As the open-world gaming genre began to show signs of stagnation, the arrival of Ghost of Tsushima was a timely refresh. Developed by Sucker Punch, this action-adventure title set in Japan didn’t fundamentally change the genre, but it innovated on established gameplay mechanics to craft an engaging samurai narrative. Its success on PlayStation platforms indicated that even minor fresh ideas within a familiar framework could create a compelling gaming experience.
With its streamlined quest design, immersive map markers, and striking visuals accompanied by a captivating soundtrack, Ghost of Tsushima raised the bar for modern action-adventure titles. The game is now making its debut on PC through the Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut, which launched for PlayStation consoles in 2021 and has been updated for PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. This release brings enhancements such as the Iki Island expansion, improved graphics, and increased framerates. However, the question remains: can a title that is four years old still compete with rapidly evolving gaming standards?
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Your enjoyment of this game may depend on your tolerance for open-world exploration. For players feeling weary of wandering sprawling maps filled with repetitive tasks lacking real rewards, Ghost of Tsushima could seem like a daunting endeavor, especially if familiar with its console version. Conversely, newcomers will find Sucker Punch’s tale of vengeance and samurai honor, skillfully adapted to PC by Nixxes Software, to be an engaging experience. Having achieved platinum status on the PS4 and played the expanded version on PS5, I still found myself engrossed with the game’s Steam release.
Ghost of Tsushima follows the journey of Jin Sakai, a samurai whose world is devastated when a ruthless Mongol army led by Kotun Khan invades Tsushima Island. The attackers obliterate the samurai’s resistance, destroy villages, and capture Jin’s uncle, Lord Shimura, the land’s jito. Jin, a young warrior raised by Lord Shimura following his father’s death, survives the initial encounter but is propelled into a quest to rescue his uncle and save his homeland. Constrained by samurai principles and motivated by loss, Jin ultimately resorts to guerrilla warfare, enlisting unconventional tactics to combat the brutal Mongol forces that do not hesitate to use underhanded strategies.
Ghost of Tsushima begins with the Mongol army invading the island
Photo Credit: Sucker Punch/ Screenshot – Manas Mitul
Jin, conflicted by the samurai code instilled in him by his uncle, transforms into the Ghost, embracing deception and stealth to combat the Mongol invasion and free his uncle. His journey introduces him to allies from various backgrounds who operate outside traditional samurai ideals. Confronted with the rigidity of his values, Jin is pushed to embrace a morally grey approach in pursuit of a greater goal. While the narrative treads familiar ground in exploring themes of vengeance and moral conflict, the game’s polished execution enhances its storytelling.
Visual Presentation
The PC version of Ghost of Tsushima promises significant improvements in visual fidelity. Even on PlayStation, the game has remained one of the most visually impressive titles. The new PC port showcases enhanced graphics that cannot be matched by console hardware, provided players have a capable system. Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut can compete with the most visually striking games available on PC today. While character models and facial animations might not seem cutting-edge by 2024 standards, the richly detailed environments remain some of the best in gaming.
Ghost of Tsushima features some of the most striking environments in video games
Photo Credit: Sucker Punch/ Screenshot – Manas Mitul
Animation quality remains impressive overall. Whether riding his horse or scaling cliffs with a grappling hook, Jin’s movements are fluid and responsive. The combat animations are among the finest for third-person action games. Each sword stance has its unique moves and animations that enrich gameplay variety, while Jin’s Katana techniques are enhanced by consultation with real swordsmanship experts to ensure fluidity and impactful duels.
On PC, Tsushima Island becomes even more vibrant with higher graphical settings. In contrast to many other open-world games that inundate players with persistent markers and HUD elements that disrupt immersion, Ghost of Tsushima encourages exploration of its scenic landscapes to uncover hidden treasures and items. Pursuing foxes or following golden birds across tranquil meadows becomes a serene journey, amplified by the game’s breathtaking graphics. With its artistic style bridging the gap between realistic graphics akin to Red Dead Redemption 2 and the vibrant fantasy world of Breath of the Wild, Ghost of Tsushima opts for a visually poetic approach rather than strict realism.
Your horse is the best way to get around Tsushima
Photo Credit: Sucker Punch/ Screenshot – Manas Mitul
PC Features
Nixxes has focused on optimizing performance for a broad range of hardware, accommodating everything from high-end PCs to portable devices like the Steam Deck. The game supports unlocked framerates and offers a comprehensive array of graphics customization options to achieve desired performance and visual quality. Players can also leverage technologies such as Nvidia DLSS 3, AMD FSR 3, and Intel XeSS to enhance performance. However, ray-tracing features have not been included, which could present challenges for performance but would have been expected in a modern title boasting such visual quality.
Ghost of Tsushima also supports ultra-wide monitor setups and integrates seamlessly with the PS5 DualSense controller on PC. Notably, it is the first Sony game to feature the new PlayStation Overlay on PC, allowing players to access their PlayStation accounts, friend lists, and trophies by pressing Shift + F1. It is essential to connect to a PlayStation Network account to use this feature.
Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut is the first Sony title on PC that comes with the new PlayStation Overlay
Photo Credit: Sucker Punch/ Screenshot – Manas Mitul
PC Performance
For this review, I played Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut on an HP Omen 16-xf0060AX, provided by HP. Limited to 1080p resolution, the game performed consistently well even at Very High settings. According to the system requirements before release, a Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 or an AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is recommended for 60fps at 4K resolution. With an Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU, I achieved stable framerates over 100fps at 1080p with DLSS frame generation enabled, experiencing minimal stutter across various graphical settings during gameplay.
Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut reviewed on HP Omen 16
Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS.
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 laptop GPU (8GB GDDR6 dedicated).
Memory: 16GB DDR5-5600 Mhz RAM.
Storage: 1TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe TLC M.2 SSD.
With DLSS set to Quality and graphic presets on Very High, the average framerate was an impressive 114.5fps, with 1 percent and 0.1 percent lows exceeding 70fps. Setting graphical options to High produced only minor visual adjustments and increased the average framerate to 146.8fps. Adjusting DLSS to Performance yielded even better results, with averages of 128.7fps and 159.8fps for Very High and High settings, respectively. High framerates at 4K would necessitate a more powerful system, but Nixxes has optimized the game for smooth performance across various hardware configurations.
Ghost of Tsushima uses a variety of vivid colour palettes
Photo Credit: Sucker Punch/ Screenshot – Manas Mitul
Conclusion
Sony’s strategy of staggered PC releases for its first-party titles has shown effectiveness. The popularity of releases like God of War and Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered exemplifies the enduring quality of its exclusive single-player experiences, which continue to captivate audiences long after their initial release. Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut is a testament to this trend, achieving significant popularity on Steam, surpassing the peak player numbers previously held by God of War, even amidst controversies related to PlayStation Network account linking, which resulted in pre-order cancellations in over 170 non-PSN territories.
Clearly, PC gamers were eager for Ghost of Tsushima, and Nixxes Software has successfully delivered a refined package that enhances the game’s visuals, optimizes performance, and introduces beneficial PC-specific features. While the core gameplay remains unchanged, which includes some inherent flaws, such as relying on traditional open-world design without major innovations, Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut still excels in delivering a compelling experience wrapped in a visually stunning package.
Pros
- Outstanding visuals
- Reliable PC performance
- Extensive graphics settings options
Cons
- Standard open-world mechanics
- Absence of ray-tracing capabilities
Rating (out of 10): 8
Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut launched on PC on May 16. The game was tested on an HP Omen 16-xf0060AX laptop provided by HP.
Pricing begins at Rs. 3,999 on Steam and Epic Games Store for PC.
