Ghost of Tsushima is, without a doubt, one of the most visually captivating games I have ever laid eyes on. The environment is so well-crafted that I have no problem spending hours exploring the diverse terrain.

Sucker Punch has done an amazing job putting together an environment that feels alive and vibrant without the aid of a robust city.

Within seconds of exploring Ghosts of Tsushima, you will find yourself panning the camera to take in as much of the colorful and beautifully sculpted landscape as possible. 

“One second you’ll be making your way to another mission, the next you’ll get distracted by an animal and discover another secret.”

Ghost of Tsushima: Exploring The Open-World

For those of you who haven’t played Ghost of Tsushima yet, take a second to imagine this. You’re walking through a grassy hillside with bright white flowers swaying in the wind. You take in the sights as you make your way toward a dense forest that’s in the direction of your intended destination. Suddenly, you notice a yellow bird flying above your head that catches your attention with its chirping.

You begin to follow the bird as it sings its distinct tune and glides back and forth in between the tall trees. The bird continues to guide you as you come to a clearing on yet another hill, and upon discovery, you notice an artifact lying on the ground. You pick up the artifact and add it to your collection before you’re back on track to your destination.

In a nutshell, that’s what it’s like to explore the world of Ghost of Tsushima.

One second you’ll be making your way to another mission, the next you’ll get distracted by an animal and discover another secret. 

Which is a great thing!

It’s been a while since I’ve played a game that felt this good to explore. 

With each area you discover, you are given the chance to gaze over the horizon toward a new biome that has a completely different species of plant life.

Let The Wind Guide You

In Ghost of Tsushima, there isn’t a waypoint in the traditional sense. Yes, you can open up the map in your pause menu, and mark where you want to go, but you won’t have a mini-map to guide you to where you want to go. 

Instead, you must rely on the gusts of wind to guide you through the dense environment. I know what you’re thinking, “how does that even work?” Rest assured, the wind is visible enough for you to easily follow its direction, without breaking the immersion of the game.

 In other words, it looks like it’s a natural part of the world when it’s really there to aid you much like the rest of the elements of the environment.

Sucker Punch put a lot of emphasis on the wind as it creates stunning visuals for the players. The plant-life flows freely, the leaves glide across your screen, and your controller speaker casts off a faint whistling as the wind blows.

Ghost of Tsushima Photo Mode

What good is a beautiful environment if you can’t capture the split-second stunning moments you discover? Most games that flaunt beautiful graphics incorporate a photo mode for players to share these moments with their friends, but Ghost of Tsushima takes the traditional photo mode a step further.

I have never spent this much time in a photo mode in any game. Clicking “right” on the d-pad opens up the photo mode for players, and there are plenty of options for players as you can pretty much create whatever you want.

You are able to change the time of day, the weather, and even Jin’s facial expression as you edit your photos. With another huge catch, Sucker Punch has even allowed you to add music and select different points of interest so you can create a small movie.

If you haven’t already, be sure to spend some time in the photo mode so you can become familiar with everything it has to offer.

I’ve only just begun to explore the vast open-world that makes up Ghost of Tsushima, so there is plenty for me to discover during this journey.

Are you enjoying Ghost of Tsushima so far?

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