Ghost of Tsushima was without a doubt one of the PlayStation 4’s biggest highlights of the year, alongside The Last of Us Part 2. It takes a lot of inspiration from open-world games like Red Dead Redemption and Assassin’s Creed series — and much like those titles, there is a lot to discover and do on this beautiful Japanese island. However, Ghost of Tsushima arguably offers its players more to experiment with in its surprisingly robust and dynamic combat system.
In addition, the game is filled with secrets and hidden details for players to discover, and even after completing the game, most players will find something new to do on the island of Tsushima.
10 Change The Weather With The Flute
The weather effects in Ghost of Tsushima look spectacular. The attention to detail is absolutely a thing of beauty unto itself. The game looks equally as gorgeous when it rains as it does on a clear and beautiful day.
These weather effects can be changed by unlocking and playing different tunes for different results depending on the player’s mood. These songs can be learned by talking to various flute-playing NPCs throughout the island.
9 Unveil More Of The Map
One of the first outfits in Ghost of Tsushima is also one of the most useful in the game — the Traveller’s outfit. When it is equipped it will reveal more of the map than the other outfits, as well as reveal the location of collectibles, shrines, bamboo strikes, and more.
In addition, wearing the Traveller’s Outfit will also trigger a guide in the form of a green firefly that guides the player to useful items in camps. Wearing this outfit will also cause the controller to vibrate when near an object of interest. As a result, it’s wise to invest in upgrading the Traveller’s Outfit as soon as possible.
8 Change Armor Mid-Battle
It’s true that the Traveller’s Outfit is one of the most useful outfits in the game, but it doesn’t have a lot going for it when it comes to combat or stealth. When traveling across the island, players will find themselves getting into duels, standoffs, and saving villagers from the invading Mongols.
Thankfully, just because a fight or a duel has started that doesn’t mean the player is stuck with the same outfit. They can pause the game and seamlessly change into a more suitable set of armor without any disruption.
7 Smoke Bomb And Assassination Chain
As players progress they will be able to unlock the Assassination Chain technique, which means that the protagonist, Jin, can sneak up to a group of enemies and take down several of them at once by pressing the triangle button when prompted.
However, it’s possible to initiate an Assassination Chain without the need for stealth by dropping a smoke bomb which will blind Jin’s enemies. Players will then need to quickly get behind an enemy and initiate the Chain Assassination technique which can kill several enemies at once.
6 Returning Arrows
Like most resources in Ghost of Tsushima, arrows can be a tad limited when playing, which can be annoying considering how useful they are at getting Jin out of a tough spot or picking off an enemy from a distance.
Thankfully, players will be able to obtain the Charm of Izanagi, which will mean that Jin has a 40% chance of getting an arrow returned when landing a headshot. Combine this with the Charm of Swift-Return (which means that any missed shots have a 25% chance of being recoverable) then the arrows should be much easier to keep in ample supply.
5 Throw Two Additional Kunai
The Kunai throwing knives are like this game’s equivalent of the ninja star. Jin is capable of stunning or killing several enemies at once with a simple press of the R1 button and a quick push of the left analog stick.
When Jin reaches the 8th rank of his Legend Status, also called the Demon’s Blade, he can use the Charm of Hidden Blades. This will allow him to throw two additional blades when in combat or using stealth.
4 Stealth Assassination Chain And Kunai
Despite it going against Jin’s Samurai code, the stealth options in Ghost of Tsushima are incredibly fun to use. One of the best attacks in the game is the ability to chain assassinations together when attacking from the shadows — or using a smoke bomb as mentioned above.
Combine this with a Kunai attack and Jin can take out a lot of enemies in a very short space of time. Even a stunned enemy can be killed with a finishing attack. Additionally, players can even drop another smoke bomb to perform another Assassination Chain, which can send his remaining enemies running for their lives.
3 Poisoned Wind Chimes
The poisoned darts in Ghost of Tsushima are among the most deadly and brutal ways of killing enemies. Jin can silently shoot an enemy with a poisoned dart and wait in the shadows as he dies a rather nasty death. In addition, the sight of watching their comrades dying in such a horrific manner causes other Mongols to flee in terror.
Unfortunately, the resources for the poisoned darts can be limited. But the best alternative to this would be the poisoned wind chimes. To obtain these, Jin needs to equip the Charm of Toxic Demise which can be obtained when he reaches the Legend Rank 7 – The Phantom Samurai. These poisoned chimes will lure enemies away from their post and release deadly vapors upon contact.
2 Chain Five Standoff Kills
The standoffs in Ghost of Tsushima are the game’s sword equivalent of the standoffs in Red Dead Redemption 2. In normal circumstances, Jin is able to kill three enemies consecutively with a well-timed slash of the sword.
However, Jin can upgrade this to five kills if he has the Sakai Clan armor equipped and fully upgraded. In addition, PlayStation trophy hunters will receive the “It’s all in the wrist” trophy after they have successfully performed the kills.
1 The Mongolian Armor Disguise
Ghost of Tsushima provides gamers with a lot of options when it comes to clearing out an encampment. Jin can either call out his opponents and face them head-on with a standoff or he can take them down with stealth.
However, one of the most interesting ways to infiltrate a Mongolian is to disguise Jin in the Mongolian Commander’s Armor. This can be obtained by completing the Fit For The Khan side tale in Act 3.