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Ghost of Tsushima – Iki Island Review: Ronin Redux

Last year’s Ghost of Tsushima was one of the best games we picked up. In fact, looking back on it, the Sucker Punch developed title may have been the best PlayStation exclusive we played in 2021. It is why we have been so intrigued to play the Director’s Cut, which officially launched last week Friday and offers up the chance to explore Iki Island.

It also allows us to join up with Jin Sakai once again, deepening the lore of Tsushima while introducing us to a new enemy Mongol clan and its leader – The Eagle.

After completing the Iki Island DLC, here’s our thoughts on on the Director’s Cut and whether it is worthwhile getting.

An old friend

It has been awhile since we played Ghost of Tsushima on the PS4, so downloading the Director’s Cut and booting it up on the PS5 proved exciting. We namely wanted to see whether the look and feel on the next-gen version was any better, along with seeing the protagonist Jin back in action again.

He’s one of the more complex protagonists that a PS-exclusive title has featured in some time. At his core he is a loyal samurai warrior, but also reflects on the flaws that lie within clan Sakai. This is one of the central themes that is explored in the Iki Island DLC, as Jin’s father led a bloody suppression of the region’s raiders, while also meeting his end.

We caught glimpses of his father’s death during the original game and now this DLC provides greater exposition as to how that came to be.

We also see the guilt that Jin feels over the events used as a significant plot point throughout this story, with The Eagle using her poison to infect Jin’s mind and plague him during missions. There are quite a few hallucination scenes, which we initially had concerns about, but thankfully it is not leaned on in the same way that is in more recent Far Cry games.

Overall though, the storytelling that we enjoyed in the original Ghost of Tsushima have been added to the Iki Island DLC, so it is not simply a bunch of similar feeling missions that have been tacked on here.

As such, if you enjoyed the recipe that Sucker Punch used in last year’s game, they remain intact for the DLC. It makes sense too, especially as it was a winning recipe.

Shifting to look and feel, we must be honest and not that there is no discernible difference in terms of the PS4 and PS5 iterations of the game. That’s not to say that things look sub-par, in fact the cut scenes are as good as ever. It is also worth noting that Ghost of Tsushima was one of the most beautifully atmospheric games we have ever played, so it was always going to be a tough one to outdo.

As for the island of Iki, it is much like Tsushima, with the notable exception being more of a coastal landscape that can vary greater in terms of altitude in a short space of time. It also appears to be far more exposed to the elements, so expect to get precipitation early and often.

For those who enjoyed the photo mode in the original game, there are still plenty of vistas to capture great shots, particularly in newly acquired armour and other cosmetics.

A few new tricks

Looking at some of the other elements that Sucker Punch has added to this mix here outside of the multi-mission Iki Island DLC, some additions to your horse have been made.

These include the ability to charge enemies while mounted, which also has its own skill tree that requires technique points to upgrade. Added to this is a saddlebag akin to Red Dead Redemption 2, which allows you to carry more weapons and inventory.

For the completionists among you, Sucker Punch has you covered too. Where you were chasing around and petting foxes in the original game, now it’s feral cats. This aspect of the game also features a new mechanic, utilising Jin’s flute and the DualSense controller to play a certain tune where the pitch of the instrument is based on the position of the controller.

There is also a new duelling arena, with wooden swords, if you did not get enough of a fix during the first game.

It therefore looks like Sucker Punch has added enough of the charming elements for the Iki Island DLC to keep you playing well beyond the main mission.

Final verdict

Now for the tough question – is the Director’s Cut worth it? And here we once again come to this issue of the cost of games in general these days. Currently listed at R1 199 on PS4 and R1 369 on PS5, the Director’s Cut does not come cheap, but for those who thoroughly enjoyed the original game last year, venturing to Iki Island is a must.

To help soften the blow, Sucker Punch has also added plenty of content, to keep players interested and the DLC feels like a fully fledged chapter in the Ghost of Tsushima lore.

While we’ll never tell people how to spend their money, but Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut is money well spent and definitely worth playing if you are a part of the PlayStation ecosystem.

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