I’ve been replaying Ghost of Tsushima thanks to its Directors Cut for PlayStation 5, and passed the 50 hours played mark around the same time I beat the story, including the Iki Island expansion. Even before the upgraded experience made possible by the DualSense controller and shinier graphics, the story and combat were absolutely outstanding. Lord Jin Sakai makes for an incredible protagonist, both a relatable every man trying to live his life by a code of honour and a heavily armed assassin fuelled by his dark desire for vengeance.

I scored the overall experience a 9 out of 10 last summer, and the element of the game I criticised the most was the repetitive open world locations which seemed to be included only to pad the game out. Having just gone through and completed them all a second time, I have to say I disagree with…myself.

There’s something incredibly Zen about wiling away an afternoon completing platforming puzzles, writing haiku and chasing foxes around. These work especially well juxtaposed against the brutality of later game combat elements, as after poisoning a squad of Mongol soldiers so they throw up blood and die slowly, twitching in the mud, it’s nice to be able to break up the violence with chilling next to a waterfall writing about how the concept of hope makes Jin feel.

I spent over an hour during a recent evening simply completing Shinto Shrine puzzles, as they are seldom challenging and allowed me to switch my brain off for a bit and just look at the stunning Tsushima scenery. I could fill an entire album with photos I have taken with the delightful photo mode the game provides, and even after 100+ hours spent across two playthroughs I still find myself indulging my inner photographer with the tap of a button on the D-pad.

I think the bulk of my decision to score the game a 9 was born out of frustration towards the amount of time it took to Platinum the game, and whilst I stand by the criticism that there is a lack of imagination on display for variety, the Iki Island expansion resolved this issue with an impressive level of new types of places to discover. The introduction of cat sanctuaries is one of my favourite things in video gaming, and more developers should feel the need to include cats in their games. It doesn’t guarantee them a higher review score from me, but it definitely helps!

I definitely prefer the map as it is and if the level of locations to visit had been scaled back to address the issue with repetitive content it would only be replaced with the complaint that the map is too empty, and I know which of those I would be happier to live with.. (The one we have if that wasn’t clear)

Due to the level of fun I am having with Ghost of Tsushima, especially considering I didn’t buy into the hype of the game at all until it had launched, I can without hesitation retroactively amend my score to

10 / 10

This is a perfect game provided you come equipped with the right mindset, and once again, Platinum grinds should not be considered as a factor when deciding a games final review score. If it was then Dark Chronicle would certainly find its 10 whipped away from it pretty quickly! Let me know in the comments what you would score Ghost of Tsushima if you have played it, and if you agree with my decision to bump up its score. Thanks for reading!