Ghost of Tsushima is nearly upon us. The long-awaited PS4 exclusive will be the first game from Sucker Punch since Infamous: Second Son in 2014. The reason being is because they’ve been knee-deep in samurai culture, trying to bring the classic genre to video games as true to form as possible.
There have been many attempts at this in the past, some far more successful than others, but Ghost of Tsushima brings it to life in a way not many others have. We reached out to Sucker Punch to ask them for some recommendations on various samurai-based media to catch up on before playing Ghost of Tsushima.
Brian Fleming – Co-Founder/Producer, Sucker Punch
Kareteka (1984, Video Game):Â This was my first immersion into this genre. It was the first game I ever played in this type of beautiful world and told a story with a surprising gameplay twist ending. Unforgettable.
Tenchu (1998, Video Game): Complete with a stylish music video opening, Tenchu expanded what I thought was possible. Stealth, grapple…Tons of innovations here that have become foundations for games like Ghost!
Nate Fox – Creative Director, Sucker Punch
Usagi Yojimbo (1984-Present, Comic Book): A long-running samurai comic book series loosely based on the life of Miyamoto Musashi. The stories found here caused me to fall in the love with the romantic ideal of the wandering samurai.
Seven Samurai (1954, Film): It’s impossible for me to think about what it is to be a samurai without picturing the warriors brought so vividly to life in this film. All of them fought with dignity and heart in a way that I’d never seen before; they’re an iconic ideal that we strive to live up to.
Jason Connell – Art/Creative Director, Sucker Punch
Yojimbo (1961, Film): From when I was very young, this movie instilled in me what it means to be a wandering ronin, moving calmly towards a group of enemies without a care in the world. The world is rich with interesting characters and it has always stuck with me.
RAN (1985, Film): One of the few movies shot in color from the legendary filmmaker Kurosawa. Excellent compositions utilizing a castle, walls, banners and armies. When I think of Samurai banners, I always think of RAN. The action and cinematography holds up well even by today’s standards.
Joanna Wang – Environments Director, Sucker Punch
13 Assassins (2010, Film):Â This movie has one of the best samurai battle scenes, Just like Ghost, a few samurai need to face huge numbers of enemies, and I love how they use the village environment for the final fight.
The Last Samurai (2003, Film): I was inspired by lots of scenes from this movie. The small village on a rolling grass hill, kids playing around a little cherry blossom tree. Then later, a battle in the heavy rain near the red maple tree, or heavy fog in the deep woods. The color, the tone is all so well-crafted for the story and has beautiful cinematography.
Billy Harper – Animations Director, Sucker Punch
Red Beard (1965, Film): Kurosawa’s last black and white film and his final collaboration with Toshiro Mifune. This plot is one of my favorite stories of youthful arrogance being guided by an unwanted mentor.
Onimusha: Warlords (2001, Video Game):Â I remember playing this game on PlayStation 2 because of one specific element. I was able to play as a samurai AND an assassin! I love that we have this type of gameplay diversity in Ghost.
Ghost of Tsushima releases exclusively for PlayStation 4 on July 17th, 2020.
