One month after the launch ofGhost of Tsushima, Sucker Punch Productions shocked fans of the historically themed open-world adventure with the announcement that new content was already in the pipeline for the game. Not only was the news completely out of left field, it also marked a radical break from tradition for the studio. DubbedGhost of Tsushima: Legends, the co-operative multiplayer expansion offers players the chance to explore the unique folklore of Tsushima at no additional cost.
Since launching on PS4 in October 2020,Legendshas been embraced with open arms by fans. WithGhost of Tsushima: Director’s Cutset to simultaneously bring the entire package to the PS5 in August, there’s a growing opportunity for more people than ever to jump in.
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Ghost of Tsushima: Legends' Basics
At the core ofGhost of Tsushima: Legendslies a co-operative centric experience that allows up to four players to work together to overcome a variety of story and objective based scenarios, across a handful of different game types. WhileLegendsis free for anyone who owns the original singleplayerGhost of Tsushima, it’s worth keeping in mind that to play online with others, anactive PlayStation Plus subscriptionis required. Playing through the bulk of the content on offer is also theoretically feasible solo, and a welcome accessibility option for those who prefer their own company.
Anyone who decides to tackleLegendsin this way does admittedly risk missing out on the synergy and strategizing that the experience has been designed around. Upon loading into the mode, players are greeted with four distinct classes: Ghost, Samurai, Hunter, Ronin, and Assassin. Each of these options takes a certain aspects ofJin’s singleplayer arsenal, such as stealth or archery, and turns it into a unique playstyle. Mixing and matching these with friends and strangers subsequently becomes a big part of the fun that’s on offer within the expansion, with replayability possibilities being greatly enhanced by RPG style leveling, skills, and equipment systems as well.
Ghost of Tsushima: Legends' gameplay focus doesn’t mean there isn’t an intriguing narrative behind the experience. Throughout the different game types, players will not only find themselves repellingthe invading Mongol Empire, but also the darkest aspects of Japanese folklore too. Sucker Punch cleverly justifies this pivot from the main game by setting up the events unfolding in front of the player, as dramatic retellings of the invasion through the eyes of Gyozen. Being familiar with the narrator’s backstory within the main game isn’t necessary to enjoyLegends, but it provides a neat narrative bridge between the two if players stumbled across the old mine playing as Jin.
Ghost of Tsushima: Legends' Modes
Anyone who dives intoGhost of Tsushima: Legendswill find themselves with the option to play three distinct game types. The first and most prominent of these is the Story, which sees up to two teammates take on a series of 10 supernatural-themed arcs. Repelling the forces that hauntthe island of Tsushimacan be tackled in four different difficulties, each adding a variety of unique challenges to overcome. Finishing the story on the Nightmare Mode setting in particular is a serious challenge that’s not for the faint hearted, and takes effective communication between co-op partners in combination with a mastery ofGhost of Tsushima’s gameplay mechanics.
For those wanting a more arcade-y experience, the Survival Mode offers a tense alternative test of endurance. Here up to four players are tasked with defending a set of three bases for a predetermined number of rounds, on a host of maps inspired by the singleplayer campaign. Naturally as the rounds advance so too does the difficulty and damage enemies can dish out, with every 5th round featuring a boss battle for good measure. Being an effective teammate within this wave-clearing setting requires the player tobalance their Ghost loadouts, and can take a decent amount of grinding to level up and unlock better gear.
Ghost of Tsushima: Legends' Endgame
One final climactic test is also available to those who have invested a considerable amount of time grinding out their loadouts within the previously mentioned game types. Launched two weeks afterGhost of Tsushima: Legends,a bonus Raid Mode optionwas added in for free by Sucker Punch. Split into three equally grueling chapters, this conclusion to the expansion features the most challenging difficulty from both a gameplay and puzzle perspective. Like the raids that can be found within other games such asDestiny,there’s very little direction offered up to the player on how to proceed at all, and that’s before they even make it to the final terrifying boss fight.
Leveling up and earning new items, gear, and cosmetics, remains fun in the endgame even after all of the modes that are currently available have been beaten. Throughout the experience players have the option to shift between the 4 classes of Ghosts, which means there’s a level of replayability to be capitalized on from trying the same modes from different perspectives. Alongside the recent announcement of theGhost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut, Sucker Punch Productions also announced thatit isn’t finished withLegendseither. With more free content on the horizon, there’s plenty of time now for new and returning players to get back on board in anticipation.
Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cutreleases August 20 on PS4 and PS5.
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