Replaying this game after getting the itch from watching Shogun (what a show, by the way). I played it on PS4 back when it released, then gave the Director's Cut ten hours before promptly quitting from disinterest. Playing a game is not about the game itself so much as it is mindset. When GoT first came out, it was in the throes of lockdown and there wasn't much else to play, so I enjoyed it through those circumstances alone. I completed the story and planned on finishing the open world tasks but just couldn't bring myself to do it.
For a long time, this was adjacent to what was the lasting impression I walked away from GoT with: that it was a great game, and the ultimate iteration of the open world mechanics that had been cooking for a decade and some change prior, but ultimately offered nothing substantially new. A game doesn't need to offer something new to be good but perhaps my expectation or hope was that it would bring something new.
That's not to say it didn't do anything new at all. I'm sure arguments can be made for the novelty of things like the guiding wind mechanic. But there's also conveniently placed collectibles throughout the world like composing haikus, following foxes to shrines, and soaking in hot baths. I understand and appreciate these things for all they do and bring, but they do feel video-gamey.
So I thought, Ghost of Tsushima: it's a great game but it's a game I've played before. It certainly felt that way. And it still does. But I'm able to appreciate it a lot more this time through which I believe is because of the perspective and mindset I'm going into it with. I'm more open to it. Whereas it bothered the hell out of me that I couldn't skip any dialogue or cutscenes, I'm kind of fine with it now because I'm playing GoT on its own terms instead of mine.
And what an absolutely gorgeous game. The grasslands, the trees, the weather, the cemeteries, the buildings, just about everything in GoT looks superb. My only complaint is the rock outcroppings, which look smoothed over and generally lack detail and look, well, video gamey. It's interesting; developers have gotten so good at depicting foliage and the greener side of nature but I feel like rocks, boulders, cliffs, and so on don't quite hold up to scrutiny when you get up close to them the way grass, leaves, and shrubbery do. I'm sure some of that is because there is a perceived importance NOT being placed on those features.
The animations are noteworthy as well, for how realistic and human they feel. This isn't Sekiro and it's not trying to be. It's also not trying to be ultra-realistic, so some liberty is taken for the sake of the game and for dramatic purpose, but to great effect. My only gripe is the drawing of weapons, for which there are typically no animations. If Jin has his katana sheathed, pressing L1 to block makes it magically appear in his hands in a split second, with no drawing animation. On the other hand, there IS a drawing animation for striking with the weapon sheathed; the weapon is drawn, then the attack comes. The bow is another case where there's no animation. One second it's strung on Jin's back, and with the press of a button, the bow is magically off of Jin's back and in his hands being drawn. It's just weird. I notice this kind of stuff whereas most players don't, so maybe it's not a big deal, and even if the lack of drawing/unsheathing animations were deliberate decisions (highly unlikely they weren't), I can't help but see that as...well, video gamey!
The skill and progression trees are well done here. It's always weird when your character is someone who is knowledgeable and seasoned, but has to start from the beginning to relearn skills they presumably already knew. Jin doesn't know many of these techniques that he unlocks through play. The Ghost techniques are alien to him. There are also different stances and techniques within those stances Jin has to unlock. Certain stances are better against certain enemies. These make sense here because while Jin is no novice, he and the rest of samurai have not been against the Mongolian foes before, who wield shields, long spears, dual-wielded curved swords, and so on. New ways have to be learned to fight these foes and they're gained through experience. I like how that is executed.
I haven't played the expansion/DLC so I'm looking forward to that.
