Samurai epic Ghost of Tsushima has been a runaway success for developer Sucker Punch. It's even been embraced by Japanese gamers, who are typically wary of Western depictions of their history and culture. It's a quality game, no doubt—but also an incredibly basic one. Playing like a greatest hits of the last 10 years of open world games, Ghost of Tsushima has very few unique ideas of its own. It feels almost old fashioned, with its icon-sprinkled map and long lists of repetitive optional tasks. But somehow, despite these shortcomings, it's a compelling and immensely playable game that I gladly saw through to the end credits.
It reminds me a lot of Mad Max, a loose movie tie-in developed by Just Cause creator Avalanche in 2015. This criminally underrated post-apocalyptic open world game is similar to Ghost of Tsushima in that it makes no attempt to push the genre forward, but manages to hold your interest thanks to strong world-building, a palpable atmosphere, and solid design. It doesn't exist to be a revolutionary open world game: it exists to make you feel like Max Rockatansky, the legendary road warrior, wandering the dusty ruins of the end of the world, with nothing to your name but a beat-up car and a dwindling tank of gas. And it nails it.
Similarly, Ghost of Tsushima exists to make you feel like you're in a samurai movie. You couldn't ask for a more perfect expression of the romantic idea of being a samurai. Its idealised, exaggerated depiction of Japan, with its swirling autumn leaves, swaying grass, and burning sunsets, is incredibly evocative and transporting. It's like stepping into an ancient Japanese legend or a woodblock print come to life. Ghost of Tsushima is one of the most stylish games I've ever played, and when I'm riding across fields of dazzlingly colourful flowers, or duelling ronin beneath crashing waterfalls, I find it hard to care that the open world design is derivative.
Another important thing Ghost of Tsushima and Mad Max have in common is that, on the most basic level, they just feel great to play. They're both extremely polished games with tight controls and gratifyingly crunchy, responsive combat. You do a lot of fighting in Ghost of Tsushima, but thanks to the measured, refined sword combat, I never got tired of battling Mongol warriors and treacherous 🅘ronin. Both games also make exploring their worlds a breeze, giving youಌ an abundance of fast travel points to unlock. This is another reason why the lack of original ideas in both games is easily ignored: they never, ever feel like a chore to play.
Ghost of Tsushima has problems. There's very little mission variety, it takes itself a little too seriously, some of the quests are downright tedious, and the wind-based navigation system is more stylish than practical. But I find myself forgiving it more than I would other games because it creates a mood and an atmosphere so well. Sucker Punch may have taken a conservative approach to the open world genre, but by masking it with pure vibe, it got away with it—and sold a bundle as a result. Mad Max wasn't as successful, having been foolishly launched on the same day as Metal Gear Solid 5 and left to die, but it's just as worthy of your time.
