We recently released our thoughts on what we thought were the 5 biggest announcements at E3 2018. Of course, those aren’t the only things to watch out for. Other great titles that didn’t make the list deserve an honorable mention. Take Ghost of Tsushima, for example, which brings the open world stealth formula to Feudal Japan. Too late, Assassin’s Creed. Someone else beat you to it.
What is Ghost of Tsushima?
In case you missed the trailer from Paris Games Week 2017, Ghost of Tsushima is an open world action-adventure game. Set in the late 1200s, it follows the story of samurai Jin Sakai, played by Daisuke Tsuji as he defends the eponymous island of Tsushima from the first Mongol invasion. In order to drive back the enemy, he turns from the strict face-to-face code of honor of the samurai, to the subtle lethality of what can only be described as the ninja.
This is good news for stealth-action fans. Gamers have been clamoring for Ubisoft to take Assassin’s Creed to Feudal Japan for the longest time. But if Ghost of Tsushima does well — and it looks like it will — there would be no point in it. Regardless of how good Assassin’s Creed Origins turned out, the franchise has us all assassined-out by now. This looks like the exact fresh IP we need.
First Look at Ghost of Tsushima at E3 2018
This is our first look at Ghost of Tsushima in 7 months, and it looks amazing. The eponymous island of Tsushima is absolutely breathtaking, from the grassy hills to the sakura blossoms around a local village’s temple. Combat looks very smooth as well. In the trailer, the protagonist Jin effortlessly switches between attacking, dodging, and parrying. He even executes a couple of downed enemies without stopping his pace. However, it does appear to have some downsides. Ghost of Tsushima seems to suffer from the cliche where enemies never attack at the same time.
Unfortunately, the trailer only showcases the action gameplay while barely teasing the stealth aspect of the game. Jin clambers onto the roof of a temple to drop down on unsuspecting enemy soldiers (How the bad guys didn’t hear his footsteps on the tile roof is beyond us). He then follows with a chain of kill moves before a final soldier signals for backup. Overall, it could have been a more in-depth presentation of the stealth system, but it gets the job done.
The Real Life Roots of Ghost of Tsushima
The game draws parallels from the events of the First Mongol Invasion of Japan. On October 5 1274, Kublai Khan’s forces landed on Tsushima Island and slaughtered its defending force, effectively winning the first battle of the invasion. Whether Jin Sakai is based on a real person is currently unknown. However, it does make for an interesting story: a noble warrior turned assassin in his quest for revenge.
The game does not appear to be a complete realism build however. The real life samurai armor at the time was called the o-yoroi, and featured a box-like build, rather than the sleeker, more popular lamellar armors we are more accustomed to seeing. Ninja also dressed differently, wearing a plain black suit with few embellishments if any. It’s also interesting to note that the Japanese swordsmiths did not craft true katanas until after the First Invasion. Still, suspension of disbelief comes into play. If it’s cool and does not take away from the plot, then you’ll hear no complaints from us.