Since its debut trailer, Ghost of Tsushima has been hotly anticipated. One of two games centered on samurai combat that caught attention (the other at the time being Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice), its impressive graphics and mysterious nature intrigued many. With Ghost of Tsushima having officially gone gold, the wait is almost over.
The story of Ghost of Tsushima is still fairly vague, but much more is known about it now. A samurai must turn from the traditional teachings of bushido and take on the persona of a “Ghost” to defeat the Mongols invading Tsushima. Mechanics of the game, both related and unrelated to combat have also been made known.
The latest trailer for Ghost of Tsushima, which promised a “storm is coming”, just released. It is only 30 seconds long, but shows parts of the game never seen before, and has kept the hype train rolling. To further increase said hype, something special has been rolled out on Twitter: a Ghost of Tsushima emoji. Depicting the samurai main character Jin in his Ghost mask, it has already begun circulating through Twitter posts.
The emoji is already very popular, and the #GhostofTsushima discussion on Twitter is full of it. It does not quite stand on part with the fantastic Ghost of Tsushima concept artwork released recently, but little does. A huge part of the hype surrounding the game is its impressive visuals, both in gameplay and cutscenes. Many are hoping against hope that the game delivers on all its promises of visual excellence. If it can break graphical barriers, it may lead a trend of new visual extremes.
Others are more excited for the gameplay than for the graphics, a picture which has been murkier from the start. That picture has become more clear as gameplay features like stances and parrying are revealed. Several of these will be familiar to players from other games featuring samurai combat. For Honor, Nioh and its sequel, and Sekiro come to mind, especially in the parrying department. The unique elements include switching stances to deal with different enemy types before they become overwhelming.
How long the Ghost of Tsushima emoji will stick around after all the game’s mysteries are revealed is unclear. Considering there is not long until the game’s release, it may be rather short lived. It will be a shame if that’s the case, since Jin’s simultaneously adorable and intimidating emoji face is a cool creation. So anyone who wants to get into the mood for the game’s release is recommended to pick up said emoji and start binging samurai movies. It’s not long now until the game drops.
Ghost of Tsushima launches on July 17 for the PS 4.
