Like many of the PlayStation exclusives this generation,Ghost of Tsushimahas come out to both great reviews and amazing fan reception. Sucker Punch Productions' samurai epic has become the PS4’s fastest-selling new IP in its seven-year lifespan, even at the tail end of the console’s life,. It’s clear there’s been a severe lack of engrossing samurai games for a long time, andGhost of Tsushimais just one of many recent efforts to bring back the samurai game.
Titles likeNiohandSekiroheadlined the recent resurgence of samurai-inspired games, but both games dipped into supernatural elements in tandem with the classic samurai media aesthetic. Some of the classic samurai-inspired games likeWay of the Samuraior evenSamurai Warriorsfocused more on posing an interesting and grounded depiction of samurai history. Then there’s games likeSamurai ShodownandFor Honorwhich work to capture the fun of samurai sword combat in a less-than-realistic format. WhileGhost of Tsushimais one of the most popular games recently, the game also marks the peak of the samurai game resurgence in modern gaming.
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Touches of Japanese Folklore
WhileGhost of Tsushimais the most recent mainstream samurai game, it’s not the first game to start the modern resurgence of samurai games. BothNioh/Nioh 2andSekiro: Shadows Die Twiceboth capture what it feels like to be a samurai and explore a feudal Japan setting in modern graphical detail.The only main difference between these two andGhost of Tsushimais that these games lean more into Japanese folklore and mythology, adding in supernatural elements as opposed to a realistic approach. WhereGhost of Tsushimauses Khotun Khan as a grounded main villain, bothSekiroandNiohhave creatures and supernatural beings as the main antagonists of those games.
That being said, all of these games capture the same samurai-inspired aesthetic thatGhost of Tsushimaachieved, only with the added supernatural flair of Japanese art and folklore.WithSekiroandNiohbeing “soulsborne” games, many typically associate both games with a darker and more muted visual style. The truth is thatSekiroandNiohin many ways capture a lot of the bright and warm colors of samurai media to directly contrast theirDark Souls-esque dark corners as well.Ghost of Tsushimahas plenty of vistas and moments throughout the game that are similar toNiohandSekiro, but the supernatural aspects still separate those games fromGhostdistinctly.
A Grounded Samurai Tale
Ghost of Tsushimais also a heavily story-driven game despite being an open world action game. While the game’s open world encourages exploration and wonder,the avenging of Tsushima against the Mongolsis still the main conflict driving players forward.Tsushima’s narrative is grounded in reality compared to the aforementioned titles, but certainly isn’t the first to do so. TheWay of the Samuraigames in particular were also heavily grounded in late Japanese samurai history. Not only that, butWay of the Samurai’s story was particularly innovative as one of the earliest story-driven games on PS2 to have a branching storyline with multiple endings.
Comparatively,Ghost of Tsushima’s story isn’t revolutionary or deep by any means. Jin Sakai’s revenge tale is one of many story-driven revenge tales in the gaming sphere,particularlyAssassin’s Creed 2comes to mind as a prime comparison. Jin’s struggle with maintaining honor in tandem with staying alive is the most interesting part of the narrative, which is exactly whatWay of the Samuraidives deep into. The game’s overarching conflict is about the heavily militarized government outlawing and abolishing the samurai way of life. The many branching storylines inWay of the Samuraiallow players to experience the life of a wandering Ronin their own way. In terms of story,Way of the Samuraiis easily one of the deepest and most compelling samurai stories in games.
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Flashy Sword Combat
Then there’sgames likeSamuraiShodownorFor Honor, which encapsulate the stereotypical combat skills of samurai in games. Both games allow players to fulfill the base power fantasy of being a highly trained samurai proficient with a katana. TheSamuraiShodowngames exemplify this notion absolutely, as a fighting game dedicated to samurai duels and flashy sword combat. Same deal withFor Honor, even though the game is a mish-mash of iconic warriors throughout history. The samurai classes inFor Honorutilize sword clashes and parries for defense, alongside plenty of dexterity for quick and graceful slashes to take out enemies.
Ghost of Tsushima’s combat is similar in the sense that it emphasizes the grace and speed of typical samurai combat. WhileGhost of Tsushima’s combat is a bit more versatilebecause of its open world nature, the game’s combat doesn’t necessarily have the same type of competitive depth thatSamurai ShodownandFor Honorhave. That’s not to sayGhost of Tsushima’s combat is simplistic by comparison, since players can significantly change tactics by swapping battle stances and employing a variety of offensive and defensive tactics. In this same sense, it gamifies the combat in a way that’s realistic but still fun for players.
The lineage of samurai games is varied, andGhost of Tsushimapulls inspiration from a lot of the games throughout history in the same subgenre. Regardless,Ghost of Tsushimawill likely stand on its own as a truly remarkable samurai game compared to its predecessors. The game certainly deserves all the love it’s been receiving lately.
Ghost of Tsushimais available now on PS4.
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