Ghost of Tsushima DIRECTOR’S CUT

This game is how every triple A game should be. This is my 4th time playing through it(maybe more), and my first time on PC and wow the game is yet again blowing me away with the amazing graphics and combat. This game is top tier and will probably be cherished forever in the gaming community
If you are considering getting this game please do! Enjoy every bit of this game and enjoy the side content as well.

I'm 62 pushing 63. I've been a gamer since King's Quest and Ultima. It seems rare these days that something captures my attention the way it did before. Those late to all-night gaming sessions are rare.
But this game has done that. Open-world RPG ticks my boxes and this one is so beautiful. I forgo my horse just to enjoy the journey. The meditative moments are such a nice touch. The ambient music is very pleasing and augments the visuals very well.
The side quests are well done and although many are 'rescue X from Y' scenarios I haven't gotten tired of them. The climbing and jumping are well done and I don't make stupid mistakes because of wonky control.
I am not adept at combat but this game feels very natural on a mouse/KB.
Overall, it's been a lot of fun so far.

In all of my many years of playing Videogames, across many platforms, over 10,000+ hours of playtime total I haven’t come across many masterpieces.
However, Ghost of Tsushima is more than a masterpiece. It’s is ART.
The combat system in Ghost of Tsushima has got to be the smoothest of any game I have ever played. No hiccups, no jittery movements. Every button and action used smoothly transitions from one to the next and honestly it’s just amazing.
The game direction is the best I have ever seen. No stupid marker on the screen in your face. No UI for the most part of travelling. The game uses the wind to guide you through Tsushima and Iki Island. It adds a level of immersion I hadn’t ever thought possible in a game.
The game itself is beautiful. Everywhere you go in this game and in any weather looks fantastic that a screenshot from anywhere anytime can look like PURE CINEMA. The trees, the grass, the sun as it sheds its light on everything just looks… wow!
Throughout my gameplay of this game I have encountered only two bugs. On Iki island there was a rock and you could see a few pixel gap where you could see through the world. But honestly it is super easy to miss. The other was a fault of my personal settings so I won’t include it.
The story is one that hits home for me. Balancing what is right and what is not and of one’s own honour. It is amazing. Literally goosebumps whenever I play or watch the game. I bought Ghost of Tsushima in a real tough time in my life and had no spoilers and thus NO REGRETS.
The music is on another level. I’ve never really stepped into the Japanese genre of music before and this game has it dialled up to 100x. The music gives goosebumps every time, it matches the feel and the action the game is going for at every turn. It is hard to put into words how good it is. How AMAZING it is!
Japanese culture is somewhat inaccurate as the whole Honour theme wasn’t prevalent until 200 years after the Mongolians attempted to invade the mainland after conquering Tsushima and Iki. But their faith, their traditions, the way the armour looks and how many times you hit an enemy with your katana to kill them is really realistic. As blades back then were too thin to cause real damage.
This has changed my opinion on games and is officially my favourite game of All Time!
I wholly Recommend You Buy It!

If you want to do all side content, the game can get very repetitive. Other than that, solid AAA experience, superb art direction, fleshed out gameplay and very optimized port.
Not sure I will remember all of the characters in the future, but for sure the music and visuals will stick with me for a while. Excited for the next entry.

this game?
it’s like your monitor got baptized in samurai tears.
every frame is a painting, and every leaf is judging your life choices.
combat?
clean. smooth. not a soulslike trauma session.
you feel like a samurai — not a punching bag with a stamina bar.
grinding? nah.
you level up just by existing and slicing dudes with honor.
and the story?
bro i cried in a haiku.
the vibes are heavy, the characters go deep, and the plot got more drama than your group chat.
10/10 would get lost in a bamboo forest again.
ghost of tsushima on PC is not just a game.
it’s a vibe.

I think this is my first real review...
I have found it difficult recently to complete games. I lose interest before I can finish the main quest line and the title fades away into obscurity in my library. Some times, I will admit, I concentrate too much on side quest tomfoolery, but I still feel that many games just lose my attention. Ghost of Tsushima was NOT one of those games! It kept me engaged and I cared about the main character. The combat was thrilling and cinematic. Being able to choose between assassin and samurai play styles helped keep things fresh. I did not play it this way, but the option for black and white was a very neat touch. I even felt the need to tell my wife that this was one of the best games I have ever played.
This one gets 10/10 from me.

Ah yes, the Japanese Assassin's Creed Ubisoft wishes it had made.
Just how the Spider-man games make you FEEL like Spiderman this game really makes you FEEL like a Samurai.
After playing Ghost of Tsushima, I decided to start taking Kendo, laido, and Kenjutsu classes. I will admit, it was stupid to get into a martial art after playing a video game. However, I realise that this is something I should have started doing a while ago. I really enjoy it and it has helped me a lot in defending myself from my wife’s boyfriend!
It seems to be what the newer Assassin's Creed games were trying to do, it's just executed with more integrity. I first played the game during the pandemic and it was the perfect game for me during lockdown. I would just wander the countryside and take in the scenery. I would chase foxes to their shrine, and wear different outfits depending on my mood. I would zone out to the ambient shakuhachi flutes, and bang my head to the taiko drums. I would compose haiku under the stars, and perfect my showdown stances. The whole game felt organic and natural. When I finished the game, living there in that little hut, with all the trophies, I indulged in the memories of each one, like having a glass of wine with an old friend. It was bittersweet but fulfilling, and I still remember it fondly.
When I originally played it in 2020, I felt it was my favorite game of that decade. Have yet to play a game in the last 2 years I love more. Those touches were MAGICAL for the first hours. The first time I wrote a haiku was an experience that made me reevaluate how I view video games. The whole thing was like I was playing one of my beloved Samurai movies. I would get excited when I saw the Fox dens, since it meant there was a chance I could pet one.(love giving animals scratches in games) The stoic characters felt authentic to the the type of old school Samurai movies they were seemingly inspired from. And having the guiding wind to help you to your objectives was a very nice touch and really innovative way to get rid of quest markers. The mythical tales are excellent, and so are the duels that come with the quests. This is where the game really shines, as it is able to combine the best of the great visuals and good combat into memorable segments.
The game sure has several of the open world tropes that studios are apparently tied to these days, But it’s a lot less bloated than the recent AC games. To me it felt like the perfect size and length to play through and not get bored toward the end. And to me it kinda feels how AC would feel if they took the time to make their games well. Ghost of Tsushima has a level of care built into it that Ubisoft games don't. There's no micro transactions. All cosmetics are unlocked through gameplay. The UI is minimalist. Both combat and stealth are equally viable and fun. It's a well built game. The combat, the scenery and visuals, and just kinda the way everything feels is just better. In AC I would always be rushing from A to B trying to get the traveling over with. In Tsushima I’m always just slowly walking my horse place to place, looking around, soaking everything in and just vibing.
The best aspect of this game, is the non liner progression, kinda like GTA, you can go pick what storyline you want to progress in, and you can switch at any time, so the freedom of quest choice is liberating. The world again is just visually stunning, and the combat starts off slow but develops into something fascinating. The combat also reinforces one of the central themes of the story: that by being the “ghost” you are slowly losing your nobility, your samurai “soul”. You are granted a number of ghost tricks, such as throwing knives or explosives. And at times these are absolutely essential in combat, especially when you reach the second part of the island and the difficulty jumps up.
Overall, one of my favorite games in a long time, it is a gorgeous romp through Japan with some exciting ideas tossed into a fantastic world. Enjoyed it enough to play it three times in 3 different platforms. It's an easy recommendation to anyone who likes immersive sims.
10/10