Ghost of Tsushima: the most representative games with a feudal Japan theme

Ghost of Tsushima: the most representative games with a feudal Japan theme

Il Feudal Japan over the years it has always been a constant in the gaming scene. Various, in fact, are the titles set in this fascinating historical era, since the birth of the first consoles. In recent years, specifically, this historical era is experiencing a real second youth, given that there are now several titles that in recent years have narrated the incredible exploits of Samurai and Ninja, including the imminent Ghost of Tsushima, new exclusive PlayStation 4 developed by the boys of Sucker Punch Productions.



But if we had to choose which titles best represent feudal Japan in video games, what would they be? Let's find out together:

Nioh and Nioh 2

Ghost of Tsushima: the most representative games with a feudal Japan themeLet's start from the end, or from the two titles developed by the talented guys of Team Ninja (a name, a guarantee). The two titles in question were born in full time SoulsLike, or a videogame sub-genre that mimics the famous and popular video games belonging to the series Souls di FromSoftware the two video games are strongly inspired by the works of Miyazaki and tell stories that are linked to real historical events, revisiting the whole fantasy key. Unlike other SoulsLikes, the Nioh series, despite having several points of contact with the From titles, has managed to establish itself in the market with its own identity, the daughter above all of the historical setting chosen.

Sekiro: Shadow Die Twice

Ghost of Tsushima: the most representative games with a feudal Japan themeStraddling the two Niohs, FromSoftware he decided to have his say by setting their new work in feudal Japan. After the medieval fantasy seen in Demon's Souls e Dark Souls and the Victorian (and Lovcraftian) London seen in Bloodborne, For From e Hidetaka Miyazaki the litmus test had arrived: would they be able to establish themselves again with a title totally unrelated to the classic canons of the Souls series? The answer is yes. From managed to renew the game formula with a much more action title and less RPG. Set in Sengoku period, just like Nioh, here too the historical reality has been “contaminated” by supernatural elements. Obviously, the key points of the latest From titles are not lacking, in addition to the self-quotation present in all the works that bear the signature of Miyazaki. Ghost of Tsushima will distance itself from the SoulsLike genre, and therefore we will explore this historical period in a different way than what we have done in recent years.



Bushido Blade

Ghost of Tsushima: the most representative games with a feudal Japan themeLet's take a big time jump back, catapulting us back to 1997. It was a very important year for the videogame industry, which gave away several memorable titles that would go down in history, such as Fallout, Final Fantasy VII, The Curse of Money Island, Carmageddon, Oddworld: Space Oddyssee, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, Turok: Dinosaur Hunter and many others. In this panorama full of successful titles, Bushido Blade he found himself in the crossfire in spite of himself passing slightly on the sly, which is definitely a shame since the title we are talking about is not only one of the first titles in three dimensions set in feudal Japan, but also one of the best fighting games with fights all weapon of all time. Peculiarity of the title, which makes it unique in its genre, is the possibility of being able to instantly kill your opponent. If you still have one PlayStation and a copy of the game, absolutely (re) try it.

Tenchu: Stealth Assassins

Ghost of Tsushima: the most representative games with a feudal Japan themeAfter that Hideo Kojima redefined the concept of Stealth in video games thanks to the saga of Metal Gear, in 1998 the boys of Acquire Corp. decided to explore feudal Japan with a darker hue, where the player would face the adversities that would face him not openly but through a gameplay that was based on the stealth. Thus was born Tenchu: Stealth Assassins, title that together with Metal Gear Solid it was a true precursor of the stealth genre in three dimensions. The Acquire development team has made a real name for itself in recent years with regard to this genre of games, just think of all the subsequent chapters of the Tenchu ​​saga, the series of Way of the Samurai And that of Shinobido.



Samurai Warriors

Ghost of Tsushima: the most representative games with a feudal Japan themeWhen thinking of feudal Japan, it is impossible not to immediately think of the series of Samurai Warriors, a famous spin-off of the even more famous Dinasty Warriors. As far as the genre musou can get boring quickly, it is undeniable that this kind of setting fits perfectly with titles of this type. In particular, Samurai Warrios 4 it is undoubtedly the best title in the series (also considering the Dinasty Warriors), which could make even the most stubborn detractor of the musou think again.

Ronin Blade

Ghost of Tsushima: the most representative games with a feudal Japan themeThis is one of not only the most underrated titles in the genre, but also one of the most muted. Soul of the Samurai, published in Europe under the name of Ronin Blade, was an interesting adventure title with pre-rendered backgrounds and a fixed camera. Considered by many to be the perfect mix between Tenchu e resident evil, at the time the title had a mediocre response from critics and audiences e Konami decided not to invest for hypothetical sequelae. While we're not talking about a masterpiece, Ronin Blade had a challenging but rewarding combat system, as well as having a solid gameplay foundation that would later be recycled by the series. Onimusha.


Onimusha

Ghost of Tsushima: the most representative games with a feudal Japan themeSpeaking of Onimusha, the series developed by Capcom picked up the Ronin Blade legacy by expanding all the good insights into the ill-fated Konami title. It is no coincidence that Onimusha is remembered by many as a sort of Resident Evil with samurai instead of zombies. A series appreciated by many but after the fourth chapter, Dawn of Dreams, has not been carried out. A remastering of the first chapter has recently been released, and given Capcom's recent fashion to churn out remakes of pearls of the past, it cannot be excluded that we want to focus on this franchise again, It must be said that Onimusha has managed to perfectly recreate the atmosphere of feudal Japan, and among the various remakes desired by fans perhaps Onimusha is a series that more than any other deserves a second chance.


Okami

Ghost of Tsushima: the most representative games with a feudal Japan themeSo far we have talked about samurai, ninja, stealth and assholes with sword, but many guilty forget that feudal Japan is not only this, but also art. From this point of view, the never too praised Okami perfectly represents the most artistic and dreamlike side of this fascinating historical period. Okami represents a beautiful animated Japanese illustration done in ink, which further cements the fact that video games can be artistic representations even in the most classical sense of the term.

Genji

Ghost of Tsushima: the most representative games with a feudal Japan themeLet's go back there again, in that Japan made up of samurai and sword fighting. While PlayStation 2 he was preparing to make room for the new arrival PlayStation 3, Sony decided to invest in a new exclusive set in feudal Japan. Thus was born Genji, title developed by Game Republic which stylistically is perhaps the best of the titles listed so far (obviously without considering Okami). Although it was a title undermined by poor longevity and sometimes repetitive gameplay, it had some interesting mechanics as well as a truly noteworthy setting. Too bad that his following,  Genji: Days of the Blade, failed to confirm himself on those same levels, making the series prematurely end up in oblivion. If desired, we could consider Ghost of Tsushima a sort of spiritual sequel to Genji.

Honorable mention: Ninja Gaiden

Ghost of Tsushima: the most representative games with a feudal Japan themeThe famous series of Ninja Gaiden it cannot “officially” be part of this series because, as the most experienced will know, it is not set in feudal Japan. But despite this, it is really impossible for us not to mention the adventures of the ninja Ryu Hayabusa, which have made "Japaneseness" their battle horse. After a comeback in style with the reboot series developed by the guys of Team Ninja, Ninja Gaiden 3 was negatively received by critics and audiences, and there has been no news of this historic series since. Given the recent success of the Nioh series, it cannot be ruled out that Team Ninja wants to revive the exploits of the iconic Ryu.

What do you think of it? What other feudal Japan themed titles would you have mentioned? Do you have hype for Ghost of Tsushima? Let us know yours via the comments!

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