Ghost of Tsushima (2020)

Iki Island DLC

Thoroughly enjoyed this DLC just as much as the base game.

Jin's clan heritage and his relationship with his father is very much front and centre here. As Jin meets more and more Iki natives; one of which was his father's killer, a man called Tenzo, he is forced to face the unavoidable reality that is the massacre that took place on the island at the hands of the samurai.

It was interesting watching Jin face the realities of his father's wrath and eventually his death, whilst coming to terms with the guilt and expectations that come with it. I think if anyone playing has had a strained relationship with their father, or any family figure, this story can really hit home.

Jins final battle with The Eagle forces Jin to re-visit his father during his final moments via a hallucination. His father tells him to rid his family of shame and to stop being a coward by taking Tenzos life. It's a beautiful moment when Jin holds his katana up, pauses, takes a breath, and then turns to his father and says no, I will never be like you.

As the weight and shadow of the sakai legacy dissipates, peace and closure washes over Jin.

Snapping out of the hallucination, the music soars, and you swing your katana with new found purpose and meaning. The blows are relentless, and ultimately Jin succeeds.

After Jin tells Tenzo he'll catch up to him and the others, he takes a moment to write a haiku and reflect under the blossom tree where his father died. Watching his father appear behind him briefly, only then to dissolve into petals and float away with the wind as Jin takes a breath, was a perfect closure to the story.

Petals soaked in blood
My father's hand reaching up
Life's sweet perfume fades

Absolutely loving the Iki Island DLC! The urgency to push back the attackers and save the people of Iki Island utilising guerilla warfare is really well done. Recently we had to secure a mongol ship to help us get close to a bigger war ship so that we could board and eliminate them. Join me for some story time as I tell you what happened:

I descended down to the beach joined by the native islanders to help secure the ship. We almost got taken out by their explosives. I went ahead alone and climbed up the cliff, got behind them and started taking out their camps.

The mongols on the ship hadn't seen met yet so I climbed onto their sail and struck from above. Got surprised by their archers and sappers but managed to survive.

Finally, we sailed to the war ship at night and attacked without mercy. Their blood crimson red against the cold silvery ocean. For those who lost their loved ones and their homes. For the people of Iki Island!!

Story time over, the enemy difficulty has really ramped up with enemies switching weapons, and Shamans who make all nearby enemies hyper aggressive and relentless at attacking you. I'm getting my ass handed to me compared to the enemies back on Tsushima. The DLC has got a nice spiritual spin to it compared to the base game that really leans into the legends (sort of a japanese ghost story element) side of the game but still manages to remain relatively grounded.

Incredible game -- 104 hours, liberated all camps, collected dang near everything minus a few fox dens, banners, vanity items, etc (could probably dump another 5 hours into it and 100% it).

I know some people claimed just the story as 40 - 50 hours, but honestly I think you're missing out on the game in general if you don't spend time doing optional activities. The tales (large character quests) are amazing, not sure if you can complete the game without doing them -- don't skip them!

I haven't played Legends mode yet, not sure if I will.

If you're looking into it now (4 years after it released on PS4) and you game on PC, wait for the PC release in May of 2024. I played it largely on PS5, but the PC release will have access to mods that will give this already beautiful game a huge bump in texture quality, draw distance, frame rate, etc.

I have finished act 3 and got a platinum trophy for the main game. I plan on playing the iki island expansion but wow I truly adore this game. The story is relatively simple but really leans into the cultural aspects of Japanese samurai honor. The dynamics of the relationships I forged were so engaging that at a point, I was excited every time Yuna and Jin had interactions. The final Khan battle was not that different from any of the other duels which disappointed me slightly but I took out my anger on invading Mongols. Excited to journey into Jin's past.

4.7/5