Last year, right before the release of the PlayStation 5, Ghost of Tsushima was released. One of the last remaining high-profile releases for the PS4. The game received critical acclaim and set a new standard for open-world games set in feudal Japan. The game is now back on PS5 as a Director’s Cut and brings optimized graphics and fresh content. Is this release worth revisiting? Or did the katana became blunt?
Developer Sucker Punch managed to surprise many with the striking beauty found in Ghost of Tsushima. The game takes place on the beautiful island of Tsushima where twilight and cherry blossoms crawl across the sky, laden with foreboding. A homage to the movies of Akira Kurosawa, the legendary Japanese film director. If you want to know our thoughts on the base game, be sure to read our review here.
A Director’s Cut is usually a term found in Hollywood. Directors are, in many cases, constrained in realizing their vision due to budgets or interference of production companies. Years later, they release a new edition of their film that expands on the story by implementing new or cut content. Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut is no exception. The new release brings fresh new content to the table by expanding on Jin’s story. A whole new area, Iki Island, seamlessly connects to the base content. The new content feels familiar but surprises at the same time.
Apart from new content, the Director’s Cut also comes packed with optimizations for the new hardware found in the PlayStation 5. The image is now rendering in 4K at 60 frames per second. Load times now last mere seconds. The game’s audio is optimized for 3D audio supporting headphones, and the DualSense controller provides realistic haptic feedback when using a bow and arrow or when sheathing your katana.
Additionally, the game now features Japanese lipsync for dialogue. While the PS4 also featured Japanese voice-overs, it was missing the correct lip-sync. For a game so true to feudal Japan, this felt odd at times.
The addition of new content and improvements do the game incredibly justice. It feels more refined, more polished than it already was. With hours of new gameplay and the game fully embracing the new hardware, this game is a must-have in the collection of any PlayStation fan.
Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut is available on August 20th for PlayStation 4 and 5. There are various ways to upgrade from the base game but most importantly, you can carry over your progress from PS4. Iki island becomes available after completing about 30% of the main campaign, but returning players that finished Jin’s story can delve right in. Personally, this has proven to be a bit of a challenge. I’d lost touch with the game’s controls and since the new area is not for the faint of heart, it was a bit of a hassle to get back into the flow. Luckily, the game provides an option to reset the tutorials, which came in handy. All in all, it didn’t take long to fall back in love with this incredible game. Once again, I’m crawling through the house as the Ghost of Tsushima.
