Sony-owned Sucker Punch Productions recently announced Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut, a PS5 remaster of the original experience bundled with a brand-new story expansion. Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut adds a slew of things, including the much-requested Japanese lip sync for all characters. However, this next-gen version of the 2020's beloved PS5 exclusive comes at a hefty price.
The reveal of Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut didn't sit well with a fraction of the PlayStation community due to its high pricing and low purchasing options. For starters, existing Ghost of Tsushima players do not get a free next-gen upgrade, nor do they get the option to buy the Iki story expansion separately. The lack of freedom to choose what upcoming additions players want to invest in is baffling, but adds an extra layer of expectation from the overall package. While the $70 price on PS5 isn't necessarily economically friendly for the existing users, here's what Ghost of Tsushima's: Director's Cut must do to justify its price tag.
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Ghost of Tsushima is already a gorgeous game, meaning its PS5 variant needs to be more than just an upscaled version of it. PS5 players already have access to the free performance upgrade that renders the game at 60 FPS, so providing just a resolution and framerate upgrade won't suffice for many who are presumably enjoying the game in its current state.
Interestingly, PS4 owners of Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut won't get a free PS5 upgrade. It seemingly raises the stakes of this upgrade, which many would presume to be a game-changing experience. Sucker Punch has confirmed that the PS5 version will offer 4K resolution options and DualSense support. While many PS5 games offer adaptive triggers and haptic feedback support, very few feel groundbreaking and revolutionary. The DualSense support in Ghost of Tsushima should be as intuitive as that of PS5 exclusive Returnal, which is one of the best currently available.
Players should be able to feel the intensity of the wind as Jin pierces through the lush Tsushima frontiers on his horse. Since combat is the core of Ghost of Tsushima, gliding the sword through the air and penetrating enemies with it should feel much more evocative on the DualSense controller. These are just a few instances where Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut could really amp up the next-gen experience on the PS5.
Expansions are a great way to experiment and introduce story or gameplay elements that were too ambitious or didn't make sense in the base game. Offering something entirely new rather than offering more of the base game content usually pays off better. For instance, the otherwise grounded Red Dead Redemption added a supernatural twist in its Undead Nightmare DLC that exceeded fans' expectations and offered something not possible in the base game.
The Hearts of Stone DLC of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was also a thematically different experience from the base game, focused on depicting the more humane side of Geralt of Rivia. Story expansions that defy fans' expectations and bend the rules set by the base game are a great way to compel fans to check out the new content. Ghost of Tsushima's Iki island expansion should also unshackle itself from the uniformity of the base game and offer an experience that surprises players.
Thankfully, the Iki expansion's official description gives the impression of a storyline focused on Jin and his past that could result in a more grounded and personal experience. The base game was more focused on Jin's heroic deeds to save the island of Tsushima, whereas the Iki island needs to focus on Jin's personal narrative, depicting his humane and vulnerable side. Such storytelling would not just flesh out the overall Ghost of Tsushima experience but could also compel players to experience the base game once again with a deeper understanding of Jin as a person.
Ghost of Tsushima's emphasis on injecting its players with the rich history of Tsushima is a major highlight, and should also be part of the Iki Island expansion. Fans of the original would expect a similar emphasis, depicting Iki Island's culture through its characters, environments, and mythic tales - some of the best side missions of the original. While the upcoming expansion will add new weapons, armors, mini-games, enemies, and more, it should also fix some of the glaring issues of the original. For instance, the stealth in the base game was painfully simple and could be improved in the Iki Island expansion. Gameplay improvements such as this could also easily enhance the base game experience, making this Director's Cut all the more compelling and justifiable to existing and new fans.
Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut will be available on August 20 for PS4 and PS5.
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