Ghost of Tsushima - E3 2018

The past week has been a real treat for avid gamers, with the latest gaming developments and updates unveiled in E3 2018. Regardless of your personal preferences, some games are bound to catch your eye.

Ghost of Tsushima, an upcoming PS4 game, was first revealed during the Paris Games Week in October 2017. I have read extensively on the history of the samurai and thoroughly enjoyed Nioh on PS4, so this naturally grabbed my attention. While details were scant, we do know that the game will be based on the Mongol invasion of the Japanese island of Tsushima in 1274.

We see our protagonist, a samurai in Tsushima, being held captive by the Mongolian commander. He survives, fighting back against the invaders with explosives and stealth tactics akin to a ninja, also known as the Way of the Ghost.

The concept of an open world samurai game, set in 13th century feudal Japan, is indeed a refreshing concept by the developers, Sucker Punch Studios. The samurai has long been a Japanese cultural icon, alongside the ninja, geisha and Pikachu. This game would allow gamers to play out their fantasies as samurai, against the backdrop of the Mongol invasion. Read up on kamikaze for some historical context on how the invasion eventually turned out :)

Fast forward to E3 2018 last week, the developers have unveiled a gameplay demo for Ghost of Tsushima. I must say that the game looks breathtakingly good, from the wide open landscape, to the swirling leaves and the splattering mud and blood.

The demo shows our samurai protagonist, Jin Sakai, going about a side mission to save a monk who was being tortured by the Mongols. Combat is fluid and appears to be time-based strikes, counters and parries. The element of stealth is heavily featured, with Jin crouching behind the enemies and taking them out unaware. Buildings can be scaled with grappling hooks and multiple enemies can be taken out in similar fashion to Batman: Arkham Knight's fear takedown.

As of now, we still do not know if the game world would be fully open or if story progression would still be in a linear fashion. It would also be interesting to see if there would be any skill tree or build for gamers to explore, in their bid to strengthen their character.

While no release date has been announced yet, I like what I see so far and will be eagerly anticipating the release of this game (end 2019 maybe?). Keeping my fingers and toes crossed!