Only "big" video game of the summer, "Ghost of Tsushima" (on PS4) is adorned with all the attire of the summer blockbuster: generous action, accessible gameplay and guaranteed escape. Very pleasant controller in hand, this story of samurai however lacks a bit of background to match the best adventure games.

Suitable for lazing around in the garden and for outdoor activities, summer is not really a blessed period for video game lovers. This year, only one big release is on the program:  Ghost of Tsushima , a PS4 exclusive developed by Sucker Punch, a studio that has not given any news since the excellent triptych of games inFamous (2009-2014). The first images of this dive into medieval Japan had whetted our curiosity. So is the game keeping its promises? We tested it in length before its release on July 17.

A samurai against the Mongols

Ghost of Tsushima invites us to live the story of Jin Sakai, samurai who fights against the Mongol invasion on the small island of Tsushima, Japanese outpost, in the 13th century AD. Fallen in combat during the great inaugural battle, the hero is saved in extremis by Yuna, a thief. Together, they will try to reverse fate and take back the island from the forces of Khotūn Khān (imaginary brother of Kūbilaï Khān, the grandson of Genghis, who really led this expedition, taking Tsushima but failing to conquer Japan ).

To unfold this story, Ghost of Tsushima opted for an open world adventure. Around the red thread of the main story, it is therefore a matter of discovering the island at its own pace, in search of missions or points of interest. It is therefore possible to run in a straight line relatively quickly, especially as the game is quite easy, even in "difficult" mode (Jin is really very strong). But the interest of the game lies rather in the exploration, as the universe is teeming with inspired side quests.

Bland hero but very rich world

If you explore the island from top to bottom, Ghost of Tsushima will keep you busy for around 40 or even 50 hours. The game scenario is divided into "stories" of various importance, that of Jin constituting the main plot. Unfortunately, it is a bit flat, especially because the hero is not very endearing. Monolithic, this pure and hard samurai hardly indulges in emotion. Result, we cross the main story without one moment marking us more than another.

On the other hand, the side stories are as varied as they are engaging. Those who help your allies (an old master archer, a noble warrior and a fighting monk) in their personal quests, are very well built. At the same time, Tsushima's points of interest offer breathing in progression. Whether it's following a fox to a sanctuary to honor, writing a haiku at the top of a cliff or taking a bath in hot springs to increase your health, the concept of "zen", inherent in the samurai code, is here rightly integrated.

Will you master bushido?

Another strong point of  Ghost of Tsushima : the extremely satisfying fights. Katana in hand, Jin Sakai is an esthete of death. It is possible to challenge a group of soldiers in a duel, a tense moment when timing is essential, or even, in a melee, to alternate between four postures depending on the opponents (swordsmen, brutes, lancers or soldiers with shields). In addition, progressively, we unlock deadly enjoyable (and bloody) sequences. This does not prevent us from remaining vigilant because the Mongols, the renegade samurai and the bandits are tough opponents.

The game also offers an "infiltration" component. Alone in the face of the Mongol armies, Jin will learn the "way of the Ghost", a set of stealth techniques that recall those of ninjas (and also very much the series of Assassin's Creed ): kunai, smoke bombs, explosive bombs, discrete assassinations ... We are far from the honor proper to samurai and this will also disturb the spirit of the hero. You are free to use these more "loose" methods but we just regret that this dilemma is not more highlighted by choices that may affect the scenario.

A colorful but sometimes muddled print

The last "big" game in the open world of PS4, Ghost of Tsushima had at least to be visually impressive. Half-taken up challenge by Sucker Punch. The landscapes, made of forests with golden foliage, plains covered with flowers and temples on the mountainside, are absolutely splendid. The creators opted for a world of very contrasting colors: the gray of the sky and the sad green of the trees contrast with the blue or the bright red of the flowers. All magnified by lights that one would think natural so they are beautiful.

If walking Tsushima is therefore a real pleasure, it is a little less the case with cutscenes. The technical limits can be seen very quickly for the characters, not all successful, on certain natural elements (water in particular, which one would think came out of a game of the 2000s) and during the scenes of dialogues, filmed from afar as if the studio sought to hide its shortcomings. A trick that quickly becomes annoying as it goes against the feeling of immersion that the particular atmosphere of the work provides. 

How do you say "ouisitiiiii" in Japanese?

It's a detail but Ghost of Tsushima has the most elaborate "photo mode" ever seen in a video game. At any time, whether in the middle of a duel or on horseback, by pressing the left directional cross, the game pauses. It is then possible to adjust around twenty parameters to take a "photo": brightness, focal distance, weather, wind speed (with or without flying leaves), various color filters, addition of black bands like in cinema, emotion on Jin's face, etc. A rich mode to get lost in but the result is worth it!

Tribute to Kurosawa cinema

Very romanticized, the game draws its inspiration from the cinema of Akira Kurosawa, Japanese great master of saber films ( The 7 Samurai , Kagemusha …). In addition to the different stories, which are indeed so many little "movies to play", the creators paid a beautiful tribute to the filmmaker by including an "Akira Kurosawa mode": if activated, the game is played in black and white, with dialogues in Japanese and traces on the screen as if it were an old film on film. A cinephile wink far from being a gadget as it changes the gaming experience. Confusing but well thought out!

Personalization is ultimately the key to Ghost of Tsushima . Depending on the approach you choose, it may be just another trivial action game, quite satisfying but completed without lingering. It's up to you to make it a more personal, more in-depth experience, to transform the game into a true long-term story. Our advice: put the dialogues in Japanese, respect as much as possible the bushido (the moral code of the samurai) and do not elude the "zen" moments. Thus fashioned, the game is savored like a good novel.