I’ve spent a good amount of time playing through Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut on the PlayStation 5. While one of the biggest highlights of the new version is the Iki Island expansion, I…haven’t gotten to the new area yet, as I’m replaying the game from scratch. I didn’t have the foresight to back up my PS4 save of the game.
Initially, I wanted to rush through Tsushima to get to Iki Island as soon as possible, but I decided not to after immersing myself in the game again. After all, the game looks absolutely stunning on the PS5, and I want to slowly take it all in. So with that in mind, here’s my initial impression of Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut on the next-gen console.
Graphically, the game really does look incredible on the PS5. The beautiful landscapes of Tsushima Island is now rendered in 4K, and further enhancing the visuals of the game is the high, consistent frame rate set at 60fps.
There are two graphics settings on the PS5: Higher Resolution or Better Frame Rate. In both settings, the frame rate appears to still be set to 60fps; there’s no immediate difference between the two. I’ll keep an eye for any noticeable drop in frame rate as I progress further through the game.
While we’re on the topic of graphics, lip-syncing in this new version of Tsushima now supports Japanese voice-over too, though this is only limited to the PS5 version. Previously, proper lip-sync was only available for the original English audio.
Now, there’s definitely improvement in lip-syncing when the audio is set to Japanese, but…it still feels off. Simply put, it’s as if the lip-syncing is missing a few syllables in every sentence. I do find this quite distracting, but I imagine some folks may not mind it at all.
Anyway, let’s move on to another new feature Sucker Punch added to the PS5 version of Tsushima Director’s Cut: DualSense implementations. Naturally, the game made use of the controller’s adaptive triggers, which can be felt when you draw a bow with Jin Sakai, the protagonist of Tsushima.
It’s quite a clever implementation. If I draw back on the bow for too long, I can feel the triggers vibrating as Jin is losing grip on the bow. This may seem like a small thing, but it does add to the overall immersion of the game. I’ve said it before many times, and I’ll say it again: the DualSense really does make next-gen games feel next-gen.
Speaking of which, Sucker Punch also made use of the DualSense’s much improved haptic feedback. As I’m exploring the island of Tsushima on my trusty horse, I can feel the haptic feedback changing depending on the terrain my horse is galloping on. Again, this is a small feature, but this attention to detail makes for a more immersive experience.
And then there’s the dramatically improved loading time of Tsushima Director’s Cut on the PS5. Throughout my time in the game so far, I have not seen any loading screen. Even fast travelling from one area to another can be done within seconds. This short loading time, in turn, improves the gaming experience quite a bit.
In short, I’m having a blast in Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut, and I haven’t even explored the new Iki Island yet. It’s not just a new area either: it adds on to the story of Jin Sakai, which I am really, really looking forward to. After all, in my review of the original game, I find the main storyline to be a tad too brief.
So then, should you pick up this new version of Tsushima? If you haven’t played the game yet, it is absolutely worth getting, whether you’re on the PS5 or PS4. Granted, you don’t get the PS5’s graphics improvements, DualSense implementations, or faster loading times with the PS4 version, but the game itself is still plenty good.
However, if you’ve played Ghost of Tsushima already, it depends. If you’re upgrading from the original PS4 version to Director’s Cut on the PS5 – which will set you back RM129 – the improvements you get, along with the new Iki island expansion, will be well worth it, in my opinion.
But it’s a different situation if you’re on the PS4 thinking of upgrading to the Director’s Cut version on the same platform. You’ll need to fork out RM89 for this, and you’re essentially paying this amount just for the Iki island expansion.
Given that I haven’t reached the new island yet, I can’t say with certainty if it is worth RM89, unfortunately enough.
Nonetheless, I will post a full review of Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut in the near future. So far, I’m having a lot of fun despite the fact that I already got the platinum trophy in the original game – I can’t wait to see what Iki Island has to offer.
Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut launches on the PS5 and PS4 on 20 August.
Read more:
Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut (PS5) Review: Worth the Price of Admission