Hello and welcome back to my blog!
Jin Sakai was an honorable Samurai, but due to the Mongol invasion and the brutal tactics they used, our hero had to change his ways too and become a Ghost, an assassin who can hide and take down enemies from the back. It was an emotional transformation for Jin, and his uncle would not like this way, but to rescue his uncle and take control of the island of Tsushima back, Jin has to become a ghost and choose this path.
It was refreshing to see that a Samurai game has this level of stealth mechanisms. The environment is made for it too. There are tall grasses in most parts capable of hiding you well from the enemies. You can crawl under the floor or go on rooftops to assassinate enemies from the top.
One of the mission gives you a new attire that aide with this stealth approach as well. Make you less visible from enemies too. You can see the Ronin's attire, which is a one step closer to becoming the ghost. I love to have it equipped and use stealth while clearing outposts.
Each outpost have a bonus objective as well like killing 3 enemies with bow or taking down enemies with bombs etc. They add a bit more fun to the outposts.
Becoming the Ghost required us to go straight into the Mongol territory and free the blacksmith. We didn't go swords swings, but the objective was to sneak into the base and get him out alive. We got transported inside the base with the help of a local trader, and once we were in, we had to be sneaky and find the blacksmith and get him out alive. This place was full of Mongols, and we had no other option but to be sneaky.
Mongol patrols are everywhere, and I love the honorable standoffs, but a stealthy approach is satisfying too. Bow and arrows help a lot in this case. You can even use a Fire arrow on the Pampas grass, and the fire will spread, dealing extra damage to the enemies. Be careful, not to burn yourself... I am guilty of doing that lol.
I already told about the stealth kills using arrows, but there are many other weapons and equipment used for stealth kills. My favorite are the Ghost weapons. These are what makes Jin, much more than a samurai.
Ghost Weapons
Being able to craft bombs and sticky bombs is fine but the smoke bomb is the most impressive one. You can use it during combat, and it will make you hide again... this makes it so overpowering. Once you use it you can use the chain assassination to kill multiple enemies again. Very handy but you only have a couple of them or it will be just game-breaking.
Kunai are very helpful too, they break enemy stances and hits multiple targets. Very useful when you are surrounded by multiple enemies.
There are some nice features to the game which are not necessary but just good to have. One of those is the ability to change weather with your flute. I just have one melody unlocked which clears the sky and make the weather calm.
I use it to change the weather and make it bright. I feel like the environment looks so beautiful when it is bright and sunny. The colors pop out nicely.
One complaint I have about the game is the lack of epic boss fights and duels. There are some fights like the one below, with leaders. But they are nowhere close to being challenging. But the camera focus on the enemy makes it good. It looks epic and the music pumps you even more.
I wonder how much harder these duels get when you are on the maximum difficulty. Normally, they feel pretty easy. Dodges and parries are not hard at all, and with proper charms, they can be even easier. In hindsight, because I have done a lot of side activities and upgraded my armour and blade, maybe these fights have become a bit easier? In any case, combat in this game feels so damn smooth and satisfying.
The biggest praise will go to the open world and graphics of the game. I am enjoying it a lot and every frame is a beautiful painting that I love to look at again and again.
Thanks for reading...
- All the content is mine unless otherwise stated.
- Screenshots are from the game, Ghost of Tsushima.