Since its release, Ghost of Tsushima has received rave reviews from critics and gamers alike. Even industry professionals are praising the final PS4 exclusive. Most recently, the Yakuza franchise's executive director discussed Ghost of Tsushima's global success and the ways it paid homage and successfully adapted samurai cinema and its Japanese influences for players.
In a Sega Q&A livestream on July 28, Sega's Toshihiro Nagoshi praised the game. Acknowledging Ghost of Tsushima's instant popularity in Japan, Nagoshi claimed that Sucker Punch had "beat" him and Japan in terms of the game's success.
While he praised the clear effort that the developers put into researching Japanese culture, Noguchi also wished that Japanese developers could have made Ghost of Tsushima. Although Sucker Punch included some historical anachronisms in the final game, Nagoshi said that Ghost of Tsushima disproves the Japanese misconception that "Westerners don't understand things [about Japan]." For example, he pointed to the Kurosawa mode's faithful imitation of old samurai films' frame rate and other elements of the setting.
Despite his wish that the game could have been made in Japan, Nagoshi also argued that Ghost of Tsushima would likely not be approved by Japanese developers or publishers because it does not follow some of the common Japanese video game tropes. Specifically, he pointed out that Jin Sakai was not a particularly handsome protagonist or as young as some other Japanese heroes.
Jokingly, the director said that developers would question putting funding and time into the game after seeing concept art of "a middle-aged dude." However, Nagoshi's praise appears to show how Sucker Punch successfully worked with Japanese consultants to allow Ghost of Tsushima to cater to Japanese audiences.
During this portion of the Q&A, Nagoshi also raved about Ghost of Tsushima's technical aspects. Outside of using the Guiding Wind's balance between narrative and gameplay, the Yakuza director also marveled at the level of graphical detail and Sucker Punch achieved. Specifically, he talked about how impressed he was with the actors' glances and interactions during cutscenes. Hopefully, Ghost of Tsushima will inspire Japanese developers and encourage more international releases in the video game industry.
Ghost of Tsushima is available now for PlayStation 4.
Source: Sega/Hachima, Kotaku