Ghost of Tsushimalaunched about a year ago now, leading to many fans hoping ahead of the announcement that Sucker Punch’s open-world samurai adventure would get some additional content or the announcement of a sequel. The game was very well received by players and critics alike, withGhost of Tsushimaeven going on to win multiple DICE Awards. The game was largely praised for its realistic portrayal of medieval Japan, its high-stakes combat mechanics, and its beautiful visual and audio design. with how well received the game was, the excitement surrounded the leaks of a standalone expansion were very understandable, as fans were eager to see what else the game’s developers could do with the game’s mechanics and systems.
Leaks began circulating of a standalone expansion toGhost of TsushimanamedGhost of Ikishimajust days before the announcement ofGhost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut. The announcement proved the leaks largely false, but there are still some rumors that have turned out to be largely accurate in some interesting ways.
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What the Ghost of Ikishima Leaks Claimed
Theleak ofGhost of Ikishimabegan when a well-known Xbox leaker tweeted about the title’s existence as an expansion similar toMarvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales. This would mean that it would be a standalone game that exhibits a lot of the same mechanics and features asGhost of Tsushima, but with some slight changes and new features such as expanding on available skills and equipment while recycling a lot of the game’s models, systems, and animations to cut down on development time and costs. One question that fans had following the leaks, however, was whether the standalone expansion would be available on PlayStation 4.Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Moralesis only available on PlayStation 5, so many fans were worried thatGhost of Ikishimawould continue the trend.
AnotherGhost of Ikishimaleak said the expansion would feature an entirely new area on the island of Ikishima. The leaks did not have specifics on what story the expansion would feature, but the entirely new region was very enticing for fans asGhost of Tsushimawas widely praised for its gorgeous environments and exploration. Additionally, the new setting also allows the developers to make interesting new combat encounters and locations for stealth gameplay. Importantly, theleaks aboutGhost of Ikishimaseemed very believable, which led to a lot of the game’s fans getting excited about an inevitable announcement.
What the Ghost of Ikishima Leaks Got Wrong
The biggest aspect ofGhost of Ikishimathat the leaks got wrong was that it was a standalone expansion. Instead, it has been revealed that it will be an expansion for the base game that isincluded inGhost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut. The Island of Ikishima will be available to players during the main game’s campaign, meaning that players who have finished the base game can jump back in and head straight for the new content. New players who pick upGhost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut, however, will have to play through a bit of the game first to unlock the content.
Another aspect of the expansion that the leaks got wrong was that the expansion will be available on both the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation 5. The game even includes save transfers from PS4 to PS5, and thenext-gen version ofGhost of Tsushimaintroduces a lot of new featurestaking advantage of the console’s power and DualSense controller. Many fans theorized what features could come to a PlayStation 5 version ahead of the leak, and some of those were right, but the official game also includes some features that fans hadn’t speculated about, such as lip-sync for Japanese voice-over and 3D audio support.
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What the Ghost of Ikishima Leaks Got Right
The biggest part of the expansion that the leaks got right was the game’s setting on the island of Ikishima. While the expansion not being standalone likely means that the section of the map is not as big as some fans may have hoped it would be, it is still an entirely new area for players to enjoy during their playthroughs, meaning much new content as well. Some of theGhost of Ikishimaleaks also pointed out that the expansion would keep many beloved elements of the original game such asGhost of Tsushima’s realismand focus on stealth to thin out enemy units. While all the specifics of the expansion have not been revealed, it is safe to assume that the expansion will likely feature stealth gameplay heavily asGhost of Ikishimais building on the base game.
When the leaks about the expansion started circulating many fans also speculated that the expansion could lead to more content coming toGhost of Tsushima’s multiplayer mode as well. This also ended up being true, as the announcement ofGhost of Tsushima: Director’s Cutwas accompanied by theannouncement of additional content coming forGhost of Tsushima: Legends. The mode will be receiving an entirely new game mode, as well as developer Sucker Punk promising more free updates in the future.
While some fans may be disappointed that the new expansion is not a bigger, standalone release, it is exciting for fans either way. It also is great that the expansion will be available to players both on PlayStation 4 as well as PlayStation 5 so that even more players get to enjoy the new content, even if theupgrade between consoles won’t be free forGhost of Tsushimafans. Either way, fans should have a great reason to jump back intoGhost of TsushimawhenGhost of Tsushima: Director’s Cutarrives next month.
Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cutreleases on August 20 for PS4 and PS5.
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