thematic and tonal resonance as such. It was consistent and uncompromised. Ghost of Tsushima by contrast is a wild misfire with every narrative element it attempts, and it boils down to this: Sucker Punch decided to do a historical epic inspired by Kurosawa… and produced something that fails as both history and as a pastiche of Kurosawa. There are going to be a lot of people that love this game, but I don’t think that should be overlooked, nor dismissed as irrelevant to the quality of this both as artwork and entertainment product.