Ghost of Tsushima - Field

I’ve only been playing Ghost of Tsushima for a few short, sweet hours now, but by and large, I really like it. Only time will tell if I continue to enjoy myself throughout the duration of this adventure (its estimated completion time can be upwards of 30 hours), but I thought I would share of a list of things I immediate enjoy — my first impressions, if I will (and yes, I will.)

So without further ado, here’s a list of six things I like about Ghost of Tsushima in no particular order:

You can make Jin bow

Ghost of Tsushima - Bowing to a corpse

This first little detail is something that cannot be overstated enough: Too few games map a greeting to a button so the player can fire off a welcoming gesture whenever they see fit. Red Dead Redemption 2 was great at this, allowing Arthur Morgan to respond to passersby that would say hello or greet him in some way.

Ghost of Tsushima follows suit. However, with Ghost, they take it one step further and allow you to bow to objects like shrines. Plus, bowing to corpses will prompt Jin to say things like, “Your death will not be in vain,” or “You will be avenged.” Pretty cool, right?

Jin has a cute little butt

Ghost of Tsushima - Jin's butt

That’s right. Whenever Jin decides to take a soak in a hot spring, we are treated to a quick cutscene of his exposed hiney. Although I tend to like a little more back than what Jin’s got on offer, beggars can’t be choosers.

The female characters are just as badass as the male characters

Ghost of Tsushima - Dual at Tadayori's Rest

Pretty self-explanatory, this one. I am all for inclusion in video games, especially when it comes to breaking gender roles and subverting stereotypes. Is that accurate to the time period? What do I look like, a historian?

Either way, games are meant to be entertainment and not, say, a school textbook. They can tell whatever story they want, historical accuracy be damned.

Jin looks pretty cool when jumping

Ghost of Tsushima - Jin jumps

Truth be told, Jin looks pretty cool when doing most things. Still, video games have a tendency to include less-than-stellar jumping animations (Fallout, I’m looking at you), but I am happy to report that Jin does not fall victim to this debilitating disease (wack-jump-itis, as it’s commonly known in academic circles).

The game is freaking gorgeous

Ghost of Tsushima - Beauty

I mean, c’mon. Have you seen this frickin’ game?

Hello?! McFly?!

Ghost of Tsushima was released after The Last of Us Part 2

Ghost of Tsushima - Shrine

The Last of Us Part 2 was released June 19, 2020. Ghost of Tsushima was released July 17, 2020. Anyone who’s vaguely familiar of the concepts of before and after can conclude that Ghost of Tsushima came out after The Last of Us 2. As it turns out, that’s when we needed it the most.

After ultimately concluding that I don’t much care to finish The Last of Us Part 2, Ghost of Tsushima comes as a much needed palette-cleanser. It’s like a sugary dose of dessert goodness after a long slog of liver and onions for dinner.

Conclusion

And that concludes my initial list of things that I personally like in Ghost of Tsushima. I’ve not mentioned the fantastic combat system, enjoyable voice acting, or pleasant score, but I don’ t think I have to. While all of those things are quite good, Ghost of Tsushima‘s true brilliance can be found in some of its tiniest details.

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