“They heard the call of the Eagle.”
A sharp, short intro with that wonderful quote throws you back into the world of Sucker Punch Productions’ Ghost Of Tsushima. Picking up from the end of Jin’s liberation of Tsushima, a second wave has descended onto the island of Iki nearby. Their weapon of choice has started to crawl upon the shores of Jin’s home, threatening their way of life once more. As the Ghost, he makes the choice to head to Iki to face the threat head on, while confronting a past he thought he had left behind:
The death of his father.
On this new small locale we face the Mongol invasion once more. I also discovered in the end game, it’s literally off to the right of Tsushima. Yes, you can jump back and forth if need be. Equipped with whatever you left Tsushima with (in my case everything), the game’s plot cajoles you into exploring immediately via mission, as you begin to make your way through your harrowed past amongst the beauty of Iki.
The rest is up to you.
Much like the title it expands, you follow a series of primary and secondary quests across the island. New mythic tales and shrines further expand on Jin’s journey, as you continue to live for honour (or dishonour depending on your Uncle). If you loved Ghost Of Tsushima, then this 20 hour expansion will bring you more of the joy you’ve already experienced. Some community requests have made the cut, like additional animations, target-locking and the ability to grapple a slackline. There’s also a new armour loadout feature. This means you can build each armour the way you want, along with cosmetics, and switch on the fly for best effect.
All of it comes together under a new optimized experience. This left me feeling like the title was fresh and new on the PlayStation 5. I had recently gone back and started playing through New Game+ on the PS5. This helped me see some of the earlier updates they had completed. But now it’s even more polished, with environments frequently taking my breath away. I remember one covered in brown leaves, which had an incredible sense of realism to it. It left me swearing profusely at how gorgeous it looked.
It just does it all right.
That’s the easiest way to look at this, and also why it’s called an expansion. If you already have Ghost Of Tsushima, then you’ll get more of the adventure you loved. If you haven’t, you get more to do which will hopefully tide you over for all things Jin Sakai. I know it has for me.
Now let me get back to those damn shrines and their riddles.
Everything you loved about GHOST OF TSUSHIMA: DIRECTOR'S CUT returns with Iki island and the Director's Cut. Refined and polished to the finest quality, Jin's adventure has never looked this good, or played this well. New cosmetics, and some new charms to mix up the gameplay, along with a new armour loadout system means it's more, but better. And I can't wait to see what Sucker Punch do with it next.
