Unlike Spider Man: Miles Morales and Uncharted: The Lost Lgeacy, Ghost of Tsushima's new expansion is really an expansion - Add On - and not a stand-alone spinoff.
That is, anyone who wants to visit Iki Island and play the nine main missions this new island offers will also need to install the original Ghost of Tsushima, whether it's the PlayStation 4 version released last year, or the PlayStation 5 version - "The Director's Version" - recently released .
While the expansion can be purchased separately for the PlayStation 4 (provided you already have the original game, of course) the PlayStation 5 version includes the built-in expansion.
The thing is that since we finished the original game on 100% completion (Platinum Cup, not for nothing) and achieved all the special abilities, weapons and significant improvements it had to offer, our short adventure on the neighboring Japanese island was too easy.
We stabbed, skewered and dismembered the evil Mongols without putting in too much effort, as if they were butter.
Dissolved.
This did not necessarily happen because we were good, but more because Jin, our daring samurai, became a kind of superhero thanks to all the upgrades we slapped on him in the previous round.
No powers, and also a bit boring.
A samurai writer
So we have no choice but to recommend Iki Island especially to those who have not yet played, or at least not finished the original GOT, and are interested in expanding its sparse PlayStation 5 titles library.
Since GOT was released more than a year ago and was once considered Sony's latest exclusive title for the PlayStation 4, you've probably already heard of it so there's no point in devoting a full review to it.
And yet in a few sentences for those unfamiliar: Take Sony's open-world action-adventure game formula (Horizon, Days Gone, and Spider Man are notable examples), and dress it up in the feudal world of feudal Japan.
Instead of sophisticated rifles and gadgets think of swords, arrows and bows, your only vehicle here is a horse, and sometimes stealth is the recommended tactic.
Know what?
Sprinkle up some Essence Creed as well, and trust our word when we say GOT is a great game, especially if you liked Sony's other three open world games.
horsepower
Back to the expansion: Access to Iki, the new island where the vast majority of the new nine main missions take place (and a handful of side missions), will only be possible after you finish the first act of the original game, so don't panic if you see it if you're just getting started. The plot focuses on a particularly cruel Mongol gang who plots to invade Tsushima Island from the neighboring island of Iki, but instead of playing sudoku until the Mongols kindly break his door, Jin decides to board a ship and take the battle to Iki. There are a few twists in the plot, including surprising information about Jin's childhood and his relationship with his father, but this is already a surfing into the realm of spoilers.
Technically, not to be confused: we have
exactly the
same thing here (because it's the same game, not the pledge), except for two or three minor innovations: a musical mini-game that uses the controller's motion sensors;
A nice upgrade that gives your horse the ability to trample enemies and some puzzles that in order to solve them you will be asked to decipher puzzles with verbal clues.
These puzzles are not a must and you can finish the plot without them, so those who do not want to think too much should not be stressed.
that's it.
Even if you decide, like us, that you complete everything this expansion has to offer (the main missions, the short side missions and a few dozen secret locations on the map that offer various bonuses and upgrades), you will not spend more than four or five days in Iki.
Version coordination
And a few words about the director's version of the PlayStation 5, which lost the original game, the expansion, and also the free multiplayer mode Legends, which was also launched last year. Since Ghost of Tsushima also exists for the PlayStation 4, keep in mind that while its graphics, in general, are sometimes spectacular at 4K and run at 60 frames per second, it does not match the visual celebrations of Demon's Souls, Returnal and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart , Developed specifically for Sony's new console (however, the company prides itself on the fact that the dubbing into Japanese in the PlayStation 5 version is compatible with the characters' lip movements, so Japanese gamers should be very pleased).
Other enhancements include 3D sound for headphone users, and most importantly in our opinion: zero charging times that allowed us to skip from place to place on the map in a matter of seconds.
Only it was worth the upgrade.
It is also worth noting that the save file can be easily transferred from the PlayStation 4 version to the PlayStation 5 version, so you can continue your adventure on the new console right from where you left it.
Bottom line:
If you haven't tried Ghost of Tsushima yet, there's no doubt that its director's version is a must-play, for both the PlayStation 4 and 5, but keep in mind that the expansion itself is just an appetizer and not a main course, one piece of sushi versus a whole roll.
On the other hand, anyone who has already finished the game and upgraded his character as required will have no trouble eradicating the Mongols on the new island of Iki, which in our opinion is a kind of double-edged sword.
9/10 (for PlayStation 5 version)