Yesterday, Sony and Sucker Punch devoted an entire State of Play to their upcoming stealth action game, Ghost of Tsushima. And in case you missed it, Sony has kindly posted the replay on YouTube.
The State of Play also revealed new tidbits about the game, including topics of exploration, combat, customization, Photo Mode, the Japanese voice track, and Samurai Cinema. All mixed into this was 18 minutes of new gameplay footage.
For exploration, Sucker Punch asked the question, “How can we let the island guide you in the most thematic and immersive way possible?” The answer was the “Guiding Wind,” which allows players to call a gust of wind at any time, which will guide you to your destination.
Not only that, but while exploring, you have other mechanics to guide you: You’ll come across smokestacks indicating people in need of help; birds that lead to points of interest such as hidden objects; abandoned buildings with rare resources; foxes that guide you to shrines, and so on. Once you have visited a location, you will be able to return later via fast travel.
As for combat, Jin can fight both as a samurai and as the Ghost. When fighting as a samurai, Jin challenges enemies honorably to lethal standoffs, parrying to open them up. When fighting as the Ghost, he fights more deceptively, using things such as distractions to lure enemies. Jin can use his grappling hook to climb or swing across gaps, or even use his enemies’ own weapons against them.
As a stylistic touch, both the Japanese voice track option and “Samurai Cinema” mode can be selected before the beginning of the game. Samurai Cinema is a windy, black-and-white, film-grain mode that replicates the feel of old samurai films.
Ghost of Tsushima is due out for PlayStation 4 on July 17 worldwide.