Ever wished you could travel back in time as a samurai, fighting to protect their home and honor?
Ghost of Tsushima
is a game that lets you do just that! You play as
Jin
Sakai, a samurai who must face the scary Mongol invaders all by himself. The game world is so pretty and feels so real, that you'll forget you're playing a game.
Now, the Director's Cut version of Ghost of
Tsushima
is here, and it's even better than before! The graphics are so good, that you'll feel like you're really walking through the beautiful island of Tsushima.
There's also new stuff to do and discover, making the story even more interesting. Plus, the game has been tuned to run super smoothly on your PC, at least that’s what the makers promise. So join me as I embark on a journey through the Director’s Cut, exploring its captivating narrative, stunning world, and myriad improvements, to see how well all this plays out.
A tale of honor and sacrifice
Set in 1274, Ghost of Tsushima casts you as Jin Sakai, one of the last remaining samurai on the island of Tsushima during the first Mongol invasion of Japan. As Jin, you must master the way of the samurai as well as adopt stealthier, more dishonourable tactics to become "The Ghost" and repel the Mongol forces led by the ruthless Khotun Khan.
The story is a classic samurai tale filled with themes of honor, sacrifice, and the internal struggle between tradition and pragmatism in the face of an overwhelming threat. While Jin's character arc of abandoning his rigid samurai code to protect his home is a bit predictable, it's elevated by memorable supporting characters like the thief Yuna, renowned archer
Sensei Ishikawa
, and your honourable uncle Lord Shimura. The cast is well-acted both in English and Japanese voice tracks (though I recommend the Japanese audio for full immersion). Overall, it's an engrossing narrative anchored by strong character performances that keep you invested throughout the lengthy campaign.
Side quests that matter
However, what really makes the story resonate is how deftly it's interwoven with the open world. Rather than just dotting the map with simplistic side quests, Ghost of Tsushima weaves meaningful, often emotionally hefty side tales that flesh out Jin's allies and Tsushima itself. Special Mythic Tales go even further, immersing you in the island's folklore through lavishly animated vignettes before sending you on fantastical quests for legendary armour and techniques. It's a masterful example of marrying open-world and narrative design, and one of the game's greatest strengths.
The way of the samurai (and the ghost)
At its core, Ghost of Tsushima is a tale of two playstyles: Samurai and Ghost. As an honourable samurai, Jin can challenge foes to cinematic standoffs and engage in Arkham-style swordplay, parrying and dodging attacks while switching between four stances to exploit enemy weaknesses. It's an extremely satisfying combat system enhanced by crunchy audio and visual feedback, stylish flourishes, and the ability to end fights quickly with well-timed strikes.
On the Ghost side, Jin can slink through pampas grass to stealthily assassinate enemies, use tools like smoke bombs and firecrackers to disorient groups, and terrorise the Mongols with fear-inducing ghost weapons. While not as robust as contemporaries like Assassin's Creed, the stealth is serviceable and provides a welcome bit of variety.
Tsushima: A world of wonder
When not crossing swords, Ghost of Tsushima offers a wealth of exploration and side activities to engage with. The world itself is breathtaking, a lush, picturesque patchwork of grasslands, forests, mountains and settlements that artfully guides you to points of interest with visual landmarks and natural cues like wild animals and the wind itself rather than overloading the map with icons. Plentiful collectibles like records, banners, and artefacts help flesh out the world and culture.
Pillars of Honor test your reflexes with climbing challenges, while soothing hot springs and haiku spots provide respite with light gameplay and gorgeous scenery. Of particular note are the Fox's Dens, adorable fox companions that lead you to Inari shrines to expand your charms and buff your stats. It's consistently rewarding to explore off the beaten path, and the island of Tsushima constantly impresses with its serene beauty and meticulous, handcrafted feel.
A port well-ported
Ghost of Tsushima was always a gorgeous game, but the
PC port
, simply put, elevates it to eye candy of the highest order, especially if you have the hardware to pump up the resolution and frame rate. On my rig sporting an Nvidia RTX 3080, Intel i7-10700K CPU, and 32GB of RAM, the game ran at a near-locked 60fps at 4K resolution with graphics settings maxed out.
Dropping down to 1800p allowed the frame rate to climb into 90-100fps territory, and 1440p breached 120fps and beyond. This is with Nvidia's DLSS upscaling, which works wonders in maintaining visual fidelity and sharpness even at lower base resolutions.
The art direction remains as arresting as ever, a romantic, painterly vision of feudal Japan with lush foliage, dramatic weather effects, and lighting that bathes everything in a soft, warm glow. Textures are crisp, draw distances vast, and special effects like swaying grass, fluttering leaves, and blood sprays give the world an incredibly dynamic, sumptuous feel. The PC port also adds highly configurable graphics settings, allowing you to fine tune the game's visuals to your liking.
One very welcome feature is PlayStation Network functionality, including a system-level overlay to view trophies, access voice chat, and link up with friends for Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, the included co-op multiplayer suite. It's a seamless, unobtrusive integration that provides the benefits of
Sony
's ecosystem without feeling tacked on.
Iki Island: A riveting new chapter
The Director's Cut bundles in a hefty chunk of DLC, including the Iki Island expansion, Legends co-op mode, digital mini art book, director's commentary, and Hero of Tsushima skin set.
Iki Island is the clear highlight, a full-fledged continuation of Jin's story that adds a sizable new map brimming with content. The narrative sees Jin travelling to the neighbouring island of Iki to stop a dangerous Mongol shaman known as "The Eagle," but also to confront the sins of clan Sakai's past on the island.
Without spoiling specifics, it's a more personal tale that delves deeper into Jin's backstory and psychology, sowing doubt in his adherence to bushido and culminating in a powerful climax. In addition to new story missions, the expansion also adds new enemy types like speedy swordswomen and hallucinogenic shamans, new skills and gear, additional mini-games, and an absolutely adorable cat you can recruit as a companion. It's an extremely generous expansion that feels like a proper sequel squeezed into a DLC package.
Legends: Mythic multiplayer action
Legends is Ghost of Tsushima's co-op multiplayer component, and while not as substantial as Iki Island, still provides a neat few hours of supernatural samurai action. Supporting matchmaking and online play for up to 4 players, Legends offers two gameplay modes: a narrative-driven series of missions starring a quartet of magic-wielding warriors, and a survival mode battling waves of enemies and completing objectives. It's a fun straightforward distraction with some cool twists on the single-player combat, like "empowered" ultimate attacks and the ability to revive allies. It may not keep you hooked for more than 5-6 hours, but as a free add-on, it's hard to complain.
Honor, redemption, and stunning vistas
Ghost of Tsushima was already one of the best open-world action games of the last generation, and the Director's Cut only improves on that strong foundation. With a generous offering of bundled DLC and excellent PC optimisations, this definitive edition is a must-play for anyone who slept on Jin Sakai's epic odyssey the first time around.
Even if you've visited Tsushima before, the Iki Island expansion and new graphical enhancements make it well worth a return trip.
Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut on PC
is an utterly engrossing samurai saga polished to a mirror sheen and an easy recommendation for fans of open-world adventures and meticulous world-building. While honor may die on Tsushima, this game's reputation as an all-time epic only grows stronger.
English (US) ·