As a history teacher, I love games that take us back in time. Kingdom Come: Deliverance and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes are great examples of titles that get the historical tone just right. Although the Sherlock Holmes series is also inspired by the works of HP Lovecraft, it perfectly captures the spirit of the early 20th century. For some reason, though, I was never drawn to Japanese history, let alone the feudal period. Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut completely changed that when I was able to immerse myself in the game on my PC. Available now on both PlayStation 5 and PC, Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut was developed for the version in question by Sucker Punch and Nixxes.
The year is 1274 and Khotun Khan (Genghis’ grandson) has invaded the Japanese island of Tsushima as a prelude to his landing on the main island. Jin Sakai, a brave samurai, fails in his attempt to protect his country and finds himself a lone warrior who must liberate Tsushima from the brutal Mongols while helping the island’s inhabitants and gathering several allies to support him in the final battle against the mighty Khotun Khan. This classic premise of the lone hero unleashed in an open world is a familiar one to the genre, and Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut doesn’t particularly stand out here. It all seems a little earlier, especially on PC, where nothing new has been added. Unfortunately, the allied characters also seem a little predictable. Mrs. Masako Adachi, for example, is driven by revenge against her family’s murderers, a classic motif. Kenji is the greedy villain with a heart of gold who often gets Jin into trouble. Many other characters fall into familiar stereotypes, making the story less engaging. During my playthrough, I saved the story missions for last as the narrative didn’t captivate me. While the story isn’t bad, it is a bit shallow. However, the game must be praised for its historical accuracy and authentic atmosphere, which clearly shows that Sucker Punch did a lot of research.
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If we compare the PlayStation 5 version with the PC version, the main game itself is identical. The differences are in the technical details. Graphically, Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut is a feast for the eyes on PC. Scaling allows the game to run well even on older machines. However, since I have an RTX 4090, I don’t think about it, but on my Steam Deck the game runs fine on medium settings. This means that the game will probably work on most older systems. With the latest generation of RTX cards, you can also use frame rendering to get even more frames per second. However, I tend to avoid this feature as the AI doesn’t always render the graphics correctly. It’s an option for those who want it, but a semi-modern graphics card will do as the game runs smoothly. Surprisingly, Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut doesn’t have ray tracing, a strange decision. That being said, we know what to expect from Nixxes, and here they deliver once again.
The game’s visual beauty is impressive. An opening sequence where Jin rides through a field of white flowers, running his hand through the plants as the soundtrack supports the moment is nothing short of magical. With all settings at maximum and at 60fps, it’s one of the most beautiful experiences in a game. Even on the Steam Deck, the game manages to maintain that magic. I clearly prefer style over technology, and Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut achieves that. The signaling system where wind, birds, and foxes guide Jin is brilliant and should inspire other game developers.
Another difference between the PC version and the PlayStation 5 version is the ability to use a mouse and keyboard, which works surprisingly well. Fast sequences that are often challenging with a keyboard and mouse work well. Archery is particularly fun to use the mouse for. Controls are generally good, but can be a little imprecise, such as in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, where Geralt is sometimes difficult to control. Thankfully, you can easily use your PlayStation controller through Steam.
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The combat system is the strongest card in Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut. Whether it’s sneaking around or raiding a base, it’s always entertaining. The freedom to attack in many different ways is fantastic, and even better on PC. The game’s skill system adds more depth to character development. For those who enjoy sneaking around, there’s a skill tree with various bombs and other deadly toys. If you’d rather take a more direct approach to freeing the poor Japanese peasants, there’s a special branch in the aforementioned skill tree that offers a number of cool moves you can use against your enemies. On top of that, you can also upgrade weapons and armor to make birds sing. It’s super deep, but also manageable. Well done, Sucker Punch.
Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut is a great adaptation of the PlayStation game and should be experienced for its magical atmosphere and combat system. Although the story and missions are familiar, the game is full of innovative design choices that I highly recommend.
