Just around the time expansive open-world games had decidedly started showing signs of fatigue, Ghost of Tsushima arrived like a summer breeze. Sucker Punch's Japan-set action-adventure game didn't reinvent the wheel by any means, but it reshaped player interaction with familiar open-world tropes in inventive ways to deliver a memorable samurai story. Ghost of Tsushima and its resounding success on PlayStation consoles showed that the open-world playbook — largely written by Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed and Far Cry series of games — had gotten so stale that small but clever new ideas were enough to engender a meaningful experience.
Through its pared back quest design, its diegetic approach to map markers, and its evocative visuals and music, Ghost of Tsushima set the bar for what a modern open-world action-adventure title should be. Now, the game arrives on PC in a package that amplifies what it already did well on PS4 and PS5. Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut, first released on PlayStation consoles in 2021 and now available on PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, comes with the Iki Island expansion, a graphical facelift, and better framerates, among other improvements. But can a four-year-old game still hold up to fast-changing modern video game standards?
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The answer to that question might vary depending upon your open-world mileage. If you've had your fill of running around a seemingly interminable map, chasing down repetitious objectives without any true payoff, then Ghost of Tsushima may feel a tedious prospect, especially if you've tried out the game on consoles. But, if you're new to the experience, then Sucker Punch's tale of stirring vengeance and samurai honor, ported expertly to PC by Nixxes Software, is definitely worth your attention. I platinumed Ghost of Tsushima on the PS4, played the Director's Cut version and its included Iki Island expansion on the PS5, and still found
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