9 / 10. A game so stunning and calm, even chopping up enemies with a katana feels like combing a zen sand garden with a little rake

Ghost of Tsushima is a beautiful and soothing open world adventure game by Sucker Punch Productions and Sony Interactive Entertainment.

During the first Mongol invasion of Japan by Khotun Khan (a menacing Patrick Gallagher), in 1274, Jin Sakai, a samurai warrior, heads off with the samurai army to quell the invasion. Unfortunately, the samurai are defeated and Jin is left for dead…

Jin is healed by Yuna (Sumalee Montano), a local thief, who informs him the majority of Tsushima is now under Mongol rule. The game covers Jin’s quest to free Tsushima Island from Mongol rule, recruiting allies to defeat the Mongols and free his uncle, Lord Shimura. Jin’s legend grows, and he becomes "The Ghost."

You control Jin from a third-person perspective completing various main story mission threads and many side missions, utilising combinations of attacking and stealth. Your evolving swordplay and defensive abilities aid missions as you progress; allowing you to scan areas, use a bow with silent arrows (or fun, but loud, exploding arrows) and distractions such as firecrackers and smoke bombs. The kunai throwing knives were a favourite as they stagger enemies giving extra seconds to finish them.

Calling out enemies into standoffs where you must strike first are satisfying battles and the ghost stance, once obtained, is a fabulous special move.

Traversing this ancient Japanese world on foot and horseback is a breath-taking experience, the beautiful landscape is diverse featuring farms, Shinto shrines (Tomb Raider-esque sequences, some only accessible after obtaining the grappling hook), bamboo or cherry blossoms forests, villages and mountains. The guiding wind function gently steers you to your waypoint which is a useful.

A game so stunning and calm, even chopping up Mongols with a katana feels like combing a zen sand garden with a little rake. The world, character and costume design is exceptionally detailed, and the voice acting is superb, especially main protagonist Jin (Daisuke Tsuji) and archer Sensei Ishikawa (François Chau). Some side missions become repetitive before the end but even the haiku, hot springs and fox protected Inari shrines are a joy to play.

Slow down, and enjoy.