Ghost of Tsushima

 

Ghost of Tsushima is another personal success story for Playstation Plus. It is a great game that I would not have experienced without the subscription gaming service. I just about gave up on the game because I was distracted by other games. I'm glad I didn't, however, because I ended up really enjoying the experience.

The game takes place in Japan in the 1200s. The Japanese island of Tsushima has been invaded by the Chinese Mongol forces, led by Genghis Khan relative Khotun Khan. You play as Jin Sakai, a local samurai lord who leads a resistance against the Mongols. As the game progresses, you do favors for various people throughout the island in order to gain their support in fighting the Mongols. The favors typically involve freeing a group of people being held captive by the Mongols. The gameplay involves a mix of stealth action and parkour, but heavily features samurai sword fighting. The plot throws a couple of twists and turns at you, but is generally predictable and straight forward. 

The gameplay is also very predictable after awhile. However, what saves the game is the advancements in fighting style as your power grows. You learn different sword fighting techniques which have advantages against certain enemies, so as you are fighting you have to think about which technique would work best. Additionally, you acquire different weapons as you progress as well, which adds enough variety to the fighting to keep it interesting. One of my favorite things to do was to chuck a knife at a charging enemy who is expecting a sword fight. 

In addition to the advancing fighting styles, the multi-person battles are absolutely awesome. As your forces grow, you begin attacking larger Mongol forts. The battles than ensue will contain multiple NPCs fighting on each side, reminiscent of a battle from Game of Thrones. There is absolute chaos surrounding you, and you bounce from enemy to enemy, changing fighting styles and your approach with each person. It really is a fun experience and the best part of the game in my opinion.