Over the years, PlayStation has put out some pretty notable games, but most of them have been fairly linear. Horizon was its biggest open-world series, and probably still is, but for my money, Ghost of Tsushima is probably the better one. Cribbing from the style of the works of the acclaimed filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, Ghost of Tsushima is a samurai action game set in a Ubisoft-style open world. Funny how PlayStation beat Ubisoft and Assassin’s Creed to that punch…
Ghost of Tsushima is, in a word, cinematic. It’s minimalistic, often guiding players by the visualization of wind blowing through fields and trees. Its combat is a mixture of stealth gameplay and more direct clashes, but all of it has a sheen and elegance to it that PlayStation prides itself on. It’s restrained and even quiet in a way that open-world games, which are prone to bloat, rarely are and it’s much appreciated. It actually stands apart in its field, and on top of that, it’s got a cooperative multiplayer mode that is apparently a hoot and a half? You can get PlayStation’s best open-world game by grabbing Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut for $48 on Steam and Humble.