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I'm sorry, Jin...
Oct. 17th, 2020 08:27 amWhat follows is a reflection on the themes of Ghost of Tsushima, which you may feel are spoilers. I don't know - I wouldn't, but then I might not have played the game if I'd known about this in advance - or, at least, I would have gone in with a different mindset, I suppose.
Anyway, the first thing to say is that this game is gorgeous (except for the water - the water physics are seriously disappointing for a game released in 2020). The autumn colours, the fur on the foxes, Jin's outfits, all beautiful. And all of the puzzles are well done. I haven't yet had to seek out a walkthrough to reach any of the Shinto shrines.
Oh, another disappointment is the lack of character models for NPCs. I keep meeting the same woman in slightly differently coloured outfits. If I'd bought this game, I'd think it was over-priced.
Although I suppose all the money went into the combat, which is the aspect I'm least interested in (rofl). I certainly haven't paid any attention to learning the various button combinations to pull off all the funky moves!
But I LOVE Jin's allies. They are all interesting people with histories of their own, much of which you get to explore through side missions.
OK, now the potential spoiler...
I've come to the conclusion that this is a game about revenge dressed up as justice. ALL of the allies' stories involve revenge. And that makes me uncomfortable.
I completely understand their motivation. I've never been in their place - how do I know how I'd act? And the overall goal - freeing Tsushima from the Mongols - has to involve mass slaughter.
The saving grace, for my own peace of mind, is that this is an action game rather than an RPG. I have a horrid feeling that if it were an RPG, in the style of W3 or DA, I'd find myself in exactly this place because I'd just be following Jin's lead. Because Jin is the MC, so he must be GOOD, right? He must be RIGHT, right? Well... no... I've seen enough lists of games where the MC was actually the villain!
As an aside, I've even seen an argument for the playable characters in FF12 being the baddies that made me pause.
Anyway, I don't believe in revenge as an acceptable motivation. I understand it - but I don't approve of it. That said, I will finish the game. I've come this far - I can't leave Tsushima to the Mongols, now! But I am a little clearer-eyed about Jin and his story.
Anyway, the first thing to say is that this game is gorgeous (except for the water - the water physics are seriously disappointing for a game released in 2020). The autumn colours, the fur on the foxes, Jin's outfits, all beautiful. And all of the puzzles are well done. I haven't yet had to seek out a walkthrough to reach any of the Shinto shrines.
Oh, another disappointment is the lack of character models for NPCs. I keep meeting the same woman in slightly differently coloured outfits. If I'd bought this game, I'd think it was over-priced.
Although I suppose all the money went into the combat, which is the aspect I'm least interested in (rofl). I certainly haven't paid any attention to learning the various button combinations to pull off all the funky moves!
But I LOVE Jin's allies. They are all interesting people with histories of their own, much of which you get to explore through side missions.
OK, now the potential spoiler...
I've come to the conclusion that this is a game about revenge dressed up as justice. ALL of the allies' stories involve revenge. And that makes me uncomfortable.
I completely understand their motivation. I've never been in their place - how do I know how I'd act? And the overall goal - freeing Tsushima from the Mongols - has to involve mass slaughter.
The saving grace, for my own peace of mind, is that this is an action game rather than an RPG. I have a horrid feeling that if it were an RPG, in the style of W3 or DA, I'd find myself in exactly this place because I'd just be following Jin's lead. Because Jin is the MC, so he must be GOOD, right? He must be RIGHT, right? Well... no... I've seen enough lists of games where the MC was actually the villain!
As an aside, I've even seen an argument for the playable characters in FF12 being the baddies that made me pause.
Anyway, I don't believe in revenge as an acceptable motivation. I understand it - but I don't approve of it. That said, I will finish the game. I've come this far - I can't leave Tsushima to the Mongols, now! But I am a little clearer-eyed about Jin and his story.
