Like the Kurosawa films that inspired it, Ghost of Tsushima is a game of dramatic extremes. From breathtaking autumn leaves and bamboo groves to razed villages with peasants impaled by Mongol forces, everything is filtered through the narrative and aesthetic equivalent of an HDR lens. That kind of hyper-realism is dominant in game design and storytelling, and it would not be worth mentioning if Ghost of Tsushima did not temper those poles with extremely deft touches of nuance and subtlety.
It must be said that Sucker Punch Productions never intended for Tsushima to be historically accurate title, hence the inclusion of haiku, hundreds of years before the artform’s actual advent, and Jin’s use of a katana as opposed to a tachi. These touches are meant to cater to a very specific, yet half-imagined vision of Japan. While one could easily write off such artistic decisions as pandering to samurai film buffs who don’t know better, the emotional reactions the game manages to achieve with this formula are genuine—especially when players are allowed to fill in the blanks and contemplate things on their own terms. That is the true poetry of Ghost of Tsushima. Not merely seeing what is written, but what is left unsaid as well.
Some of the most effective scenes in the game’s narrative are moments of silence, like the tragic ending to Ghost of Tsushima‘s second act when Jin flees on his horse until it dies of exhaustion. Unlike Taka’s death, which is telegraphed, explicit, and punctuated with Jin bellowing in rage, there are no obvious cues telling the player how to feel. Both scenes are well-done, but the montage of Jin’s horse slowly succumbing to death is truly heartbreaking, because players must process the death and their role in it on their own terms. There are several mechanics that invite this kind of contemplation as well, and the less structure the game imposes on the player’s responses, the more effective they are.
Tsushima‘s HUD fixtures are unobtrusive but always legible, even when the player is playing in the monochromatic Kurosawa Mode. But the most impressive feature of the game’s UI isn’t a fixture at all, but rather an effect. Instead of than leading players to waypoints with a familiar symbol, players must actively conjure the guiding wind to correct their heading. And crucially, in a flashback, Jin’s caretaker, Yuriko, tells him: “your father is the wind at your back.”
Even though it is not ever-present as an icon, arrow, or trail would be, the wind plays an important role in the game. It’s presence means something significant within the context of the narrative, unlike almost every other GPS stand-in in video games. However, what it means is ultimately left up to the player. Is the guiding wind supporting Jin? Is his father reassuring him from beyond the grave, providing him with a sense of righteous purpose? Or is he haunting Jin, who could only watch with terror as his father was struck down? Both readings are valid, but the game is richer for leaving it up to the player’s interpretation.
As mentioned earlier, the presence of haiku in Tsushima isn’t time accurate. The word haiku wouldn’t even be coined until the 19th century, and it must be said, in function, the game makes composing haiku out to be extremely shallow—one sits in a scenic spot and picks phrases that meet 5-7-5 syllable count relating to a given topic. The player is forced to reflect on their surroundings, but all the conclusions they can draw are boiled down to 9 total different phrases. Instead of a genuinely creative exercise, every haiku location in Ghost of Tsushima is another box to be ticked for completionists.
The mechanic is well-intentioned, however, and the game is arguably richer for its inclusion. It affords some rhythmic variation between fighting and exploring which is a key ingredient for compelling poetry. But the player’s potential interpretations are limited from the start, rather than serving as a jumping off point to draw new, unanticipated meanings from the scenery. As a result, there is more poetic meaning to be found in amusing Dark Souls or Bloodborne notes, concocted for a specific location than in one of Jin’s cobbled together haikus.
The other problem with the haikus, as with the hot-springs reflection options and dialogue options in conversations with Jin’s allies, is that they do not carry real stakes, even though they are presented as if they might. And good poetry, like good games, has appreciable stakes. For the author, there is the risk of failing to express what they carry in their hearts, and for the audience, there is the risk of failing to grasp what is being offered, however cryptic it is.
Fox dens are a superior collectible system to the haikus, not only because they feature adorable animals ripe for the petting, but because they invite players to truly reinterpret their environment. Even though these side-quests serve a valuable purpose, affording players charm slots and bonuses that will help Jin drive out the Mongols, they ask the player to engage with their surroundings, and explore the significance of minor details that might go overlooked otherwise. It must be said, these outings offer little in the way of creative expression or narrative/thematic development, as the foxes present players with a linear path to treasure. Fortunately, Sucker Punch provided players with yet another means of enjoying themselves in the game’s environments for their own sake.
Playing the flute has some utility—the different songs players can learn from graveyard crickets can change the weather—but it is, for the most part, an activity that is just for fun. And it is amazing how dramatically playing a song can change the way one perceives their environment. The game even nudges a player to this sort of contemplation with a companion mission when Jin must play a song for Lady Masako, helping her dispel the memories of her murdered family. Moments like these, and the countless other small Easter eggs and rare, random occurrences Sucker Punch snuck into Ghost of Tsushima, are the perfect opportunity for players to appreciate the world, reflect on Jin’s quest, and fully enjoy the fantasy Tsushima represents.
Ghost of Tsushima is available now for PlayStation 4.
![\"IT電腦補習](\"http://itteacheritfreelance.hk/test/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/logo2-2.png\"){kind=logo}
www.itsec.hk
www.itsec.vip
www.itseceu.uk
Leave a Reply