Ghost Of Tsushima Shows A Huge Problem With Video Game Movies

gamerant.com:

Video game movies are only just escaping decades of the overwhelming stigma that marked them for death the instant that they were announced. The cultural imagination hasn't quite come full circle, however, and a savvy viewer can find the key element of video games that turns making movies about them into a bad idea.

Ghost of Tsushima is heading for a big-screen adaptation with John Wick director Chad Stahelski at the helm. This could seem like a good idea, as the game has a great story, but the long history of failed adaptations tells a story that wounds the perception of the potential adaptation.

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Ghost of Tsushima made absolutely no secret of the fact that its presentation, storytelling, and general vibe were heavily inspired by the legendary filmography of Akira Kurosawa. Kurosawa's Jidaigeki films including Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, and The Hidden Fortress, among others, are fundamental building blocks of how the world sees samurai. Almost any samurai story told for the benefit of a modern audience would take some notes from Kurosawa, but Ghost of Tsushima's allusions are more than skin deep.

The narrative follows many of the director's favorite themes, like the era's honor culture and the cyclical nature of violence. The game's world features a dynamic weather system, which delicately recreates many of Kurosawa's beloved natural scenes. Most obviously, the game features a mode in the menu called «Kurosawa Mode», which applies and black and white filter to make the action look like a playable version of Yojimbo. This is all great, people love playable versions of their favorite films, but when the gameplay aspect is removed, what's left?

Ghost of Tsushima