Game of the Year Ghost of Tsushima

Developer Sucker Punch really went above and beyond with Ghost of Tsushima — a soaring samurai epic that sliced our expectations to pieces. This is an outstanding open world game, elevated by an excellent combat system and a distinct sense of style that classic Japanese cinema would be proud of.

The story of Jin Sakai is a troubled one, as our initially powerless hero is forced to watch his homeland burn right before his eyes. With the picturesque island of Tsushima ravaged by the Mongol Empire, Jin spills the blood of its invaders against a stunning backdrop of vibrant Japanese countryside. It's a glorious game to get lost in.

There's a refinement and focus to Ghost of Tsushima that very few open world games can match. It doesn't feel bloated, and it's not a fan of wasting your time with tedious side activity after tedious side activity. Instead, everything feels like it has a purpose — even if you're just watching Jin's bare bum climb into a hot spring for a nice relaxing soak.

Given its history with the inFAMOUS series, we've come to expect a high level of quality from Sucker Punch, but Ghost is in a different league. It's got an elegance that makes it one of the most memorable open world excursions on PS4, and the studio's commitment to free content updates should be applauded. If this is the first step into a new PlayStation series, then consider us extremely excited.

You can read our full Ghost of Tsushima review through the link.


Did Ghost of Tsushima surprise you from shadows? Sharpen your blade in the comments section below.

How would you rate Ghost of Tsushima?

How we decide our Game of the Year: This December, our editorial team created a list of nominees for Game of the Year based on our own review scores and a variety of other factors. After much discussion, we trimmed the list of nominees down and asked all Push Square staff and the Push Square community to vote on their five favourites using a points-based system. The ten games with the most points by the designated deadline were then determined as our favourites of 2020.