Sara Batool

Review Time: Ghost of Tsushima – Or How I Accidentally Became a Samurai Let’s get one thing straight: I’m an open-world junkie. Drop me in a chaotic city with exploding cars, snarky NPCs, and side missions involving questionable fashion choices, and I’m home. GTA? Saints Row? Watch Dogs? Inject that city madness directly into my veins. Occasionally, I’d dabble in Uncharted just to feel slightly more cultured before going back to running people over for fun. But anything that smells even remotely like “ancient mythology” or “historical epic”? Nah, hard pass. Assassin’s Creed? Looked cool but felt like reading a dusty old history book while doing squats. Enter Ghost of Tsushima – a game I refused to touch because “old samurai stuff” just didn’t seem my vibe. Also, where are the sports cars? Where’s the GPS yelling at me? Fast forward to a long weekend. My sister bailed on her London trip (thanks, life), and I was left home, dramatic sighs echoing through the halls, twiddling my thumbs waiting for GTA VI like it’s the second coming. That’s when my husband, who’s been trying to convert me into a Ghost of Tsushima cultist since forever, said: “Just try it once.” (Note: "just try it once" is also how I got into Chinese food, and now my bank account regrets it.) So I booted up the game. And oh. My. Jin. The theatrics? Broadway-level. The gameplay? Smoother than my skincare routine. The story? So gripping I almost forgot to check Instagram. I was slashing, stealthing, and haiku-ing my way through ancient Japan like I’d been doing it since birth. I felt emotions. Actual emotions. Like when I played GTA III as a kid and realised games could be more than just chaos—they could be art. Violent art. But art nonetheless. Now I’m 80% through the game and honestly? I might start calling my husband “Sensei” unironically. The detailing in every leaf, the cinematics that make Netflix originals look basic—this game is a masterpiece. My only regret? Not playing it sooner. Like, why didn’t someone shake me by the shoulders and scream, “YOU NEED THIS SAMURAI GOODNESS IN YOUR LIFE!” So yeah. I’m officially a Ghost of Tsushima fangirl now. Regards, A former urban chaos gamer turned emotional katana warrior. 🐎🌸💥