Ghost of Tsushima gameplay showcases combat, samurai cinema mode and more

Ghost of Tsushima was given the spotlight in PlayStation’s latest State of Play presentation, showcasing a number of new features. 

The presentation itself was spread across three areas, exploring, combat and customisation, showing a comprehensive look at the gameplay within the title for the first time. 

As Jin, you’ll be exploring the island of Tsushima in 1274 with a UI which aims to limit obtrusiveness - emphasising you’ll be guided by animals and the wind to waypoints and points of interest across the map. 

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Examples included following smoke stacks or foxes who will lead you to hidden shrines when followed. There doesn’t appear to be a clear path outlined when you decide a waypoint on the map, meaning you’ll have to follow the way the wind blows to find your way around. 

Combat was split between the Samurai Jin and Ghost Jin play styles. The former is more confrontational, allowing you to challenge enemies to standoffs, use parry mechanics and change combat stances like Nioh. 

A switch to the Ghost style however is essentially more stealthy; seeing you distract enemies with firecrackers and utilising a “fear” mechanic whereby you scare enemies into running away with stealthy takedowns. 

They also showed off customisable armour, upgradeable skills which allow you to evolve your Samurai in a play style which suits you, along with a photo mode to create dramatic shots with. 

Ghost of Tsushima looks very pretty (Picture: Sony) 

One of the most unique features is the ability to play the entire game in Samurai Cinema mode - a black and white option with extra wind designed to make it feel more like a classic samurai movie. 

It certainly has strong whiffs of traditional Assassin’s Creed, and with that franchise’s move into RPG territory, this might scratch the itch for those wishing Ubisoft would take that series back to its roots. 

Ghost of Tsushima releases 17th July on PlayStation 4.