Hey everybody, my name is Dave Jackson, and this is Baby Got Backlog, a video games podcast where I will bring in guests to talk about games that I’ve recently played.. My name is Dave Jackson, joined today by Aaron Angle, and Ryan Delaney Today’s game is Ghost of Tsushima , an open world action game set on the Japanese Island of Tsushima during the first mongol invasion in 1274. developed by Sucker Punch Productions and published by Sony for playstation 4 in 2020, with a ps5 update released in 2021. Before we get into Ghost of Tsushima, what has everyone been playing lately? Ok, let’s get into today’s focus,Ghost of Tsushima. We will attempt to avoid spoilers until the spoiler wall later in the episode, so if you haven’t played it, fear not, and if you have, we’ll get into that spoilery good stuff later in the episode. Our histories with the game- When did we play, on what platform- I played in may/june/july 2021 on ps5 (but before the director’s cut upgrade was released) What interested us in this game? I had my eye on it since before release, since there was a lot of marketing budget behind it, but Aaron played it first and heaped praise on it. Play time- 36 hours Basics of how the game works, key mechanics, what makes this stand out Visuals and music- even before the ps5 upgrade, this was the most beautiful looking game I’ve ever played. The use of color, the way the foliage blows in the wind, every section of the map is built to be a visual treat. It honestly made riding across the map a treasure. I’m not normally a screenshot guy but I took a bunch in this game. Cinematics- the way cutscenes are framed, the way duels are framed with the backgrounds, really adds emotion to some of the pivotal scenes in the game. Open world action game- think a map full of markers to clear out, Ghost of Tsushima has a reputation for being like “the open world game killer” because of one of its claims to fame- the way you find these attractions around the open world is a bit more “natural” in air quotes. Golden birds lead you to new locations, foxes lead you to inari shrines, and instead of a big glowing trail on the ground leading to your destination, the wind will blow in that direction. I think this goes a long way towards immersion, but make no mistake, this is still an open world game with most of the tropes that come along with the genre. Like instead of an inari shrine map marker, you’ll have a fox map marker. What do you guys think? Basic plot- You play as Jin Sakai, a samurai and last surviving member of Clan Sakai. Raised by the local lord, Lord Shimura, you are one of the few samura who survive the initial battle against the mongols, and must learn “dishonorable” combat methods such as “stealth” in order to help beat back the Mongols, led by Khotun Khan and save Tsushima and Japan as a whole. In my opinion the honorable samurai code and the “dishonorable” way you start to play are meant to clash, lots of people complain about this, like the game is scolding you for playing it, but without spoilers I was very happy with where that went. More focus on the story after the spoiler wall, but without spoilers, what did you guys think of the story? Side quests- 3 main categories Character side quests (tales)- either continuing stories of up to 9 chapters, or one-offs with randoms (IMO very good story-based quests, I liked a few of the stories a lot) Mythic tales- longer single side quests that typically give you a really good reward like a combat technique, a set of armor, etc., for example dueling Errands- feel randomly generated, fetch quest type things (bring supplies here), I ignored them Combat Standoff mechanic- allows you to challenge a group of enemies and using a timed button hold/release/presses chain to easily kill up to a maximum of five enemies in just a few seconds. IMO great way to start out when you’re clearing a camp or when you’re up against 2 or 3 regular enemies out in the open. Stealth- hiding in tall grass, leaping assassinations, if you’ve played Assassin’s creed, you’ll know what we mean. Plays into story. Combat- upgradeable katana with stances for different types of enemies + ninja tools (kunai, shuriken, smoke bombs, etc) regular fights that play out similar to newer assassin’s creed games, katana and various combat tools- what tools did you guys use, especially when you were fighting large groups? Combat felt a bit clunky to me at first, it has a very particular flow to it that took me about 5 hours to master. 1v1 duels- no ninja tools- heavy emphasis on deflecting/parrying and finding the right moment to strike. Not quite Sekiro or Jedi Fallen Order, but these are proper duels. These ended up being my favorite type of combat in the game, especially the side quest to duel the five swordmasters, due to the way they were framed with the beautiful environments and what I felt was a fair challenge. Multiplayer mode- Legends mode- I have not tried it, does not really interest me, this game felt like a very solo experience to me. How about you guys? DLC - Iki Island- takes place after the main game. By all accounts fine to good if you like the main game. Did you guys play it? Overall thoughts/Do we recommend? At what price point? I think this is an excellent open-world action game, so if you are at all into the genre, you should find things to like here. It is still an open-world game though, it just hides some of the tropes a little bit. Housekeeping- Thank you for listening! If you want to support the show, please subscribe on your platform of choice, leave us a rating and review if your platform allows it, and spread the good word! I/we also do a podcast called A Top 3 Podcast where each week we pick a topic, pick our top 3s in that topic, and discuss. It’s a good time, so check that out if you want to hear us talk about other subjects. Ryan anything you’re working on? SPOILER WALL Story talk / spoilery experiences Along the way joined by allies Yuna (a thief), Taka (yuna’s brother blacksmith), lady masako (warrior), sensei ishikawa (archery master), Yuriko (Jin’s caretaker), kenji (sake salesman and con artist), warrior monk Norio, and Jin’s childhood friend straw hat ronin Ryuzo thoughts on allies or their side quests? Memorable mythic tales? Main antagonist Khotun Khan, a cousin of Kublai Khan thoughts? The way the story starts might put people off, with the way that you are constantly scolded for engaging with the game’s mechanics, but it soon becomes clear, before he poisons the mongol camp, that you are in the right and your uncle has lost touch. I really dug the story going in that direction Not a fan of the last fight with the Khan, I was expecting a big epic duel (I love the duels) and instead got a weird almost puzzly fight on a ship with a bunch of adds. Final duel- how did you guys handle the final duel and choice regarding your uncle? the final duel with your uncle was so fucking cathartic and awesome, framed with the red leaves from the tree. I killed him because he asked for an honorable death, and it was an extremely affecting scene, again great blocking on the scene. I was so pumped up from the way that ended that I actually went through and cleared all of the mongol camps from the map, an extra 3-4 hours, something I wouldn’t do in most games.