Sucker Punch Productions has been a familiar name to Sony fans for a while with their Sly Cooper and Infamous franchises. They recently added a new IP under their belt with Ghost of Tsushima, an open-world samurai game detailing a samurai's fight against a Mongol invasion in thirteenth-century Japan.
It is not a particularly difficult game, with the developers instead more focused on engrossing players into the beautiful world, but these 10 tips should help new players having trouble grasping the combat or overwhelmed by the expansive map. Take these into account and foes should be running from Jin Sakai's blade at the mere sound of it being unsheathed.
10 Do The First Few Story Missions Before Tackling Side Quests
Jin Sakai progressively unlocks new goodies to use in combat well into the second act, but several key tools are hidden behind the first few story missions. Do these immediately to unlock more combat possibilities early on. After all, marching into battle without so much as a bow and arrow will result in a bad time, and combat is simply more fun with the added variety.
9 Take Out Archers First
Most enemy groups include at least one archer. Players have to listen for when the sharpshooter yells for his comrades to duck and similarly dodge out of the arrow's way. However, an easier alternative is to simply book it towards the foes with bows and quickly dispose of them. They put up almost no resistance in close-quarters combat, making them a cakewalk once Jin closes the distance.
8 Talk To People In Towns
Camps and towns are populated by friendly NPCs who often talk of the Ghost's exploits. Occasionally, the player will be able to press the right trigger and initiate a conversation with the townspeople.
Usually they point Jin toward a side quest which not only tells interesting stories, but also efficiently unlocks new areas of the map.
7 Memorize The Stances
Jin only starts out with one, but unlocks three additional stances as he defeats leaders. Engaging with some of the side activities should have all the stances opened up by the end of the first act. Memorizing their unique utility is integral to making short work of certain enemies. Stone Stance is used against swordsmen, Water Stance destroys shield wielders, Wind Stance is good against spears, and Moon Stance is effective against brutes, the large enemies.
6 Dodge, Don't Roll
A combat roll is effective for escaping a hairy situation, but do not spam it. Most of the time it is better to quickly dodge. Rolling often puts the player too far away from enemies for an effective counter-attack. Additionally, be sure to familiarize yourself with the difference between an unblockable attack and one which can be parried. The former sees a red light emanate from the foe's sword.
5 Keep Distance In Duels
Duels, which often top off story missions and certain side quests, are a highlight of the adventure. After one starts, be sure to keep Jin a safe distance from the foe and play defensively. Not going in too close makes the enemies movements easier to read. For the most part, the player will want to react to enemy attacks, eschewing aggression.
4 Go To Question Marks On The Map
Even if one is disinterested in side quests and bonus activities, it is still a good idea to travel to the question marks dotted along the map.
Once the area is revealed, players are able to fast travel to it even if they do not complete the particular objective. This will make navigating the world easier, especially since fast travel has impressively low load times.
3 Unlock Dance Of Wrath And Heavenly Strike
Mythic Tales are unlocked by speaking to musicians and are often based on Japanese folklore. Some of these quests unlock armor, while a couple grant new abilities. Two to be on the lookout for are Heavenly Strike and Dance of Wrath, unlocked in the first and second act, respectively. The latter is particular is useful in groups, especially when it comes time to build up the Ghost Meter.
2 Use Kunai Liberally
The R1 button is mainly used for defensive weapons. The first one Jin gets is Kunai, small knives he throws at enemies. These are excellent for crowd control as they quickly stun multiple targets. If one starts feeling overwhelmed, just whip these bad boys out for a chance to turn the tide of battle. If none are in the inventory, Sticky Bombs also help.
1 Use Stealth Instead Of Standoffs
While standoffs are dramatic and look cool, they are not as useful as stealth when it comes to clearing out camps. Once the Ghost Meter is unlocked, silently assassinating half of the camp easily fills it up for an opportunity to kill three enemies without breaking a sweat. Afterwards, there should only be a few opponents left in the camp who will be no match for the Ghost.