Ghost of Tsushima is an open world fighting/stealth samurai game created by Sucker Punch. It focuses on the story of Jin Sakai, who must adapt to fighting against a Mongol invasion with new, questionable techniques in order to save the jito and their island. The main storyline takes ~30 hours to complete, but exploring everything the world has to offer/platinuming can take 50-80 hours, or about 200 if you like playing around in photo mode and picking every flower on the island. It is set during the 1274 Mongol invasion of Japan, but per the developers is more of a loving mishmash of historical Japan. I recommend playing it without spoilers.
Main themes/tropes: What it means to live honorably, surviving against impossible odds and at great cost, the consequences of war and violence, complex family dynamics, dealing with survivor's guilt, identity kink, rescuing family, finding peace, and the cuteness of fox spirit shrine guides.
The cast: - Jin Sakai, last of his clan, iron woobie who is kind and was thrust into extreme violence from a young age. Suffers, a lot. Has a strong affiliation to animals. - Yuna, the thief who saves his life at the start of the game and becomes his ride or die ally. Strong, fiercely loyal, and practical about what it takes to survive against an enemy stronger than you - that is, sneak up on them and slit their throat. Has guilt connected to her tragic past. - Lord Shimura, Tsushima's leader and Jin's uncle/father figure who takes Jin in as his ward at a young age. Fellow iron woobie, who is strict with his code of honor. - Sensei Ishikawa, esteemed archer, cranky bastard, and man looking for his student/daughter figure, Tomoe. Has a complicated past. - Lady Masako, last of her clan and out for blood. She will not rest until she has justice for the murder of her family. A kind woman whose pain changes her. - Ryuzo, Jin's childhood friend and skilled warrior. It's complicated. Main fandom ship; Jin reminisces in a hot spring about dressing up as maidens with him. - Taka, Yuna's brother and esteemed blacksmith, a gentle soul with a tragic past who has been captured by the Mongols. - Norio, a warrior monk with PTSD from being tortured, who bonds with Jin and is inspired by him. - Kenji, a sake merchant who is trying to do good within a questionable moral code. Good friend to Yuna, Taka, and Jin.
This canon is pretty much tailor made for darkfic, whump, and hurt/comfort. It's also great for magical realism, supernatural, or fantasy elements. It's visually stunning, which fanartists take full advantage of, and the relationships between the characters are complex, tender, and compelling. The game is pretty much on rails, for better or worse - your dialogue and fighting style doesn't effect the end. Jin makes some choices that I've seen players find frustrating because they wanted to stick to the samurai code. There's a multiplayer element that is in addition to the main game which is pretty fun. There's a sequel in the works!
It's only available on PS4 and PS5, but there are LPs on youtube if I've piqued your interest!
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Ghost of Tsushima
Main themes/tropes: What it means to live honorably, surviving against impossible odds and at great cost, the consequences of war and violence, complex family dynamics, dealing with survivor's guilt, identity kink, rescuing family, finding peace, and the cuteness of fox spirit shrine guides.
The cast:
- Jin Sakai, last of his clan, iron woobie who is kind and was thrust into extreme violence from a young age. Suffers, a lot. Has a strong affiliation to animals.
- Yuna, the thief who saves his life at the start of the game and becomes his ride or die ally. Strong, fiercely loyal, and practical about what it takes to survive against an enemy stronger than you - that is, sneak up on them and slit their throat. Has guilt connected to her tragic past.
- Lord Shimura, Tsushima's leader and Jin's uncle/father figure who takes Jin in as his ward at a young age. Fellow iron woobie, who is strict with his code of honor.
- Sensei Ishikawa, esteemed archer, cranky bastard, and man looking for his student/daughter figure, Tomoe. Has a complicated past.
- Lady Masako, last of her clan and out for blood. She will not rest until she has justice for the murder of her family. A kind woman whose pain changes her.
- Ryuzo, Jin's childhood friend and skilled warrior. It's complicated. Main fandom ship; Jin reminisces in a hot spring about dressing up as maidens with him.
- Taka, Yuna's brother and esteemed blacksmith, a gentle soul with a tragic past who has been captured by the Mongols.
- Norio, a warrior monk with PTSD from being tortured, who bonds with Jin and is inspired by him.
- Kenji, a sake merchant who is trying to do good within a questionable moral code. Good friend to Yuna, Taka, and Jin.
This canon is pretty much tailor made for darkfic, whump, and hurt/comfort. It's also great for magical realism, supernatural, or fantasy elements. It's visually stunning, which fanartists take full advantage of, and the relationships between the characters are complex, tender, and compelling. The game is pretty much on rails, for better or worse - your dialogue and fighting style doesn't effect the end. Jin makes some choices that I've seen players find frustrating because they wanted to stick to the samurai code. There's a multiplayer element that is in addition to the main game which is pretty fun. There's a sequel in the works!
It's only available on PS4 and PS5, but there are LPs on youtube if I've piqued your interest!