After years of development, Sucker Punch’s latest title, Ghost of Tsushima, has finally gone gold, just in time for its July 17 release date. In the PS2 era, developer Sucker Punch made their bones on the genre-bending stealth/platforming series, Sly Cooper. Then, they moved onto the Infamous franchise for PlayStation 3 and the early days of the PlayStation 4. Their latest title, Ghost of Tsushima, was announced back in 2017, and is positioned as the last high-profile PlayStation 4 exclusive before the launch of the next-generation PlayStation 5 console later this year.
Set during the first Mongol invasion of Japan, Ghost of Tsushima follows Jin Sakai, a fallen samurai on a quest to avenge his lost clan as he resorts to dishonorable tactics in order to turn the tide of the war. The game aims to distinguish itself with a highly diegetic interface an an immersive open world that makes minimal use of traditional waypoints and other conventions of the genre.
Nearly three years after the announcement of Ghost of Tsushima, Sucker Punch’s Twitter account confirmed the game has “gone gold,” meaning it’s done with development and ready to be printed on disks and shipped off to retailers. It’s the final major milestone of any video game development cycle, barring post-launch patches and DLC add-ons. Speaking of which, no DLC has been announced for Ghost of Tsushima, but time will tell regarding Sucker Punch’s plans for the title after its July 17 release date.
Ghost of Tsushima is a historical epic combining the real-life history of 13th century Japan with gameplay that prides itself on authenticity to the samurai experience. The game features high-pressure swordfighting duels and multiple stances for nuanced combat, and even a black and white option to evoke the look of the classic films of Akira Kurosawa. It also shows off the power of the PlayStation 4 system with its gigantic open world that nonetheless features an astounding attention to every detail of the visual package.
The PlayStation 4 has seen a slew of high-profile exclusive games since its 2013 launch, from launch titles like Knack and Killzone: Shadowfall, to epic adventures like Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and God of War. As the system nears the end of its lifespan, it leaves behind a legacy of great first-party exclusives. Ghost of Tsushima aims to be the final major first-party release in the PlayStation 4’s oeuvre. Audiences will have the chance to discover if the title lives up to the hype when Ghost of Tsushima releases on July 17.
