Ghost of Tsushima was one of last year's most successful games, with the sprawling samurai epic garnering massive critical and commercial success. Now a lot of rumors have been swirling around the internet that a standalone expansion for the game will be revealed soon. Reportedly called Ghost of Ikishima, the rumors have already built up a lot of excitement among fans hoping for any excuse to continue the story of Jin Sakai and his battle against the invading Mongols. But after the much more fantastical elements in the Ghost of Tsushima: Legends mode, the expansion would likely do well to stick to the more grounded realism of the original.
Rumored to make an appearance at a supposed July PlayStation State of Play, Ghost of Ikishima has fans very excited. The original left off on a cliffhanger of sorts as Jin was left to deal with rooting out the rest of the Mongol invaders on the island of Tsushima. That leaves a lot of room for additional storylines to be explored in some kind of expansion. While it's unlikely to do so, this also leaves the door open for the rumored expansion to explore more fantasy elements than the realistic approach of the original narrative.
Ghost of Ikishima Should Keep Tsushima's Grounded Approach
Like in any video game, even those grounded in reality, Tsushima's Jin Sakai is capable of some truly superhuman feats. Largely this was seen in the form of the advanced techniques that players could obtain via the Legends questlines. Elements of the stealth mechanics are also skewed from reality, but in the necessary way to keep the game fun. Overall though so much of the charm of Ghost of Tsushima came in its grounded and realistic depiction of the world. If Ikishima wants to capture the same success as the original, this element of its formula needs to stay intact.
In Tsushima, the world players could explore felt real. Flames would quickly grow to consume dry fields, animal ecosystems could be observed in the deep forests, and the various villagers carried out their lives. These events were all grounded in the reality of the time and felt like a breath of fresh air for many fans amid the smattering of sci-fi and fantasy titles so readily available. If Ikishima proves to be a Miles Morales-style expansion, it stands to reason that the game won't stray too far from that effective formula. This would be a contrast to the multiplayer mode that was added to Tsushima.
While it's worth noting that the entire idea behind the Legends mode was that it was meant to function as a sort of mythology to the game. In the various multiplayer modes, players gain access to powers that are much more magical than even Jin's flaming sword (which was explained as special oil and flint from a meteorite). While this worked well for the separate mode, it does open the door for the same to happen with Ikishima. The game could end up being a more mythological spinoff than a straight continuation. But it's much more likely that Sucker Punch is aware of how popular the setting of Tsushima was, and won't stray too far from its grasp on realism.
Ghost of Ikishima is rumored to be in development.