![]() ![]() Jin is often faced with the horrors of his legacy throughout the many side objectives and activities strewn across the island. ![]() This doesn’t just apply to the main missions, either. It’s all connected and while there are shocking twists and palpable tension along the way that make for an engaging basic plot, the narrative’s ability to meaningfully tie together its multitude of ideas -and do it so gracefully - is remarkable. Jin’s internal struggles are tied to the island that’s under siege which is tied to his family which is also links back to his internal struggles. ![]() Iki Island’s narrative strongest feature is the way in which it beautifully weaves together all of these different aspects into one cohesive whole. Given how this expansion puts those past events in a different light, Iki Island has some striking similarities to The Last of Us‘ Left Behind as both naturally fit into the core game while also further humanizing their protagonists and faithfully injecting them with a bit more nuance. It expands upon flashbacks or previously mentioned bits from the main game so it doesn’t feel like Sucker Punch was randomly inventing backstory after the fact the seeds were already sown. That dark past brings up themes of guilt, forgiveness, neglectful parents, familial sins, breaking harmful cycles, and more and all of it ties directly into the aforementioned personal journey that Jin gets forced into.Īnd since it is more personal, this DLC gives players a more introspective look into Jin’s character as it digs deeper into how he came to be. Jin’s family also has a dark past that’s directly linked to those invasions and it’s something the locals aren’t keen on sweeping under the rug despite the current Mongol invasion. Natives are hostile toward samurai as past invasions have driven quite a wedge between the two factions. Walking through ghostly apparitions of a character’s most painful moments might not be the newest idea in the gaming space, but it’s contextualized well enough through the Eagle’s hallucinogenic drink to overcome the lack of originality.īut there are other factors that force Jin to change as Iki Island is not a welcoming place for samurai. Growth is inevitable as it is the key to victory and Jin’s personal journey throughout the expansion is captivating because of how it is put to the forefront of the experience and so thoroughly examined. Her multi-pronged attack on Jin puts him in a situation where he needs to adapt in order to overcome. Great antagonists test the protagonist and force them to change and that’s exactly what the Eagle does. Revisiting that island is already traumatic for Jin and that trauma is exponentially heightened through the Eagle’s calculated mental guerrilla warfare. Jin has a personal connection with Iki Island as it marks a place of great shame and failure for the Ghost of Tsushima well before he earned that moniker. While she does command those Mongolian forces to physically attack Jin, she also uses her brew as a means to attack Jin on a spiritual level, something that is made all the more intense by the setting itself. After forcing this hellish concoction upon Jin, his internal demons are given an external form that makes this more than just another Mongolian invasion. She’s a twisted shaman threatening to take over Iki Island with her droves of loyal guards and hallucinogenic poison. Jin’s character is put through the wringer through Iki’s big bad, the Eagle. This approach gives Sucker Punch free rein to flesh out its protagonist while not sacrificing the sanctity and pacing of the base game’s narrative. The Iki Island narrative elegantly parries and subsequently slices that concern into ribbons by thoughtfully focusing more on Jin Sakai’s backstory instead of trying to gin up a new thread that unnaturally tacks itself onto the original’s tale. If a story thread is such a big deal, then how it can be nonchalantly slotted around? Since it can be played at a number of different points in the campaign, it can initially sound like an unimportant tale. The Iki Island DLC hooks right into the core experience and is accessible shortly after the second act kicks off. And even though it’s not a giant step up for those playing the original on PlayStation 5, the Iki Island expansion is the main highlight here as it is a phenomenal companion piece to the main game. It’s playing two different roles but ones that are intertwined due to Sony’s insistence on bundling both together. Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut is in an unusual spot because it’s simultaneously a current-gen upgrade as well as a vessel for a whole new expansion. ![]()
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