Ghost Of Tsushima's Story Isn't Good Enough For A Feature Film
Ghost of Tsushima is a great game. It’s one I probably enjoyed more than most, preferring it to the robotic dinosaurs of Horizon Zero Dawn and the redneck apocalypse of Days Gone. It was a relatively generic open world experience, but executed with such visual style and mechanical grace that I was enamoured enough to chase down its Platinum Trophy.
Sucker Punch Productions built upon the foundations it established with the Infamous franchise and created something greater, a new IP that capitalised on our love for iconic samurai films and a weirdly inaccurate glimpse into Japanese history. It was also cultural tourism to the most egregious extent, mixing up eras (katanas, haiku, and hwachas did not exist when the game was set), and labelling its black and white visual filter ‘Kurosawa Mode’, despite the fact some of Kurosawa’s best work, like Ran, is famous for its use of colour. It also didn’t offer Japanese lip sync until charging for it months after launch.
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It’s clear the studio was more than willing to take a few liberties for the sake of fun. There’s nothing wrong with bending the truth in this way, especially in games where mechanics and immersion often take precedence over common sense, but that becomes a problem when you’re an outsider creating a game that revolves entirely around another country’s culture, and you plan to weaponize that to guarantee mainstream success. Tsushima sold millions, so the majority clearly don’t care.
The whole situation is messy, and not one I have the authority to properly comment on, but it is a stigma that will carry over to the inevitable film adaptation. Earlier this week saw the upcoming movie gain its
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