Sony has received endless praise this console generation for the number of stellar first-party titles that it has released, and rightly so. Games likeGod of War,Horizon Zero Dawn, andMarvel’s Spider-Manstand as some of the most well-received from both critics and fans alike over the past few years. But for all of Sony’s success in the PS4 era, I think what I’ve personally loved the most from the PlayStation brand is its willingness to publish new IPs.
While the PS4 has seen its fair share of sequels or reboots of older properties from PlayStation’s past (God of War,Infamous: Second Son,Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End), Sony has also brought about entirely new worlds and characters for us to fall in love with for the first time. In a time where many games that are released annually have started to feel a bit derivative and by-the-numbers, PS4 exclusives likeHorizon Zero Dawn,Death Stranding, andUntil Dawnhave been some of the most captivating and enjoyable games for me on a personal level these past few years just because of how fresh they feel.
Now, in 2020, Sony is gearing up to publish yet another wholly new IP from Sucker Punch inGhost of Tsushimaand it’s far and away one of my most anticipated games of the year.
Sony first lifted the veil onGhost of Tsushimaback at Paris Games Week 2017with a short trailer that let us know the game would be taking place during the Mongol invasion of Japan. The game centers around a samurai by the name of Jin Sakai, but other details of the story and characters aren’t really widely known just yet. On the gameplay front, all that Sucker Punch has opted to show us so far has been onedemo at E3 2018followed by another trailer that featured some more snippets of gameplay and a release window back at The Game Awards 2019.
All in all, we have seen very little aboutGhost of Tsushima, which is why I think I have such a close eye on it this year. Compared to other major releases that are coming up in 2020 (Cyberpunk 2077,Final Fantasy VII Remake,DOOM Eternal) I feel like there are many relatively unknown factors withGhost of Tsushima. Heck, news on the game went so quiet in 2019 that many started questioning whether or not it wouldend up just altogether becoming a PS5 game. That obviously won’t be the case, but it speaks to how silent Sony has been with this title.
That said, this seems to be Sony’s MO over the course of the PS4 generation when it comes to showing off new games. Despite revealing many of their projects years in advance this gen, Sony has also kept most of these games well under wraps, only releasing a new trailer or screenshots here and there before then showing quite a bit more gameplay very close to launch.Ghost of Tsushimahas actually had a very similar pre-release timeline toGod of War, at least when comparing the two so far. Speaking for myself, I think that this manner of being relatively silent about games that are in development for long stretches of time actually generates more excitement in the long run.
I’m also just stoked forGhost of Tsushimathough because, hey, I love action games. If you know my gaming tastes whatsoever, you’re probably aware that I have become obsessed with theSoulsgames in recent years. Other standout favorites of mine from recent memory includeJudgment,Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, andSekiro: Shadows Die Twice. While I’m unsure of how much DNAGhost of Tsushimawill share with games like this, based on the extended gameplay demo we saw in 2018, I got some majorBatman: Arkham,Assassin’s Creed, andSekirovibes. IfGhost of Tsushima’sfinal version is anything close to games like these, I’m all in.
There’s also the fact thatGhost of Tsushimaquite literally looks like it could be one of the prettiest games ever made. Speaking of that gameplay demo from 2018, I’m hard-pressed to actually believe that what we were shown was running on a PS4 Pro. Seriously, how is that even possible? The level of detail and the high-fidelity visuals that we were shown look like they should only be possible on a PC, or maybe an Xbox One X. If these kinds of graphics are possible on even the weakest “premium” platform around, then that’s pretty incredible. Games like this are why I invested in a 4K TV and a PS4 Pro in the first place and I’m hopingGhost of Tsushima’sfinalized iteration will look just as stunning as what we’ve been shown thus far.
The final cherry on top of my pre-release anticipation forGhost of Tsushimahas also just been due to how serious Sucker Punch is taking the source material here. Developers at the studio have talked openly about how much research has gone into this project which has included multiple trips to Japan andworking with actual swordmasters. Not to mention, the full game is going to featureoptional Japanese voice acting with English subtitlesto really entrench yourself in the experience even further. Aspects like this won’t make or breakGhost of Tsushima, but it shows just that Sucker Punch is committed to making this not just an enjoyable game, but one that is highly-authentic as well.
IsGhost of Tsushimagoing to be the best game of 2020? I’m not a fortune teller, so I have no idea. But could it be my personal favorite game of 2020? Sure, why not. Sucker Punch, for my money, is one of the best developers in the video game industry and based on what we’ve seen so far, this could be shaping up to be the true swan song for the PS4 (sorry,The Last of Us Part II).
Despite being seemingly overshadowed by countless other releases and the advent of next-gen consoles, I am ecstatic to see more ofGhost of Tsushimalater this summer when it finally hits PS4.
