The Top 10 Games Of 2021: Ghost Of Tsushima Director's Cut
As we continue our countdown of the best video games of 2021, it's time to draw our Samurai swords for the Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut.
Tom Chapman
09th Nov 2021 17:24
Images via Sucker Punch Productions
Jin Sakai is taking his solemn vow, while we take a closer look at Ghost of Tsushima's merits as one of the best games of 2021. Yes, we know Sucker Punch Productions' samurai-swinging epic slashed its way onto the PlayStation in 2020, but still, the legendary Director's Cut added more than just a few cuddly kitties to proceedings.
Taking place in 13th Century Japan, Ghost of Tsushima followed the Mongol invasion and put you in the armour of Sakai as the last member of his clan. Soaked with buckets of blood and a typically anime-inspired story of vengeance, Ghost of Tsushima was rightly one of last year's best games. The 2021 Director's Cut improved on that in a big way.
Going Where Assassin's Creed Never Could
While Ubisoft's long-running Assassin's Creed series has been around the world in terms of history and mythology, one of the biggest ideas that's been floated but never realised is a tip to Feudal Japan. It looks like Sucker Punch got the jump on that one, with Ghost of Tsushima having more than a few comparisons. Arguably, Ghost is a superior Assassin's game that would give even Assassin's Creed Odyssey a run for its money.
Ubisoft is still yet to deliver an Assassin's Creed game set in Japan, and after Ghost of Tsushima beat the fan-favourite franchise to the punch, maybe AC would be best to leave this period of history alone. If the base version of Ghost of Tsushima was a bold addition to the adventure stealth genre, the Director's Cut took what made the original so great and proved why it was worthy of a DLC. It would've been easy enough to just repackage it with some souped-up graphics and call it a new-gen release. Instead, the devs went above and beyond.
What Was So Special About The Ghost Of Tsushima Director's Cut?
As we said, it wasn't just a whole petting zoo that made the Director's Cut worth buying if you hadn't stepped into this world before. There was a whole new island to explore, which gave us more than just a seaside version of the main game. Iki Island was a brand-new ecosystem, which was given another great boost by the PlayStation 5's capabilities.
Haptic puzzles worked hand in hand with the DualSense controller, everything looked better thanks to dynamic 4K resolution, and the photo mode let you explore far beyond the additional 10 hours of main story gameplay. If that wasn't enough, the expansion was also praised for adding full Japanese lip-syncing.
When Ghost of Tsushima launched, it quickly became the highest-rated PS4 of all time. Sucker Punch was already setting the bar high in 2020, but that's nothing compared to 2021's Director's Cut. Both 2020 and 2021 have been dominated by some major franchise returns, and yet, Ghost has managed to slice through the competition for two years running. With a full-blown sequel surely set to continue the story even further, all we need now is that long-rumoured PC port.
About The Author
Tom Chapman
Tom is Trending News Editor at GGRecon, with an NCTJ qualification in Broadcast Journalism and over seven years of experience writing about film, gaming, and television. With bylines at IGN, Digital Spy, Den of Geek, and more, Tom’s love of horror means he's well-versed in all things Resident Evil, with aspirations to be the next Chris Redfield.
