Learn the Way of the Ghost – What You Need to Know Before You Buy the Ghost of Tsushima

If you have already read our review and still do not understand whether you need to buy Ghost of Tsushima, this note is for you. I will give some tips that will help at the start of your passage and shed light on the features of the game.

It takes about 40-45 hours to complete

Ghost of Tsushima is a very big game. I spent about three to four hours in the evenings during the working week, and then somewhere around 12-15 hours on weekends. Tsushima Island is divided into three large parts, the first will be available immediately, and the second and third will open as you progress through the plot. In addition to various biomes, in each area there are unique opponents and third-party activities. Speaking of them.

As in The Witcher 3, Ghost of Tsushima has question marks on the map that can and should be explored. This may be a captured settlement, a hot spring or a village poor fellow who will give a side quest. For completing third-party activities, the game rewards not only experience, but also other useful objects: resources, charms, elements of customization and improvement of characteristics.

In Ghost of Tsushima you can not be lazy – you pump faster and can get powerful upgrades. To explore the map more actively, you can ride a horse, dressed in the armor of the Traveler (it will be given in the story) – it increases the radius of visibility of Jin and the amount of “fog of war” that the hero opens on the minimap. You can still beat off a village from the Mongols – then the “fog of war” will disappear in a small radius around it.

At the same time – do not rush to sweep the card

In Ghost of Tsushima, as I said, there are a lot of question marks on the map. For cleaning up the Mongolian settlements and scrupulous passage of all additional quests usually give a lot of experience, which is spent on pumping. And here a problem arises – if you complete all the tasks at once, then you can develop Jin to a maximum level by about half the passage.

That is, closer to the final stages, your motivation for pumping and performing third-party activities may disappear altogether – you will already receive all the upgrades. Because of this, the game’s share of charm is lost and you will approach the final boss through an uninteresting routine. Therefore, keep a balance between completing the story and finding additional tasks.

You need to get used to management

Jin’s arsenal of accessories is so vast that even Sam Fisher from Splinter Cell would envy him. For example, after clicking on L2, Jin starts aiming from a bow, and the player can choose what the character will do: get a short or long bow, throwing weapons or darts with poisons. In the right menu, sets appear, which arrows Jin will shoot, what he will throw and which poison to use.

Pressing R2 also opens up two context menus at once: through the arrows Jin can switch between the Phantom’s arsenal like kunai and smoke bombs, and pressing the right buttons activates various combat stances. Fortunately, the game gives out additional equipment and skills gradually, so with time you get involved.

Do I need gadgets? Yes, because sometimes the game does not hesitate to send a legion of Mongols to Jin, and it is very difficult to defeat by honest methods. Therefore, actively use kunai, shoot from the bow and throw smoke bombs. The latter in this regard is generally beyond competition: if you drop a bomb right in the middle of the battle, then the opponents lose sight of Jin, and he can kill several opponents with one blow.

Be flexible during battle

The battles in Ghost of Tsushima are very complex. The game constantly sends different types of opponents to Jin, because of which you have to analyze the situation every second and choose the most suitable battle style. For example, if there are archers in the enemy unit, then you need to listen to them – before the salvo they will shout something in Mongolian, and the melee fighters will bend down – this means that you need to either dodge or fend off the arrows.

When fighting in close combat, attack swiftly and in the right stances, but do not forget about the defense. The most effective option is to constantly attack with powerful blows to break through the enemy defense and stun the enemy for several seconds. If his defense is strong, then wait for his attack and parry it, then to inflict a few blows in response.

Keep up the determination

This is a scale above the health bar that is spent on the use of powerful techniques and treatment. If you miss the moment, you can be left without the opportunity to replenish health right in the middle of the battle. In order to accumulate “determination”, you need to successfully fend off enemy attacks, win the “Confrontation” and quietly slaughter the Mongols. You can still wear charms that help replenish the supply.

Go through all the story quests first

At the very beginning of the plot, Jin knows almost nothing – a young samurai can only run and shout about honor. For completing the basic quests at the start, they give not only a lot of experience, but also useful skills that you will subsequently use throughout the game. For example, for passing the Yuna branch they will teach secretive strokes and listening to the environment, and for the first quest of Sensei Simura they will give a bow.

Pick up flowers and dress beautifully

Ghost of Tsushima has rich customization options for the main character. At some point, I caught myself thinking that this game perfectly embodies Japanese aesthetics. When you order rolls in a restaurant, you expect not only incredibly fresh fish, but also competent and beautiful serving. The same thing here – in Ghost of Tsushima you just want to look nice.

Where to find cosmetic items? Basically, they can be bought from flower dealers. Flowers grow literally under every stone, so picking up on a new skin can be done quickly. More images for katana or armor are sometimes given out for completing additional quests.

Interesting fact: there are two unusual paint traders in Tsushima. The first is located in the starting part of the island and specializes exclusively in white. The second is popularly known for its love of black shades and lives in the middle of Tsushima. For the required number of colors, the masters will gladly repaint any Jin’s clothes either in snow-white or black, like night itself.