Tsushima's Tottenham's ghost of meditation remains calm in five years

The Ghost of Tsushima celebrates its fifth anniversary today (July 17, 2025). Below, we revisit the juxtaposition between its revenge-soaked narrative and calming, reflective meditation moments.

After tearing dozens of enemy Mongolian camps apart, I was soaked in thick burgundy blood, and I slowly walked through the countryside of Tsushima to find my next target. There is only one thing that will delay my desire for revenge: a brief dip in the spa.

The Ghost of Tsushima tells a complex and disturbing narrative about revenge, possible Avunculicede, and a force warriors to commit atrocities to protect those he loves. As the Mongols invaded Tsushima, it became increasingly difficult to explore these topics in the case of family, friends, and even the protagonist of his own home.

Tsushima's gameplay may be equally cruel, with flesh cuts from the sword after the operation of the hour, explosions break out in the house, and innocent Japanese civilians die on the ground. But Tsushima's ghost provides breathing breath in the form of a brief segment, i.e., hot-bomb soaking, which improves Jin's health abilities and provides a brief conversation about the game's story. These moments not only slow down the game, but also actively encourage players to consider the theme of the story.

Many other action games follow a structure similar to their violent narratives – including other PlayStation champions, our last ones and unknowns who are relentlessly killing people. However, few games offer similar cruel themes in their stories while trying to provide players with space to handle it.

Jin Sakai lives a miserable life throughout Tsushima's ghost narrative. After he used cruel tactical strategies against the Mongols, his family and friends died before him, and his living family developed him. One of the main stories that resonate with me was how Lord Singura's mother uncle did not accept his nephew's behavior in the war. If the player chooses this route, the rift between them can lead to a fatal conflict between family members.

Open-world games structured like Tsushima's ghost is sometimes called a “podcast game”, where players can explore the open world and complete dungeons and posted side tasks, while part of their focus is on elsewhere. It does, for the Sucker Punch title, but this exploration does include some moments that require little player. In a world full of multitasking and a strong focus on productivity (even in our leisure time) attempting to slow down the player for a moment, this is a design choice.

As I encountered the hot springs on my journey to explore all corners of Tsushima, I actively listened to Jin's thoughts during the soaking process. I often wonder what is going on in the story, and I never completely decide whether I am standing completely with Jin or Lord Shimura when I match the Mongols with my cruelty. I don't think I would have thought of this if the game didn't let me stop for a moment.

Although these thermally elastic moments are unique elements in blockbusters like Tsushima, many other parts of the world are filled with universal feed. Side missions involve the same steps, which is to find someone in danger, listen to their stories, head to a new location, and then kill all enemies. Other collections – colors, bamboo strikes and the platform parts – are also soaked in monotony.

“One of the challenges of making open-world games is the repetition of doing the same thing repeatedly,” Sucker Punch artistic director Jason Connell said in an interview with Yotei host of Yotei. The New York Times. “We want to balance this and find a unique experience.”

Hot Springs is a unique type of experience that is perfect for gaming games that are as disturbing as the ghost of Tsushima. One thing I long to learn more about when Yotei announced Yotei is how Sucker Punch expands on its open world structure and whether it includes hot springs and the same meditation features.

The Bellevue-based studio brings Tsushima from Tsushima into new games while promoting the idea of a “podcast game” by introducing “Watanabe Mode.” This mode will be inspired by a chilly beat in the background by Shinichirō Watanabe, which provides players with a built-in soundtrack that will make it easier to isolate from Yotei's gameplay while roaming.

“This is the most open game we've ever done. One of the greatest joys is getting lost. You let curiosity guide you through the landscape.” type. “We think it’s a holy moment that we want to improve for the players so that they can feel very present in Hokkaido or inside Ezo, just like when our game happened.”

Fortunately, according to the displayed lens, the hot spring will also return Game Status Deep Dive. It will sit down and deal with its own ideas through another disturbing story about revenge.

Creating fascinating side tasks and unique moments like this in a vast open world is difficult. Creating an engaging open world is a daunting task. New missions designed to connect players with Japanese culture, e.g. Vegetable for foodexpected to distinguish Yotei from Tsushima and provide other methods for players.

The ghost of Tsushima provides the ideal blueprint for future games to introduce controversial or violent stories in its narrative. It is important to give players a chance to work hard on their experiences even if this is just a small part of a large game. Sometimes, less.