007The Big
STORIES EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT
01
For lovers
of Japanese
history,
PlayStation 4
is the
console of
dreams,
allowing us
to immerse ourselves in both
realistic and fantastic versions of
historical conflicts. We now know
Ghost Of Tsushima will be following
Nioh 2 (see p76) and Sekiro onto
PS4 as soon as 26 June. Developed
by Sucker Punch, already known for
the slick-to-navigate open worlds it
created for the Sly Raccoon and
InFamous series, Ghost gives you
the whole island of Tsushima to
explore while you attempt to repel
a brutal Mongol invasion, based on
real-life events.
If you’re not a history buff, fear
not: this is far from a dry lesson.
Sucker Punch is dedicated to
bringing the drama of an epic
samurai movie to the game, with
the team citing the likes of Akira
Kurosawa as inspiration. Shigeru
Umebayashi is on the team as acomposer – if you don’t recognise
his name, you may well know the
scores for House Of Flying Daggers,
Yumeji, and Fearless. He’s a master
of Asian cinema soundtracks, and
the game sounds great.
You play as Jin Sakai, trained in
the way of the samurai and taught
to fight with honour by his uncle
Shimura, Lord of Tsushima. Jin’s
beliefs are sorely tested when he
fights on the island’s beaches, trying
to repel the invading Mongol Empire
fleet. After the initial attack
Tsushima’s forces are devastated,
making him one of the last remaining
samurai on the island (we know
Shimura, at least, lives beyond the
initial invasion). Narrowly escaping
death, he realises that to fight back
against overwhelming odds might
require him to use more than his
samurai’s honourable skills. He must
master the Way Of The Ghost,
ninja-like skills that will enable him to
take on a skilled enemy that heavily
outnumbers him.
The mantle of The Ghost turns you
into a vigilante-type figure, battling
for the oppressed people ofGhost Of
Tsushim a s t ep s
into the light
You can take on Khaaaaaaan and
his Mongol Horde from 26 June
10 ARE YOU READY OR NOT?
The PC hit could be coming to PS5.
14 PUT A SPEL ON YOU
Spelunky 2 looks thoroughly addictive.
16 MEAN GREEN
The rainforest’s taking its revenge.