Ghost Of Tsushima REVIEW: 7 Ups & 2 Downs

1. There's A Frustrating Lack Of Proper Cutscenes In Most Tales

Ghost of Tsushima Non-Essential Cutscene
Sony Interactive Entertainment

For all that Tsushima is one of the most cinematic games I've ever encountered, that mantra can be lost in translation in and out of gameplay.

Generic, fade-to-black cutscenes where Jin and an NPC talk while the camera switches between three fixed positions are common, and are really at odds with Tsushima's filmic sensibilities. Actual cutscenes are extremely well presented, but they don't form the bulk of your interactions with the many characters you'll encounter while playing the game.

Likewise, while other studios have long since mastered the art of seamlessly making the transition from cutscene to gameplay, or by including unique animations so as to keep the player immersed in the experience, Sucker Punch always seem to spring for a quick fade-to-black instead. It feels more than a little dated, and - when everything else about the game is presented so immaculately - more than a little disappointing.

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All that said however, Tsushima marks a strong return for Sucker Punch, and a fine way for Sony to close the book on the PlayStation 4. There might be clear areas to improve, but Jin Sakai's story is uniquely compelling, and one that shouldn't be missed.

Final Rating - ★★★★☆

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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.