Feudal Japan is the gaming flavour of the day right now, at least at E3 2018 anyway. First, we had FromSoftware's Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice revealed as an official E3 2018 game, then Nioh 2 was announced, and now Sucker Punch gets to shine with some gameplay for its upcoming open world set in the same backdrop, Ghost of Tsushima.
The Infamous studio's new IP made an extended appearance during PlayStation's E3 briefing, where titles like The Last of Us 2 and Spider-Man PS4 were present, with a revealing gameplay trailer detailing even more about the game's story and setting. Before I get into the analysis, though, have a watch of the whole thing in the video below.
We're told that our protagonist - Jin - is alive during the time of an unspecified Mongol invasion of Japan, and witness him riding through beautifully rendered blossom fields (you can practically feel the wind blowing through every petal) to confront several of these marauders as they terrorise the locals.
And this is where Sucker Punch gets to exhibit its distinctly Japanese combat system, and yes, katana are involved. The battle system looks to be pinpointed yet bloody, and suggests players will be more than competent in dealing with multiple enemies at a time, countering and dodging to stay ahead of the swordplay.
Ghost of Tsushima also boasts a portion of stealth gameplay too, wherein Jin and a female friend infiltrate a local temple to free a monk from Mongol occupation. There's backstabbing, vertical platforming (complete with a grappling hook), and a competent AI system in place as you fight with your ally to secure the objective. It's all very Assassin's Creed meets Batman: Arkham Knight.
There's even a boss fight, a dramatic clash of blades against your former pal, and it's all looking resplendent against a backdrop of fire and dusky light. So yeah, Ghost of Tsushima looks flippin' amazing.
For more E3 good stuff, stick with our E3 2018 schedule to see exactly what press conferences are still to come at the expo.
