Four years since its launch back on the PlayStation 4, Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima is one of the most incredible love letters to the Samurai genre and Akira Kurosawa’s movies that ever grace the industry. And with rivals finally catching up, the release of the PC version based on the Director’s Cut version is them going, “Yeah, remember who the benchmark is”.
So, being the 2nd most sought-after exclusive people wanted on PC and handled by the folks at Nixxes, is this another slam-dunk PC release?
I believe it is.
Presentation
The PC version of Ghost Of Tsushima has gotten all of the bells and whistles you would expect from a PC port, including the likes of AMD FSR, Intel XeSS, and Nvidia DLSS included in, and with the minimum requirements needing only either an Intel Core i3 7 series or a Ryzen 3 1300 and a minimum of 2GBs VRAM graphics card, this runs exceptionally well on my personal rig that uses the good ol’ GTX 1050 ti, and from reports by others, it plays incredibly well on the Steam Deck.
And what you’ll see is a video game that’s filled with lush greenery during its downtime, vibrant colors during the flashback sequences, and the hard and gritty filled with shades of red during the many battles you’ll encounter as Jin Sakai. And not to mention how incredible everything looks still in the black-and-white Kurosawa mode, the presentation department doesn’t disappoint. 
What’s disappointing, however, is how the PSN integration actually works, with a small menu in-game that tracks all of the achievements. It will show the game on the PlayStation apps and within the socials. It’s a neat feature for those who can use it, but it’s not really something I would restrict people into trying out one of the best stories in video games though.
Gameplay
The combat itself lends towards the cinematic feel as you would expect, with the duels that you can set up anytime that make the camera pan out to have the two fighters side by side with the backdrop being dramatic, before landing the final blow towards your opponent and starting the actual combat encounter proper, 
And even after half a decade, I still love how the game opens up your abilities using the story as the basis of teaching you how to become a better combatant in the open world. Stuff like getting to use a bow or even learning how to do stealth kills are done via the story as a way of natural progression and makes sense thematically as Sakai himself is an honorary Samurai, and using the thief’s combat style feels taboo to him, making the transition from him being a Samurai to a Ghost more natural as you play on.
While we’re talking about play, the keyboard and mouse controls feel quite responsive, with the mouse helping with the aiming of the katana sword and bows rather well, circumventing an issue that people had during the console version’s camera not being able to follow Jin during more intense encounter, and the default key presses on keyboard does make sense, with Mouse 1 and 2 are reserved for the light and heavy attacks, Q is block, ALT is dodge and so on.
Overall, the gameplay segment is still a great example of the action game that lies within this incredible love letter to Japanese Samurai Cinema.
Content
If anything, Ghost of Tsushima isn’t light on the content side. It does follow the “Open-World Sandbox” structure to some degree but has its own twist to the formula that differs itself from the contemporaries where, as we mentioned in our initial review of the game, hides everything in a Fog-Of-War situation where every “typical check box” thing is hidden between exploration, kinda like how Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption 2 does it.
Like every Fox you encounter or every Haiku you find, it helps build the connection between you, the player, and the world that Sucker Punch has crafted, immersing you in the story that many others have tried to replicate since its initial launch, but haven’t really landed it, in my opinion.
And with this Director’s Cut that includes the Iki Island and the multiplayer components, you’re looking at 25 to 40 hours of content if you wish to explore the entirety of the game.
Personal Enjoyment
As someone who missed the boat on Ghost of Tsushima back then (a certain game about edge runners took hold of me), this is my first time diving into the island of Tsushima and it has captivated me from the get-go. From the emotional beginnings, intense fights, and the works.
And while I do have some issues with how their publisher is treating the PC players in some regions, it is a solid title all around that people who haven’t played one of the best games in 2020, should give it a go.
Verdict
Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut on PC is the perfect port for those wanting to experience the revenge plotline of Jin Sakai, or play with friends on Legends to take on the enemies. It’s one of the must plays for the PlayStation titles that’s on PC.
Played on PC, Review copy provided by PlayStation Asia.
Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut PC
the perfect port for those wanting to experience the revenge plotline of Jin Sakai, play with friends on Legends to take on enemies.
- Presentation 9.5
- Gameplay 8.5
- Content 9
- Personal Enjoyment 9