Ghost of Tsushima Review Roundup

The embargo for Ghost of Tsushima reviews has officially lifted, and the general consensus so far seems to be fairly positive. The PlayStation 4 video game from Sucker Punch Productions is set to release later this week on Friday, July 17th, and sees protagonist Jin Sakai struggle with honor and tradition versus survival throughout the course of the samurai action title. As of writing, Ghost of Tsushima currently sits at a Metacritic score of 84 with a number of extremely effusive reviews as well as some fair-to-middling ones.

Notably, ComicBook.com’s own review gave Ghost of Tsushima a 4 out of 5. “Whether you want to just fight to grow your legend, see your companions’ tales through to their emotional conclusions, or just see what’s over the next hill, there’s no wrong answer when you’re asking yourself what you should be doing in Ghost of Tsushima,” our review reads in part.

Here’s how Sucker Punch describes Ghost of Tsushima on its website:

“The year is 1274. Samurai warriors are the legendary defenders of Japan—until the fearsome Mongol Empire invades the island of Tsushima, wreaking havoc and conquering the local population. As one of the last surviving samurai, you rise from the ashes to fight back. But honorable tactics won’t lead you to victory. You must move beyond your samurai traditions to forge a new way of fighting—the way of the Ghost—as you wage an unconventional war for the freedom of Japan.”

What do you think of what we’ve seen of Ghost of Tsushima so far? Are you excited to check it out when it officially releases this Friday? Let us know in the comments, or hit me up directly on Twitter at @rollinbishop to talk all things gaming! And keep reading to see what various critics had to say about the upcoming video game!

Game Informer – Matt Miller

“Ghost of Tsushima captures the mystique, fierce violence, and barely contained emotional angst of the great samurai films. The line of inspiration is clearly purposeful; Sucker Punch included a gorgeous ‘Kurosawa Mode,’ which sets a black-and-white, film-grain, audio-treated effect that doubles down on the classic cinematic vibe. It’s well worth turning on, if only for a few missions. But even beyond that cool feature, this is a game that nails the aesthetic it’s shooting for, firmly establishing itself as the medium’s defining samurai saga.”

You can check out Game Informer’s full review here.

GameSpot – Edmond Tran

“Ghost of Tsushima’s story hits hard in the game’s third and final act, and ends in spectacular fashion. It left me with the same kinds of strong emotions I felt at the end of all my favourite samurai film epics, and had me eager to watch them all again. The game hits a lot of fantastic cinematic highs, and those ultimately lift it above the trappings of its familiar open-world quest design and all the innate weaknesses that come with it–but those imperfections and dull edges are definitely still there. Ghost of Tsushima is at its best when you’re riding your horse and taking in the beautiful world on your own terms, armed with a sword and a screenshot button, allowing the environmental cues and your own curiosity to guide you. It’s not quite a Criterion classic, but a lot of the time it sure looks like one.”

You can check out GameSpot’s full review here.

Polygon – Caroyln Petit

“Ghost of Tsushima, the new open-world adventure from Infamous developer Sucker Punch Productions, has a wonderful asset in the island setting that gives the game its name. This fictionalized version of Tsushima is a vast, beautiful place thankfully not limited by strict adherence to historical or geographical accuracy, but instead tinged with myth and magic.”

You can check out Polygon’s full review here.

Kotaku – Ian Walker

“Ghost of Tsushima is a game of compulsion. Like most open-world adventures, everything is designed to get you to explore what’s over the next hill or across that nearby river. The map is peppered with question marks, many of which surround towns and temples in which you meet allies and upgrade equipment. Helpful diversions like hot springs and fox dens have obvious environmental tells. The wind, a major contributor to the game’s overall aesthetic, literally guides you to objectives. But there’s a big difference between scouring a map to completion and actually having a good time, no matter how obsessive a person you may be.”

You can check out Kotaku’s full review here.

IGN – Mitchell Saltzman

“Ghost of Tsushima is an enormous and densely packed samurai adventure that often left me completely awestruck with both its visual spectacle and excellent combat. By steadily introducing new abilities instead of stat upgrades, its swordplay manages to stay challenging, rewarding, and fun throughout the entire 40 to 50 hours that it took me to beat the campaign. A few aspects are surprisingly lacking in polish in comparison to other first-party Sony games, especially when it comes to enemy AI and the stealth part of its stealth/action split. Still this is an extraordinary open-world action-adventure game that solves several issues that have long gone unaddressed in the genre, while also just being an all around samurai slashin’ good time.”

You can check out IGN’s full review here.

GamesRadar+ – Rachel Weber

“You are not prepared for Ghost of Tsushima. Your eyeballs aren’t ready, your life isn’t ready, your soul isn’t ready. No matter how much of a Sucker Punch fan you are, no amount of playing the Infamous series could have prepared you for this epic game. It’s Assassin’s Creed Japan with a Red Dead Redemption 2 sized world and an entire library’s worth of Akira Kurosawa movies melted and shot directly into its veins. After days and days spent wandering forests, decapitating warlords, and stopping every now and again for a little toot of my flute, I still wanted more when the breathtaking finale signaled the end of Jin Sakai’s story.”

You can check out GamesRadar+’s full review here.

Eurogamer – Chris Tapsell

“Quite early on in Ghost of Tsushima, you’ll be introduced to its dramatic, one-on-one duels. Two warriors, a dozen yards apart, face each other down across the divide. Up close: narrowing eyes and crumpled brows. Hands hover at hips, knees bend, feet press down into the earth, muscle, sinew and fingers tighten. Then – bang! – combat. It’s a cracking moment, especially the first time you give one a try, and it’s also a cracking example of what Ghost of Tsushima’s all about. These heightened standoffs begin with shot-for-shot facsimiles of that famous scene from Yojimbo, an Akira Kurosawa classic that’s both a mirror of older westerns and an inspiration for the ’60s greats.”

You can check out Eurogamer’s full review here.

GamesBeat – Mike Minotti

“For years, Assassin’s Creed fans have been hoping for that Ubisoft would use the samurai era of Japan. Ghost of Tsushima is, in a lot of ways, that dream realized, even if it isn’t an actual Assassin’s Creed. And honestly, it’s probably better this way.”

You can check out GamesBeat’s full review here.

VideoGamer.com – Josh Wise

“The game’s fawning over Kurosawa betrays its quiet failing. While playing, I kept thinking of Sanjuro, of the climactic scene, in which the hero bests a furious rival in front of a captive audience of young would-be samurai. ‘That was brilliant!’ one of them says, as the blood pours out in a silvery stream. ‘Idiot! What do you know about anything?’ snaps the hero, bereft at the squandering of life, before cautioning them: ‘The best sword is kept in its sheath.’ Yeah right, not a chance. Sucker Punch doesn’t reach the melancholy of Kurosawa—the notion that below the elegant framing and wide-shot tranquility is a dribbling run-off of waste and sorrow. Nor could it, in a blockbuster video game that demands a generous supply of action and flash. Still, when you’re cantering through its serene peaks, reenacting your favourite samurai-movie battles, it’s difficult not to come to a simple conclusion. That was brilliant!”

You can check out VideoGamer.com’s full review here.

VGC – Nate Fox

“While the studio has clearly studied this recent history, and incorporates many of its lessons, Ghost remains weighed down by the genre’s more perfunctory tropes. The combat almost lifts the whole experience, and the luscious expanses of wilderness are frequently wondrous. But the game needs something more engaging to frame that action and fill that space. No quantity of foxes can compensate for that.”

You can check out VGC’s full review here.