Following the news that The Last of Us Part 2 has been delayed indefinitely, all eyes turned to June when Sony's next big exclusive title would be launching. For now, Suck Punch remains adamant that Ghost of Tsushima remains on track for launch, though with the ever evolving global pandemic, things could suddenly change on a dime.
Six years since its last major release, Ghost of Tsushima is quite a departure from what fans have come to expect from Sucker Punch Productions and its previous work. Moving away from the thieving raccoons and superpowered individuals, Ghost of Tsushima is a fictional action game inspired by real historical events. Players step into the shoes of Jin Sakai as he fights back against the Mongol Invasion of Tsushima Island in the 13th century.
Recent trailers have also shown off the game's villain, Khotun Khan. Considering this Mongol doesn't actually exist, just who is he?
Who is Khotun Khan?
In terms of Ghost of Tsushima, Khotun Khan is a cunning and ruthless general of the Mongol Empire. He leads and commands a massive fleet of ships and soldiers in the first invasion of Japan's Tsushima Island. To achieve total victory, Khotun relies on his knowledge of the Samurai way to ultimately destroy them. The Great Khan is voiced by Patrick Gallagher.
From a historical perspective, Khotun Khan appears to be based on Kublai Khan, who was the Great Khan of the Mongol Empire during this time. Although he was technically the fifth Khagan of the Mongol Empire, Kublai's reign is known for his founding of the Yuan dynasty in China after conquering it and ruled until his death in 1294. He was able to expand the borders of the empire from the Pacific Ocean all the way west to the Black Sea.
However, for all the successes Kublai achieved, he was never able to conquer Japan. Both invasions were repelled, the first by bad weather and the second by a well prepared and trained Samurai army.
First Invasion of Japan
The setting of Ghost of Tsushima takes place during the first invasion of Japan by the Mongol Empire. In the few trailers fans have already seen, the game seems to show the Mongols having a lot of success on Tsushima Island, basically razing it to the ground. In actuality, this event appears to be largely true.
The first invasion took place in 1274 with about 900 ships setting sail from South Korea. The island of Tsushima was the first location of the conflict thanks to its location to Japan. With a small number of soldiers against a massive invasion force, the Tsushima army held out as long as they could but ultimately fell. The Mongols continued forward to Iki Island next, before making landfall at Hakata Bay on mainland Japan.
This is where the success came to an end. After an initial surge inland, a senior commander had been injured and eventually died. It's unknown why the Mongol didn't capitalize on their success at this point. Instead, the army hung back near their ships with some reports indicating that many of the ship captains were concerned about a larger Japanese force showing up. Others speculate low supplies or the death of the senior commander having an impact on the campaign. Ultimately, the Mongols decided to retreat back north to Korea under the blanket of night. This proved to be unwise as they encountered severe storms which reportedly sunk 200 ships with 13,500 men lost.
Ghost of Tsushima will release on June 26 exclusively for the PS4.