This was the first game that I played on my Steam Deck, and I was very pleased with how it performed. I decided to get a steam deck for my unusual circumstances – I have a lot of Steam games (thanks to some bundles and subscriptions that I have) but most of them are reliant upon a Windows OS – and I don’t have a machine running that at home. So how to play them? The Steam Deck seems like a good answer to that question, and so, in some ways, this review will be as much about the steam deck as it is about Ghost.
Having said that, I think I can join in the crowd and say that Ghost is perhaps the most beautiful game that I’ve played. Part of that is just related to the visual appeal – the game looks fantastic, but theres’s a deeper kind of peacefulness that makes the game a singularly beautiful experience. It seems strange – for a game that’s filled with such violence – and perhaps I’m being a bit orientalist about it all, but the game maintains a pace and order that is serene – even despite the plot surprises and climactic moments. I think one aspect that contributes to this is the huge variety of environments that are present in the game – and the weather conditions. There is so much to do, and to sea, and it flows together in a way that is enjoyable, seamless and beautiful.
Of course, I’m saying it’s the most beautiful game I’ve played – not necessarily the best game of all time. The answer to that, of course, is far more complicated, and certainly a topic for future consideration. It’s highly rated, that’s for sure. It takes many of the things that have made previous open world games successful. You can go and find things, do quests, customise your appearance. My favourite quests were the shrines – a kind of super-mario-esque platforming challenge, often with heights that felt dizzying, even on a small screen like the Steam Deck. But underpinning it all – and with something of a sense of urgency – there is the main quest, which is about liberating Tsushima. Without getting too much into it, there are some very tense moments, and ultimately questions that need to be answered about beliefs, honour and ethics.