Okay, getting started with Ghost of Tsushima, and I already love how it has different "experiences", including a Kurosawa mode, that applies a black&white filter with grainy audio

For practical reasons, I will be doing Samurai Cinema (hehe, too cute), which is Japanese dialogue with English subtitles. This is a subbed household!

(Shit, the lip movements are animated for English. Dang.)

Another bad bih named Yuna, we stan already!

Ohhh wow. Packing the first full combat tutorial into a flashback that also serves to build character and relationships, with THIS level of cinematography?? Oh, my good bitch!

Adopting the cinematic style of samurai films into a gameplay format. I'm barely past the intro but already blown away by that. Hope it maintains that momentum throughout.

Not sure why it has an hour-long download after the fight against Khan, but that gives me time for initial thoughts, which essentially boil down to: holy shit!

I've talked about this before, but the magic in anime and Japanese cinema in general, for me, is in the cinematography, editing, and how combat and character are often woven together.

It's more than just "cool" fight choreo, even when it's flashy.

Other examples off the top of my head would be the fight with Donnie Yen's character in Hero or the Naruto v Neji fight, both of which represent a clash of ideas or beliefs, as well as The One and Birds of Prey (Asian fight choreographers), whose fight styles reflect character.

Here, the flashback when you get the sword. It's not just Yay my weapon I can fight now!, it unlocks the backstory that reveals his deeper relationship to that sword and what it means to him and who he is as a character. What he values, etc.

I know I'm hella early into the game so I may be giving it too much too soon, it's just refreshing to see that level of care being shown both to character and storytelling in a video game. Y'all know how I am about that

On a lighter note...this muhfugga sexy as hell.

To clarify, this is an American-made game (which explains the mouth animation). So it is, at best, Japanese inspired. I'm not counting it as Japanese cinema or storytelling or anything.

But, to its credit, so far its inspiration seems to go deeper than mere aesthetic. So far.

Photo Mode, lol. I guess after screencaps, the next logical step would be interface options for staging photographs.

This is not a complaint, this is very much the opposite of a complaint

These were both taken on the same paused moment. The first is where I am, as is. The second is after adding particles (fireflies) and moving the time to night in Photo Mode. Changes nothing in the game, but makes for great screencap options.

Animal Crossing is shaking a bit

Unf, this flashback after your first assassination. He's immediately being challenged as a character. Loving this.

Oooh, and you collect supplies and resources from the environment to later be used for crafting. Craft mechanics are very much my jam, honestly wasn't expecting that in a game like this.

I think the emphasis on scenic beauty and cinematic storytelling had me comparing it to Shadow of the Collosus aka minimalist gameplay (not a criticism) but nah, this has legit skill trees and lore and equipment, the whole package!

(For the record, I only watched a teaser trailer months ago, hence me having very little idea of what to expect.)

And platforming mechanics...!! Also a fave of mine, I am quite the excite!

Most importantly, though...YOU CAN PET THE FOX!

I REPEAT: YOU CAN PET THE FOX!!

If you do not pet the fox after it leads you to a shrine, you are a bad person, and I am judging you. That's right, I said it!

LOL here I am lowkey expecting a minimalist gameplay style, meanwhile this combat skill tree system looking like Dragon Age: Inqusition meets Street Fighter. I, uhh....Ima need to practice, cause right now?

But you have a huge map to explore, with little markers that pop up when you get close like Skyrim, and mission trees that play out through a series of smaller missions you get by visiting the same person multiple times like GTA.

Fascinating blend of elements there

Ima take a little break to eat and shower, cause the combat system finally opened up and there were so many buttons and I got overwhelmed

But story-wise, there is an inner conflict being developed for Sakai. Stealth kills run contrary to everything he stands for as a samurai, but they're sometimes what must be done to survive and keep innocent people alive.

Character and plot developing together

In the middle of infiltrating an area, I did a stealth kill that triggered a small cutscene where he apologized to his uncle, then afterwards, the other samurai criticized me for it.

Makes me wonder if I should avoid stealth kills and/or where doing it often leads the game

(That is me thinking aloud, not actually asking a question, so no need to answer it. I'll find out in my own time )

On this first playthrough, he might just have to deal with it and work that out with whatever deity(ies) he fucks with, cause until I get a bow with a zoom on it or something...baby...

On my way to my next mission, I came across a dojo that had been taken over by Mongols. I snuck around, cleared em out one by one with arrows and stealth kills, and once I defeated the leader, it transitioned to the dojo becoming a refuge for residents.

Fuck, I love that.

If you've ever played DA:I, it's pretty much the same as taking a keep; once you plant your flag, it transitions to a base, with merchants and such.

I really, REALLY love that. Makes the impact of my actions feel so much more solid. The progress tangible.

Unlocking the slow-mo camera for my bow, which if I'm quick lets me get off multiple headshots before it's done, and being attentive to the different strategies for each type of enemy has really upped my prowess in battle, too. Love that for me.

Picking off multiple enemies with arrows at close range right before they're within sword's reach as a way of clearing out a group is particularly satisfying. I understand Legolas a lot better now

Look at Masako. Leant up against this tree. Too much sauce. She know she bad.

My one main complaint so far is that their mouths are animated for English. Because the Japanese voice actors are delivering these lines so well AND they animated the faces with such emotion when they speak. So that the two don't match is unfortunate.

Like, yeah you could probably nitpick the technicals, but there are some wonderful subtleties in the ways their lips purse and grimace as they speak. Eyebrows are not the only part of the face that convey emotion.

On a later playthrough, I may try out the English dialogue just to see how it feels, but it feels like a disservice to the story and its cultural references to be spoken in English.

(For me and my preferences, not speaking on how other players choose to experience the game.)

And I know it's likely a collaboration between the animators and the actor, but Lauren Tom, the face model for Lady Masako is AC-TING, okay?

Hapoened upon this when I was searching her name. The faces are modeled after the English-language voice actors, which means even in English, the voices will be Asian actors.

That softens me to the idea of playing in English on the next run ngl https://twinfinite.net/gallery/ghost-of-tsushima-voice-actors-english-japanese/

Although cultural accuracy is valid enough reason on its own, I also just find it painful to hear white actors struggle through Japanese names and words

Found my first Shinto Shrine and it was very much giving Assassin's Creed-style* platforming to get to the top. I live for that shit!

*AC2 is the last AC I played so that's my reference point, in case their mechanics have since changed

This was a very beautiful moment. I love how Jin gives Lady Masako space to process her grief as well as her rage. What a tragic story

In pursuit of the Heavenly Strike, I really appreciate that the last task before the mission is completed is to give the grandfather a proper burial to honor him. The level of care being shown to the dead in this game is really refreshing.

And to the living. I saved a group of people cornered by Mongols, one of whom was carrying an infant, and pointed them to a place of refuge nearby. Later when I got there myself, I ran across the man with the baby, who let me know they all arrived safely

There is much more here than gorgeous scenery and cool fighting, there's also a strong sense of humanity that I'm finding very refreshing.

Sneaking up to a Mongol camp, and it was hella Mongols up in there...but just as I was running up, three big ass bears attacked the camp too. They didn't clear it out, but came quite close! They gave their lives in defense of their island. Respect.

Also, I haven't mentioned it yet but the investigation mechanics are so cool. Very L.A. Noire (which was an excellent game and deserves a second game with a better written second half!)

They really threw everything AND the kitchen sink into this damn game, and I LOVE IT.

Jin and Ryuzo. I ship it.

Just snuck up behind a guy on a boat, ran up and kneed him overboard. The move requires sprinting so he had just enough time to turn around and see me running up before I launched him screaming into the water.

That splash was so satisfying

There's quite a bit of stealth in this game but one thing I'm really appreciating is that it's challenging enough to be fun, but not so rigid that it's frustrating. I typically HATE stealth missions in games, so that's saying something.

This is also from the same company that made Sly Cooper, which IIRC was a cutesy game with a prominent stealth mechanic, so maybe they just pulled from that. Either way, I'm digging it.

This game makes me feel like such a bad ass LOL three guys were huddled around a hostage. From behind a half-wall, I took out the two lesser dudes with headshots before my slo-mo concentration expired then I ran up on the leader before they even finished falling to the ground.

LOL Kenji keeps stuffing Jin into barrels to sneak him into Mongol territory and Jin is fed up. But if it works, it works

When it first started, I'd get sad whenever it rained cause the game is so pretty when it's sunny. Now after all the sneaking around, rain and gloom is much more comfortable LOL

Not that it actually affects gameplay, but sneaking around a camp in broad daylight felt so weird

My favorite haiku I've written so far:

Headband of Strife:
Close behind the veil
Peer through the mist and we'll be
Shattered, but alive

Headband of Death:
Basked in peace, we rest
Escaping higher, we climb
Flourishing and free

What the samurai call a "thief", Yuna has reframed positively as a "ghost". She's adding nuance to this ongoing conversation within the narrative, and I'm really intrigued to see where it goes from here. https://twitter.com/stevie_mat/status/1284355209611763712?s=19

Cause yeah, especially as your skills develop, it becomes increasingly easier to take out a whole gang of enemies head-on...but when hostages are involved, there's only so much one person can do, so realistically, moving in silence is not just more effective, but necessary.

As Yuna herself says when Jin first chafes at "breaking his code"..."then don't break it, just bend it."

Flexibility for the safety of his people

The grapple hook....UNF. Why is swinging in games so damn fun!?

Oooh, Norio is a CU-TIEEEEE!!

This game actually found that balance, I am so pleased LOL https://twitter.com/stevie_mat/status/1270446369442947072?s=19

Yes, Act I is about rescuing Lord Shimura, but for plot reasons, it's not as urgent as, say, BotW's "YOU MUST HURRYYYYY!"

And Act II opens by giving you a bunch of things to do, then Shimura essentially tops it off with "good luck, see you when I see you"

And it makes sense in terms of pacing, as well. Building a resistance to an invading army of this size and ferocity takes time; rush it, and you risk undercutting the impact of your eventual victory.