Ghost of Tsushima Lethal mode makes every cut count

The new Ghost of Tsushima lethal mode makes every strike count, and it's arriving today as part of the game's first big post-launch update.

Developer Sucker Punch Productions revealed the new difficulty level in an update to its official website. The new setting is entirely optional, and you can even turn it on (and off) in the middle of a game by heading to the Options tab of the menu. The changes made to the game by Ghost of Tsushima lethal mode break down into four main categories:

• Enemy attacks are more harmful, but so are yours
• Enemies are more aggressive in combat, which means less standing around and waiting for you to come to them
• Enemies will detect you faster, though it will still depend on how far away and well hidden you are.
• You'll have less margin for error when trying to Parry or Dodge attacks.

No one of those tweaks will totally change the feel of Ghost of Tsushima's combat. Taken together they'll make for an extra-demanding game that gets you closer to that "one cut and done" samurai cinema dream.

The problem with so many difficulty modes that go above "Hard" is that they just make you way easier to kill and enemies way harder. Ghost of Tsushima lethal mode sounds a lot more satisfying to me. It also helps that the game loads so darn quick once you die that it barely feels like a punishment - just a chance to try the fight again with new tactics.

Seek some Jin-spiration in our roundup of the best standoffs in Ghost of Tsushima.