![]() ![]() I love how these visions pop up throughout the Iki adventure, often in context-sensitive moments that thrust Jin into sudden vulnerability. These manifest in-game as visual and auditory hallucinations, forcing the honor-bound warrior to confront his guilt and relive some of his worst moments, both from early life and those witnessed during the main game. Without spoiling exactly how, Jin is poisoned shortly after his arrival on Iki, leading him to maddening visions about the many traumatic events of his life. That means that Jin must travel incognito without the markings of his Sakai clan status – hidden identities always lead to a little added tension.Ĭonceptually, the story and its conflict act as a leverage point to explore Jin’s haunted past. The conflict that led to that personal tragedy is a big focus in the expansion. Crucially, we also learn that Iki Island is where Jin witnessed his father’s death as a child. That means that there’s a new map to uncover, and since Jin’s legend is unknown there, it’s another place to build that legend up (and earn the corresponding technique points). To get things going, Jin learns of an impending second invasion of Mongol troops who have amassed on the nearby smaller island and sets out to halt the threat. Iki Island is set apart from the main game sections on Tsushima, and if desired, you can fast travel back and forth between the two landmasses. Closing an important story loop for the main character also leads to a very satisfying addendum to Jin’s narrative, without losing any of the impact of the main game’s powerful conclusion. It would be a stretch to characterize this new area and its missions as a true sequel, but several new story developments, unique side missions, and novel upgrades feel more substantial than I had expected. Acting simultaneously as a standalone story and as a coda and wrap-up for Jin’s character arc, the adventures players uncover on Iki Island are well worth the price of admission. However, the big draw is undoubtedly the Iki Island expansion, a multi-hour new campaign built to impress. Even so, I’d question if a paid upgrade for existing players would be justified if that was all you got. If playing on PS5, you also get some fun new DualSense haptic feedback on your controller, new 3D audio when using compatible headphones, and a gorgeous 4K resolution targeting 60fps, which makes for an exceptionally stunning display in a game that already looked very pretty. There’s also the excellent Legends cooperative multiplayer experience, which is well worth playing. The new version includes some bonus upgrade items, like skins and character improvement points, and access to a director’s commentary with input from a Japanese historian on the actual events and period depicted in the game. If you haven’t played the game yet, now is an ideal time. ![]() Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut includes everything that made the original release great, and is available on PS4 or PS5 as either a standalone purchase, or an upgrade from your existing copy. After that, what more could be added that wouldn’t feel like a retread? It also featured one of the most memorable game endings in many years. As one of the swan songs to the PS4’s exclusive library ahead of the new generation of hardware, Sucker Punch’s Japanese feudal epic ticked all the boxes – slick combat and stealth, breathtaking visuals, and a mature and thoughtful story about the nature of loss. Ghost of Tsushima was one of 2020’s best games. ![]()
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