Several new Ghost of Tsushima features were revealed during today's State of Play presentation, including an in-depth explanation of character customization. Like many other open-world games, players can customize Jin any way they see fit and create their own unique looks for the characters.
Developed by Sucker Punch, Ghost of Tsushima is the studio's first game since 2014's superhero adventure, Infamous Second Son. It's a radical departure from the type of games the studio is typically known for, and it's one of the biggest exclusive titles to be released for the PlayStation 4. Details have been scarce about the game and its mechanics, but today's State of Play presentation cleared up a lot of details, especially regarding the inner workings of character customization.
Ghost of Tsushima allows for a variety of playstyles, and character customization is designed around being able to fine-tune your abilities to match your preferred way to play. Jin can be equipped with several different pieces of armor, each with its own unique abilities and stats. Every piece of armor has its own look, so fashion will presumably play just as large of a role as stats in deciding what to wear. Charms can also be equipped alongside armor that provide Jin with various bonuses and buffs. These charms serve a number of purposes, and some will upgrade abilities in certain ways while others will provide buffs outside of combat.
The look of armor can also be changed, allowing players to create the perfect look for Jin. By picking up flowers scattered around the world, the color and pattern of armor pieces can be tweaked. Heavy emphasis was placed on player freedom and customization in the Ghost of Tsushima State of Play presentation, and cosmetic armor customization is just another aspect of allowing players to grow their character exactly the way they want.
Ghost of Tsushima's character customization seems fairly deep, and having individual armor pieces with unique models goes a long way to keep armor from getting stale after finding the same helmet repeatedly throughout a game. The charm system also looks as if it will allow for interesting twists on certain abilities during combat.
Both main playstyles in the game seem radically different from one another, and it looks like players will have to build their characters specifically around combat or stealth rather than being able to freely swap between the two. The character customization system appears to be designed around that, and certain armor sets will likely be better suited for different tactics. Regardless, Ghost of Tsushima's gameplay and world look incredible, and the wait is almost over.
Ghost of Tsushima will release on July 17 for PS4.