Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut

Ghost of Tsushima for PC is an award-winning open-world action-adventure game with a third-person perspective. It's set in ancient feudal Japan, but the problems faced by the protagonist will be easily understood by Western and modern gamers.

Game Information

The game's plot is a 13th-century Japanese epic, with a beautifully detailed setting that includes animals including songbirds, including golden ones that not-so-subtly guide you when you get lost or distracted, crickets and even foxes that you can pet, and Shinto shrines.

You are the samurai lord Jin Sakai and are tasked with repelling the so-far successful Mongol invaders (under Khotun Khan, who is the grandson of the acclaimed Genghis) to reclaim your land and avenge the insult to your home which was invaded and surrendered.

However, to succeed, you must make some difficult decisions: do you prefer to adhere to the strict, honorable protocols of the samurai, or do the morally "right" thing? As you transform from Jin, the standing samurai, into "The Ghost," you'll gather a diverse group of allies as you travel, uncover their backstories, and help them resolve their issues.

Your allies include Sensei Ishikawa, the famed samurai archer searching for his missing student; Masako, a grieving mother seeking revenge on those who killed her family; and Yuna, the thief who saved your life at the beginning of the story, who will do anything to save her brother from the Mongols.

Things to know

As you play through the story arc, side quests and NPCs (non-player characters) provide guidance, inviting you to wander off and enjoy the beautifully rendered scenery even more. There are also moments of restful tranquility where you can simply sit back and enjoy nature.

For less tranquil moments, you have a katana for self-defense and attack, among other weapons. (More on weapons below.)
You will choose to play as one of four available classes and can play in single-player mode, which is actually for one or two players, or co-op mode, which is for two or four players, or you can try your hand at the multiplayer version.

You can play in English or Japanese with optional English subtitles; however, lip readers will quickly notice that the mouth movements are for English, regardless of the language chosen. You can also opt for Kurosawa mode to evoke the black-and-white classics of classic director Akira Kurosawa, who gave the world its enduring image of the Japanese samurai with his films about that chivalrous world.

Side quests are known as Tales: there are standard tales based on real life(ish) and also Mystic Tales that explore the more supernatural side of things. Combat is, as you might expect, mostly katana-based, and you can dispatch an enemy with a few skillful strikes. But you can also be dispatched, so you'll need to learn to block, parry, and dodge, as well as swing your sword wildly. High scores improve your experience, making precision play worthwhile.

There's no on-screen map; in fact, there are no markers at all in the open world. While this makes for an immersive gaming experience, it can also be frustrating—until you realize the game is full of hints and reminders: the wind subtly blows in the direction of the recommended travel. Occasionally, things like plumes of smoke, flights of birds, swirling leaves, etc., will give you a slightly more urgent call to move.

You'll travel primarily on horseback and can use grappling hooks when you need to climb or access something out of your reach.

What weapons?

As you progress, you'll unlock increasingly impressive armor, costumes, and trinkets, many of which can be upgraded. These perks include reduced damage, reduced enemy awareness—they take longer to notice you—better health, faster healing, or increased melee damage. The only exceptions are head and face customizations, which are purely cosmetic.
Katana: Your traditional samurai sword, which powers up as you find power-ups and upgrades, literally giving you the edge in battle. Bows: Bows and arrows were the favored weapons of the time, but they come with an added bonus. Different types of bows have different effects on the enemy, so have fun experimenting with them and be careful to stock up on your quiver. Stealth: While not traditionally considered a weapon, players will quickly realize that this stealth is designed less to help you outrun your enemies and more to allow you to get into an ideal ambush position. Firecrackers: If your stealth tactics aren't working, throw a couple of firecrackers to distract or lure them while you sneak up and increase your body count. Smoke Bombs: Like firecrackers, but longer-lasting, smoke bombs can help you set up a set or, if you don't feel like fighting at the moment, sneak past an enemy camp. Kunai: These ferocious-looking stabbing darts were originally thought to be masonry tools, adapted for self-defense. Now, and in this game, they're ideal daggers, throwing knives, and generally sharpened points that help you take down multiple enemies at once.