Ghost Of Tsushima REVIEW: 7 Ups & 2 Downs

6. Combat Is Deep, Satisfying And Suitably Cinematic

Possibly the most surprising about Ghost of Tsushima is how deep the combat goes. It's very much of the post-Souls era, and has a lot in common with the combat system Respawn Entertainment opted to go with in last year's Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, only deeper.

Just as you feel as though you've gotten to grips with Jin's arsenal and skill-set, or the range of enemies on offer, Sucker Punch always manage to throw a wrench into proceedings. There were times where playing the game I worried that combat would start to feel repetitive, but just as that was about to happen, out came a new enemy, combat stance or mechanic to consider. It keeps the player on their toes, and it must be said that the combat itself is fantastic.

Sucker Punch took instruction from sword expert David Ishimaru to lend another layer of authenticity to the game's swordplay mechanics, and it truly shows. Animations are fluid, bloody and well-paced, with players utilising a variety of stances, attacks, dodges and parries to gain the upper hand over the bandits and Mongols terrorising the island. Each stance has its own skill tree and each is effective against a specific enemy type. When all are coming at you at once and you manage to switch between all four, effortlessly dispatching your foes with different strikes, Tsushima is at its frenetic best.

It's also up to the player as to how they approach combat too. Do they embrace the way of the Ghost and utilise stealth, deception, explosives and poison, or do they approach the enemy head on and initiate a stand-off? Both have their bonuses and drawbacks, but executing the latter is ridiculously satisfying, and illustrates yet another way Sucker Punch have crafted no ordinary open world title.