Ghost Of Tsushima REVIEW: 7 Ups & 2 Downs

Sucker Punch's samurai epic is another huge win for PlayStation.

by Ewan Paterson
Sony Interactive Entertainment

Ghost of Tsushima is the latest effort from Infamous developers Sucker Punch Productions, and only their second full release to grace the PlayStation 4 since 2014's Infamous: Second Son. That's a lot of years to spend crafting the ultimate samurai experience, and while Ghost of Tsushima isn't without its faults, it's another superb first-party offering for Sony's current gen console.

Set in 13th century feudal Japan, in the midst of the Mongol Invasions, Tsushima puts players in the shoes of Jin Sakai, a samurai who - faced with insurmountable odds - is forced to abandon his honourable ways and become the 'Ghost', a ninja-like spectre who utilises every dirty trick in the book to force the Mongols off his homeland.

It's a wonderfully realised journey - a case where the gameplay illuminates the narrative just as much as the cutscenes - and it's likely still that players will find themselves just as torn up about the decisions they make in combat as Jin is. He's a samurai. He should be better. But what do you do when an enemy doesn't respect you? Do you stand your ground and be principled, or do you make a sacrifice and fight on their level? It's a compelling question that Tsushima levels from start to end, and one that makes the game as much a tragedy as it is a war epic; equal parts Throne of Blood, than just purely Yojimbo.

It isn't flawless, but Ghost of Tsushima is another rousing effort from Sucker Punch, and a fine bookend to the PlayStation 4...

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Content Producer/Presenter

WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.