In my original review of Ghost of Tsushima I described the story as “somewhat predictable,” but also praised its execution. However, come the end of the quest line I was pleasantly surprised. The story told on Iki was not one I expected, nor did I think it was a thread that required pulling at. There are some wonderful short stories to be discovered on Iki Island. However, almost as soon as I began asking myself these questions, the game answered me in a way that satisfied my curiosity and established its narrative once again. Ghost of Tsushima had dealt with myths and legends before - Jin as the titular ‘Ghost’ is one himself - but this was usually left for storytellers and side quests where not all is as it seems. This juxtaposition of a melodramatic but grounded story of Samurai vs Raiders and an occult presence that could affect Jin at any moment is something I was initially wary of. That history forms the backbone of the core campaign, alongside the seemingly omnipotent threat of The Eagle. Clan Sakai, Jin’s family, has a troubled past when it comes to the island to say the least. Both through its main campaign and ‘Tales of Iki’ side quests: As soon as Jin sets foot on Iki, it’s made very clear that he isn’t welcome here. Where the Iki Island Expansion is strongest is in its storytelling. That said, it did seem like some of the larger encampments had added a few extra defences and ways to spot Jin to make them a bit more of a challenge to take on. It’s still fun to experiment with ways to stealthily take out your enemies or stand your ground and fight like a Samurai if you prefer, but largely they were nothing I hadn’t played before. New open world distractions aside, it can’t be ignored that I was clearing out Mongol camps with the same tactics I’d used for forty-odd hours back on Tsushima. There is also some motion-controlled flute playing to establish sanctuaries for deer and cats, so not every new addition is to be celebrated. These range from moments to reflect and delve even further into Jin’s past, to simple archery challenges. Those who have played the base game won’t be surprised to find that there are plenty of extra charms to unlock to boost stats, additional armour sets to unlock (including some excellent PlayStation themed ones), and there are also additional challenges and points of interest to mix things up. Not huge additions by any means, but ones that make sense if you’re building upon an established game. Speaking of horses, Jin can also now charge enemies when on horseback. One small gameplay addition I really liked was the introduction of saddle bags on Jin’s horse, allowing him to store more ammo and retrieve it at will. And I’ll admit, I’m very much in the “if it isn’t broke don’t fix it” club when it comes to add ons like this. Outside of this the formula for the Iki Island Expansion is otherwise very similar to the core game. This additional mechanic takes just a little of that away. Crossing swords with the enemy in Ghost of Tsushima, even at the end, often had an air of unpredictability about it. This undoubtedly changed the way I approached each new fight but, towards the end of the five-or-so hour campaign, fights often boiled down to heading straight for the taking shaman and then dealing with the rest. The Eagle uses this kind of religious sorcery to provide her followers with a little extra fight in the midst of battle. The most frequent way is via her Shamans. The Eagle is the leader of a cult-like tribe of the Mongol invaders and her presence can be felt in every part of this new expansion. Upon landing on Iki, Jin is captured by The Eagle. The Iki Island Expansion and additional PlayStation 5 upgrade - both included in the game’s ‘Directors Cut’ - made returning to one of my favourite games of last year incredibly welcome, even if a lot of what’s here is just more of the same. By the end of my time with Ghost of Tsushima I felt I’d put all of Jin Sakai’s demons to the sword.
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