I'm playing the game for the first time now and this thought always makes me giggle, jin and the others go through so much shit to kill khotun khan and expel the mongols, then I remember they'll be back in like, 6 years with an even bigger army
Lol. Yeah, the average person knows basically nothing about real samurai. People still think ninja or shinobe were all secret assassins who were rivals to samurai. They are pretty surprised when I tell them ninja was a profession (while samurai was a social class) and there were samurai ninja.
@@fattiger6957 Mhm its weird cause the most famous ninja (Hattori Hanzo) is very clearly also a samurai. He is even depicted in the armour. I don't know of any peasants that became ninjas I think all of the ninjas we know of were samurai.
@@Subutai_Khan Maybe there were no assassins who weren't Samurai class, but I'm sure there were plenty of spies who were commoners. That is if you include spies as ninjas.
@@fattiger6957 I mean, Ninja were primarily spies. Assassination would have been something only a few elite would have been trusted with. They were also thieves and arsonists as well. Ninjutsu means Stealth Technique after all.
It's true and I honestly cannot understand why more games don't use it. Like the witcher 3 for example, I just killed 8 of your friends in front of you, chopped 2 in half,decapitated 4, and burned 2 alive and you still want to fight me?? It's really not hard to put in an algorithm that makes lower level or weaker enemies run away in panic if they realise you're more skilled than them.
i may not be a huge fan of guns but even i say that at range they are far more effective, if in 1 meter of range between a gun and a sword or knife whichever is fastest would likely win
They probably chose the Mongol invasion because they wanted an environment of insurgency, an independent fighter against an occupying force, justifying the ninja strategies, but they clearly made this because they just love Kurosawa films.
The Pt Host Akira Kurosawa is one of the most influential filmmakers ever. HBO Max has 6 of his classics: Seven Samurai, The Hidden Fortress, Yojimbo, Throne of Blood, Rashomon and Ikiru. Theres a 14 day free trial, enough to watch them all lol. They’re all timeless classics and shaped a lot of great western films that came after like Magnificent Seven and even Star Wars
I personally didn't like all the "Kurosawa reference" thing, it really doesn't have nearly anything to do close to his style beside a bunch of scenes that felt most like a copy paste than an actual reference, but for the rest of the game it's an ok I suppose
I did some digging, the reason they picked the time period was because the mongol invasion highly out numbered the Japanese and wanted to tell a story of hopelessness and a need to change everything he was tought to win against a enemy who will never stop coming
cool, so why did they have to get all the armour and weaponry wrong? Know its splitting hairs as far as video games go, but why not. Random people not into japanese history won't think it looks any less cinematic or cool to use correct weapons and armour, weld a naginata before the sword. But nope, game developers have to knock off all those overused samurai tropes.
@@anasevi9456 I don't know. I think the regular gamer who does not know alot about japanese history would say:" That is not how a samurai looks like! It is not at all like in that one movie I once watched. And why is he wearing the swords all wrong? I know that kind of stuff! When I was a kid I used to watch Naruto alot."
@@anasevi9456 Because it is not historicaly accurate game. Never meant to be. This is not that type of game. This is " Japanese Samurai Action movie" the game. Think Akira Kurosawa and all similar type of classic Japan action movies about Samurai.
I like the fact they aimed for authenticity but didn't stick 100% to historical accuracy. Reminds me of the series Vikings whereby a lot of the events & features are historically correct but the timeline has been compressed in such a way that several centuries happen over the course of what feels like a year. We get the best bits, what's not to like.
Honestly, I kinda like how it’s not necessarily “historically accurate.” They didn’t go for accuracy in the history, but accuracy in the mythos and feel of the samurai, as if you’re placed right within a samurai movie. Historical accuracy is fun and important, don’t get me wrong, but I feel the team deserves praise for setting a /feeling/ of the game and sticking with that feeling in almost every aspect
@@bruceleeds7988 yup, and if you wanna know a way to feel really bad ass, use water stance's hold attack, then switch to wind and use the typhoon kick, and finally, run up to him and perform a jump attack (jump + square)
Sucker Punch actually wanted to make it more accurate and utilize real historical figures similar to Assassin's Creed. However they went and spoke with a few experts in Japan about doing that and were advised that it would be disrespectful to the memory of those figures who are no longer alive. So they opted to make it fictional while still set within the real life event.
@@fransthefox9682 well, Japanese really do really care about their culture and history, sometimes obsessively. If it gets praise from them, then it must be really good.
@@yani2499 you're right, ethnically he's not Japanese, nor is his nationality but in terms of understanding Japanese culture, history and the language, you could use the term Japanese in that way for him
How any real martial art worked when death was on the line at any time in history... "You stabbed him in the back!?" "Well, yeah, his back was to me." (credit to the 1980 comedy Western movie El Diablo)
Hey Metatron, regarding the whole "wiping/removing the blood from the blade": I have good news, as there was a scene where Jin actually puts the dull edge of the sword into the crease of his elbow and wipes it in his robes in a slow but firm motion. So in a sense, you DO see something else than just the "flicking the blood away"!
@@jay_idk337 very true the game play so far explains and show in better detail whats going on. Would love to see a video about the new game play coming out
Finally got around to watching your review. I love how you aren’t ripping the game to pieces but instead bringing in your expertise and knowledge. Saying what’s right and wrong whilst maintaining a positive neutrality. This is why I love your videos you humble and honest. Keep it up man much love 👌🏻👌🏻
I agree. Even critics in Japan have been positive about the game and it's representation of samurai and the Kamakura period. Specifically, I've seen that Japanese critics were relieved that this game didn't overly stereotype ancient Japanese culture, and didn't make the samurai feel like caricatures. They've stated that it feels like an appropriately respectful yet stylized representation.
@@apictureoffunction I feel like respecting the source material goes a long way for creating goodwill for any entertainment. If only hollywood and most western game developers would learn this and not continue to shit on the fandoms with established franchises.
I think they chose tsushima and the mongol invasion because of the legend of the hurricane that defeated the invasion. I think they had a vague idea of a japanese open world they wanted to do with the wind guiding you mechanic and the hurricane legend was a perfect fit, so they went with it. Jin and the wind that guides him is essentially that hurricane embodied.
@@Nai_101 You can get a random dialog from an NPC near shrine, where he says "Im praying for a big wind to come and destroy teh mongol fleet" or something along those lines.
This is my opinion but I feel the reason they went with a more Edo aesthetic style is because it's more recognizable to a mainstream audience. One who is not well versed in Feudal Japanese history and culture. I believe they wanted to make it more easily accessible to those who want a more realistic historical drama but also may not be looking for a game to "teach them history" . The Edo period has been used in multiple examples of Samurai cinema from Kurosaki to The Last Samurai and also 47 Ronin. So I think the reason they went for that aesthetic despite the game taking place generations before that is because of its recognizability.
@@doryfishie2 Because nothing super special really happened during the Edo Period in terms of warfare. The Edo Period was a more peaceful. The Mongol invasion was a brutal and bloody campaign and the perfect setting for the game. All they did was change the look of the Samurai armor to make it recognizable to an audience not well versed in Feudal Japanese History. It's not really a MAJOR change.
@@doryfishie2 I don't know history that well, but I'm guessing there wasn't anything like the Mongol invasion during the Edo period, and the game needed that premise for the game play. They wanted an open world game with enemy encounters every three or four minutes. And they wanted the player mostly alone to face them. Plus, the overwhelming superiority of the Mongol forces enhanced the absolute necessity for Jin to abandon the "samurai code" in order to defeat them. So that particular historical event also lent to the story, and the main character's personal dilemma. And it had to be the first invasion, because that emphasized the fact that the samurai were wholly unprepared to deal with it, heightening the drama, stacking the odds against Jin. This leaves us with the question why Suckerpunch didn't just abandon the Edo elements altogether. But the whole original intent of the game was to create a playable Kurosawa movie. They didn't want to abandon that idea, and why should they? As @Cursedfortune points out, that's the most recognizable period. It's a crowdpleaser. And it's what the developers wanted to do. So instead of making up a fictional invasion during the Edo period, or abandoning the dream of making a Kurosawa game purely for the sake of historical accuracy, they chose instead to just simply mush history a bit. It's the compromise that makes the most sense.
Japanese in Ghost of Tsushima: *represents the japanese greatly with detail although there are some exaggerations but it's okay* Mongols in Ghost of Tsushima: *Ouka Clan Bandits but in higher resolution and covers more*
@@7dayspking I love it when the "good guys" are all in higher resolution with appropriate wearings whilst the "bad guys" either have super awesome edgy outfit or a piece of clothing to cover the groin, a hat to cover the body, and a fundoshi to cover the face.
@@Bruh-hq1hx that's not the point. The point is that the bad guy is being represented badly. Not that it matters much. It's just funny that it occurred a lot. In the Souls game, the enemy you encounter always have silly, edgy or bad outfits. Like, the White Corona's, Black Knight's, and Heysel.
Got the collector's edition pre-ordered months ago. Super excited. On a side note, I hope to one day be as good at Japanese as you are. You are truly an inspiration.
About "honorable combat", I remember it being said that in Tsushima they tended to favor a very ritualistic form of warfare where even fights between armies were done by 1-on-1 duels (horse archery duels that is, not sword duels) and that that was a distinct disadvantage when the Mongols landed on Tsushima.
I remember reading about this too. That the brutality of the mongols was a massive advantage as they weren't prepared for the brutality of true war. But this was a good while back.
The grass physics are pretty clever. They're clearly a simplified particle system doing the physics but the animation is offset a couple frames and replicated between different blades of grass. It's really got its own positive aesthetic qualities to it, more than just a resource saving technique. Nice.
I was actually thinking about how they pulled that off. I thought maybe random blades of grass/plants are duplicates of certain other ones and they all have the same animation, but since they're in a random pattern you don't see ones next to each other doing the exact same animation at the same time. Is that correct?
I remember in early xbox 360 era wondering when wed get lush fields of beautifully rendered grass... and here we are. Horizon Zero dawn did it well, but this is even more lush than that.
From 1:54 I think that as you're not talking about the game itself you need to make your face full screen and then talk about the history of Japan and the Mongol invasion. After that you should return to the small face screen once you start talking about the game itself again.
@@metatronyt That IS awesome how the enemies'll try to run from you if they've seen you kill so many of them, and it's AWESOME that you have the courage to say that some elements of realism can IMPROVE a fictional work; I've ALWAYS known that, but VERY FEW other people seem to. PS: I couldn't help but notice that YOU didn't seem to notice that the Yumi's knock was in the wrong place; it was in the CENTER when it should've been on the LOWER LIMB.
@@dr.inkwell1070 Are you making fun of my typing some words in all caps? Because I only do that to communicate EMPHASIS. But hey, I WILL try to find something else he didn't notice. Edit: There's ONE more thing I may've noticed; correct me if I'm wrong, but I DON'T think Mongolian Halberds looked like that. Also, I highly DOUBT they would've put a WHOLE, UNSKINNED, UNGUTTED, UNBONED BOAR on a SPIT like that.
@@ezrafaulk1799 Try italics (on YT, you use _ before and _ after, but without the spaces and put closing punctuation inside too). Gets the same emphasis across, but much easier on the eyes. Then again, might try to emphasise fewer words, otherwise the whole idea of emphasis lose all meaning.
There is actually a second animation where Jin uses the sleeve of his robe to clean his sword. Its pretty cool because you only get that animation if you're wearing the right clothes.
Did Samurai ever sandwich their blade on the inside of their elbow (edge outwards of course) then draw it to clean off blood? I've seen that in quite a few movies
It doesn't make sense to ask these questions really. The question should be 'does it work' and what are the benefits or issues. Then 'was it possible at the time' taking into account things like etiquette. Is there a reason to assume the Samurai just had to have this highly stylized way that all of them drew the blood off their swords with that people across the entire rest of the world facing the exact same issue didn't? For those that actually did fight and cut someone with a blade I'm sure they all handled it differently including the cleaning (or not cleaning.) of their blade.
@@iota-09 where would you use it? I think that in a battlefield firstly you wouldn't even use a katana , let alone worry about cleaning the blood out of your weapon, maybe in a more ritualistic way or in a duel? Well why would you want to be covered in someone else's blood?
You mentioned "Way of The Samurai" games, but you kinda missed the gameplay also featured a stance system (from the looks of it). Now I wonder if the stance system also will be similar to WoTS games or NioH games with a variation of combo movesets & styles.
or the Sekiro game i have Way of the Samurai 2 on PS2 loved it getting the strong sword parry let the opponent lose balance and taking them out with one hit
Another look at that from 101 things about... mentioned that each stance icon seems to define a specific weapon. You see a spear in one, a sword in the other
A wild guess, but they may have gone like: "Hey, that mongol invasion of japan story is great, let's make a game based (loosely) on it, but let's just use slightly more modern design for samurai, so it would hit the right vibe with most potential gamers, even if it might upset a very small portion of dedicated historians." ..and probably NOT like: "Hey, I really like Edo samurai looks, lets make a game with Edo samurai, and let's just drop them in to some completely random time and place in history." ..or something along the lines, perhaps?
it's more like, "Hey i like Kurosawa's movies, let's make a samurai game where you are a one man army like in the movies........ Oh! I got an idea! Let's set it in the Japan vs Mongol period of history! That'll fill in the whole one man army plot!"
I like the comments you made about the enemies’ realism in being terrified of your character, it’s a rare thing in video games. I remember in the SOCOM games for PS2 enemies used to actually surrender to you at random and you had to restrain them, it’s something you don’t see in games anymore unless it’s a specific enemy that’s scripted to surrender to you to advance the game
They chose the mongol invasions because they needed to capture the “fall from grace” with a historical event. Fall from grace meaning “honorable” samurai to “dishonorable” assassin. That’s my guess.
You’re accent is very very good , I took 3 years of Japanese in college (2 semesters a year) and was always praised by my professor for my natural Japanese accent , you’re the first westerner I can say has a better one than me. Exceptional
As for the fear mechanic. I hope they thought it through. Because as much as people will try to flee, if they know you will cut them down anyways, most will fight. The saying "always leave your enemy a way out", is sadly rarely used. It's usually just a simple "If fear > x, then flee".
It is based on a specific stat your character has, and the action you take. (They also implied your armor and set-up effects many things, so im willing to bet he was wearing 'scary' armor) But as far as I know, enemy routes were very common.
As I know, Tsutsima was infamous for being a pirate haven. Wako pirates of Tsutsima used to raid and pillage Korean and Chinese shores very often. And that was one of the resons why Korean and Chinese soldiers were so brutal against Tsutsimans, they wanted to retaliate the piracy they've done. In this game's trailers I haven't seen any single aspects of Tsutsima being a pirate haven. It is just represented as a typical Feudal Japan. Am I wrong? Tsutsima was not a pirate haven yet during Kamakura period?
Very excited for this. I've always loved Tenchu games or anything to do with Samurai. I agree with you that some realistic things have to be overlooked in order to make things fun. These are things we do in leisure, I don't want them to be a grind like some real life scenarios.
They did mention that they were going after how old samurai films were choreographed and the cinematic style they were done with, that's why it looks and feels like that. I can't really say much about why katana daisho as opposed to tachi but that might be just a design choice as a more relatable weapon set for modern players. It might also relate to the next subject..."That's not how samurai fight. No, that is EXACTLY how samurai fight." As far as I can remember, Ghost of Tsushima is supposed to tell the tale of Jin (the main character) who experiences the horror of the Mongol Invasion of Tsushima, with his (and the local folks') beliefs about how noble warriors like samurai "honorably" fight put into the spotlight of the moral question...Do they fight the "honorable" way they are culturally used to believing? Or will they do everything they can, even becoming the "Ghost of Tsushima" who relies on devious tricks and backstabbing as an unseen enemy, just to survive the invasion? That's the main focus of the whole theme from what I can remember, and I recall them mentioning very early on that Jin's story will lead to what will become the birth of the "true" samurai (a.k.a. the samurai of the more latter periods (which many of us now identify when we say "samurai") succeeding the Kamakura samurai). It might be possible that the choice of weapons Jin uses are more latter-period samurai based because of him adapting his way of thinking versus the Mongols. As for the armors the Mongols use, I can't really say without playing the actual game. They did however mention that Jin's choice of armors or clothing will have "mechanical" advantages. This statement is somewhat different when you consider they specifically used that term as opposed to "different stats". Perhaps this means bulkier armor means less agility and acrobatic capability but more protection from arrows? I can't really say.
When you get the game, it would be cool if you did a sort of “Ghost of Tsushima VS Sekiro” from the perspective of historical accuracy. I know Sekiro is more of a fantasy game, but I find it really interesting how differently Sekiro portrays Samurai and Shinobi compared to Ghost of Tsushima.
The other thing to remember is that in a lot of Romance languages "professor" just means teacher, iirc. Using it exclusively for a University position is more of a Germanic language thing, I think.
Yes, he should use Tachi. But it would be even more realistic for the time to ride there with a horse and shoot them from the horse's back, than chopping them up. Armor is very right maybe only the helmet should be different. Otherwise amazing graphics and story. I'm really looking forward to this game.
To be fair the protagonists in the game are constantly moving around and are involved in lots of foot combat, so a uchigatana-style koshirae may be more suitable for them. Katana style mounts were used as early as at least early Kamakura periods, just not that much among full-sized long swords and war swords until the 15th century or so
I would think that the use of a Tachi would be an important point - If I remember my history correctly, it was the Mongol invasions, and the weakness of the Japanese swords against the Mongol armour that forced swordsmiths to rethink how they forged their weapons, and eventually lead to the evolution of the Katana.
@Thelondonbadger Actually, no, samurai did not use one-handed shields (these were only used before the time of the samurai). Barricade shields were used only for infantry. Which were more like small sliding walls. And Yari was not popular at the time more used since Sengoku Jidai this is Kamakura Jidai, so he would use Naginata as a spear. But you are right that the sword is the last choice. Only if he fell off his horse or Naginata broke would he fight with the sword.
It seems to me that the reason they picked that particular period is so that they make the player face a situation where he's completely outnumbered to make him make a choice between the 2 types of combat approach. At the same time, mongols are an invading force, they do not share your language and seem to be portrayed as a force of evil, akin to some type of bandit or barbarian. They probably wanted to avoid the moral dilemmas of being a samurai or shinobi facing off against other Japanese factions with all the political and moral grayness that entrails.
Also they can have an entire island be a map idk how embroiled Tsushima was in other periods but that seems likely too that you don't have to cross into other territories other than the enemy's. Kinda makes it easier to discern who the bad guys were i guess
"Why Mongolians?" Because the mainstream like to have clear and recognisable hero/villain division. Everyone has heard of Samurai and the "Mongol horde" and allows an alternate noticeable cultural appearance in the game. Just my opinion
I think they went with the Mongol Invasion setting because they wanted to to do guerilla warfare rather than a straight out battle, like Sekigahara or other famous samurai battles. Giving the player the choice to either face the enemies as an outnumbered samurai, or a ninja slowly picking off his enemies one by one.
My guess for why they picked the mongol invasion is for story reasons. A samurai defending his homeland and adapting as needed to fight them off. I’m definitely buying this game when it comes out unless there’s a serious issue I hear about in reviews
I think they probably wanted a fairly straight forward story the audience can easily latch onto. Fighting for your homeland against a horde of invaders is more relatable than fighting the neighbouring lord over some land dispute on behalf of your lord or some other plotline with a bunch of political intrigue.
My take on your question at the end; I think this event was chosen specifically to question the identity, or rather the principles of a samurai in the face of a situation where standard protocol and "honor" won't cut it anymore. As you explained, a samurai's primary role is to serve and accomplish his duty. The method is secondary as long as he meets odd's ends. That's where the shinobi aspect comes from. From that clip of dialogue, I would guess that your conquest strayed too far from what is socially accepted, and your allies will begin to doubt you.
And also because the Island of Tsushima was the only part of Japan the Mongols truly "conquered" (albeit briefly) AND because Tsushima itself can actually be recreated 1:1 in a game, something game developers can't really do to any of Japan's major islands with current technology and drive space.
@@KnightofAges The island setting makes sense, but I also think the setting was chosed because Mongons provide an "other" that can play as an antagonist that is different from the Japanese. For most of the caste's history, samurai fought other samurai. The Mongols provide the developers with a unique villain that looks, acts, speaks and fight differently from the player.
@@KnightofAges Yet, if you look at the game world it is not a 1:1 recreation (unfortunately, because I think that would have been awesome!) The terrain has been highly stylized... which is probably necessary for most games to some degree... but I think they took it too far. The world looks cartoonish.
As someone who loves iaido, I really look forward to this game. I personally hope this becomes a series of standalone games set in different periods of Japan. Of course they would need to rename the game like Ghost of Meiji or Ghost of Edo since other games probably wouldn't be set in Tsushima, unless the sequel takes place during the second invasion. Fun fact: The developers of this game did work alongside an iaido school called "Tenshinryu Hyoho" that was founded by Tokizawa Yahei during the Edo period.
Just wanted to give you a compliment on the awesome way you review the game. Uncolored opinion with awesome facts. We need more people who review games like this. Big big big compliment. Love this
Yeah the concept of honor really has changed. I imagine that when they said someone was honorable they meant it in a more " He said he was gonna go do something and then he did it" way
Yes, I work through the European funds of university and research. The official title would be Expert, but my students use professor anyways. RAF is good though ;)
@@metatronyt probably not a good idea to use the title professor just because your students use it. In most of academia it's a very difficult position to attain and it only really counts if given officially by a university. Perhaps the Italian translation is different.
I think they wanted to make the Mongols look more savage/primitive to make them look more like "bad guys" which is why they went with that aesthetic for them unfortunately
You're the only one who is using the correct version of the game for your review (i.e. japanese dub), finally. Also it's so weird to see short hair beardless Metatron.
Amazing review Metatron. I've always been irked by the romanticed version of samurai, they were, as you said, killing machines with only the orders of their lord in mind, nothing else mattered to them. If their lord demanded a village raided and burned to the ground there was no question of honor because the only honor to a samurai was obeying his lord. Peace changed them but not to the point that is most often represented in media.
The same thing has happened to knights. Knights would be brutal as hell back in the day. But sometime in the victorian period they changed the meaning of chivalry from how to treat noble hostages captured in battle for ransom to a code of honour for righteous knights on how to treat women.
@@fattiger6957 To be fair, courtly ideals and honor were part of chivalry...in some locations and time periods, according to some contemporary people. Shadiversity has explained this quite well, but chivalry was a highly variable set of ideals, with different lords, writers, and clergy all having their own ideas of what it was, all across different places and times.
Okay so things that were considered great and noble during their existence was later changed by generations after who had either more evolved, more sophisticated, or just more delicate sensibilities. Who cares? I dont think it's fair to argue they are somehow bad or illegitimate or even less noble simply based upon what a softer or, to be diplomatic, more advanced civilization finds acceptable. If it wasnt for them, the next generation wouldnt have been able to edit anything, only their enemies. I'll take the romanticized version over the overly harsh version any day. Of course the generations after would portray their ancestors in a positive light, something modern people have forgotten. Which makes us bigger pieces of shit then they were.
I think that point of view is equally ridiculous. True 'killing machines' seem to have been rare before the 20th century, I imagine they were like everyone else trying to build their reputation, some attain greater power and wealth and maintain their honour. People at the end of the day.
@@7dayspking There were Smaurai in the Snegoku Wars that had over 100 kills by themselves. And that was against other Samurai. Who knows how many poor malitiamen they mowed down like grass that wasnt documented.
i would say bringing in the Mongols offers the most straight-forward "bad guys" with no politics or anything necessary. Their attack on Tsushima also benefits the open-world aspect of the game, where you just take the island back outpost by outpost from the bad guys until all markers are gone from the world map.
I guess the better question is this: When did the samurai become more war-centric? Prior to the Kamakura period, the "samurai" that we know of simply didn't exist. That and the aristocracy have always had civil service and military service specialized families. Both groups served the emperor as "samurai" but not anywhere like the Sengoku or Edo periods.
Thanks for the insights. About the choice of period: I think it was more about a choice of place for an open world game. The island is very small (about 70km length) in comparison to Japan's main islands. So it's far easier to represent Tsushima "fully" in contrast to an open world game in Japan where you'd have to focus on a region (as Kingdom Come did). Hitting invisible or visible walls in an open world game feels bad and cuts off some of the immersion, while the sea surrounding Tshushima is a natural border. Maybe the edo period style was chosen for what we westerners without background in history perceive as typical Samurai from popular movies and Mangas/Animes, often playing in that time (e.g. several Kurosawa movies, Okami, Samurai Fiction, Shogun series etc.).
believe at that period, Naginata were the polearm they used, yari also existed at the time, but between the 2 i believe the naginata was more common. the type of fighting that occurred during that period was very different from Sengoku Jidai. accomplished samurai at that time typically had a few attendants with them who were typically armed with naginata, while the samurai rode on horseback and primarily used the bow. it was very common for the samurai to compete with each other to see who was the first to charge into the enemy, take a few heads, then called it a day. they would then take the heads back for rewards. a believe there was an account where a lower class "ashigaru" (dont remember if ashigaru existed as a term at the time) literally came across a dead enemy, cut off the guys head, and quickly just left the battlefield to turn it in for a reward. anyways, my point is, samurai had a lot more autonomy than they did in Sengoku Jidai, where basically the Daimyo wanted full control over all his men and punished any who disobeyed orders. there was a generalized "commander" and he gave pretty loose orders. samurai then had the freedom to attack the enemy at will, in an attempt to gain glory and obtain rewards. as Metatron said in a video awhile back, if we looked at how samurai behaved between the Kamakura era, Muromachi era, and Edo era, the samurai themselves would not recognize the other as samurai at all. anyways, i went on a tangent, but yes naginata would be the common polearm of the era, and i also hope they include it. im also gonna look forward to if the game is going to mention how the Mongolians pretty much introduced the samurai to gunpowder weaponry, (namely primitive grenades, and those Chinese stick cannons) and also historically, how this meeting was a catalyst in making the Samurai change how they fought (stuff like volley arrow fire, instead of aimed direct fire was not utilized in scale at the time i believe).
Could you please one day do a "Last Samurai" historical evaluation, it's one of my favorite movie of all time, but Im afraid to say that there might be alot of things that are pure western fantasy, and I think many other would be glad as well to hear the opinion of a Professor of Japanese history and culture like you Metatron ;)
You are correct my friend unfortunately. As it's been my passion for life , and I sell samurai armour for a profession ...I can definitely tell you there are many ideas just for entertainment. The Shinobi for example in that period , certain methods, facts etc but it was an entertainment semi history piece . Very much Hollywood but based off actual events with name and fact changes . Does not stop it being an awesome and enjoyable as hell movie though with some great period sets and overall feel being true . Lookup Saigo Takamori for the real last samurai they based it upon ⛩️✌️😉
This was really enjoying and informative to watch. People who can talk about history in an entertaining way always fascinate me. Metatron did not disappoint. You, my friend, are one of the few youtubers who preserve the true spirit of the platform in my opinion. Please never change.
Very interesting comments ! I lived three years in Japan and i love this country and it's culture, so it's nice to get all these precise infos from you 😊 ✨👍
This guy: "correct me if I'm wrong" Me, a fan of this game while struggling to pronounce the era, eating potato chips, and holding my phone with my feet: "you're wrong"
06:10 it cut my eye as i used to train with katana in Ninjutsu several years ago but couldn't recall the name, Thanks dude 07:35 actually correct me if I'm wrong but the groove far end back of the Katana is designed for Shibori. 14:15 The only catch as a former shinobi (lol I just practiced like a year broke my nose and I'm out) is that when you fall from a height you should do Ukemi or Hijutsu but this character doesn't seem to performed it at-least from my perspective of view and his landing seems like noisy which all Shinobies avoid at all cost. 16:00 the answer is that I think they wanted to create a enemy with different style of fighting maybe they didn't want to show typical Samurai Vs Shinobi or Samurai Vs. Samurai we already has those games and also wanted to include a feeling that you are alone, your country invaded and you are the last hope of your ppl. I'll definitely buy this game although It's really expensive and hard to afford to buy games in My country but this game is what I was dreamed of as I was a child playing Ninja Gaiden on Nintendo NES and time passed GTA came I experienced open world and from that moment I wanted to Create a open world game full of Ninjas and Samurais, you get the idea. xD
The style, the combat, the atmosphere... all looks fantastic - a feeling I'm looking for a while now What I don't like about this game play trailer and so the game itself: As you mentioned if the devs put so much effort to depict the samurai armor - why are then the mongols look like armed peasants - while you would think when you set up a war camp while invading a foreign country you would have at least the patrols and guards wearing armor all the time. Also what is that piece of metal the mongols use? Those are NOT sabers any mounted warrior would use - and mongols were mainly horsemen - those are just far too short so they look more like early 18th century cutlasses for me. For comparison: the cavalry saber used by Hungarians in the 9th century had a blade lenght of 75 cm or even a bit longer - and that is exactly the blade lenght I would use in combat - rather than that scimitar like something with a blade lenght of seemingly 60 cm The symbols in the mongol war camp - those are like a variant of a Triskelion - but the Triskelion is a European symbol. Did the mongols used a symbol like that? Also the bow the protagonist is using... What kind of bow is that? Most certainly not a yumi, also not a recurve - did they even use in Japan bows like that? All and all I think you are completely right about that the setup for this game should be about 160 years later - where a samurai loyal to the newly established bakufu would go after ronins who turned bandits after Sekigahara So I wonder what the actual plot of the game will be...
@@tzukishiro You should keep your pathetic and ridiculous insults to yourself,attacking people personal tastes don't accomplish anything and definitely don't make you smarter or look smart at all,other people personal choice/tastes are none of yours or other people business,now move along.
maybe they wanted to treat this historical event in the eye of samurai movie so with those element of honor ect.., aslo it seem to show that jin will go to the romantice figure of the samurai to the samurai as they fought in this period, since the game talk about the "loss of honor" as we know it today to be a shinobi warrior that use every trick and exploit his ennemies fear to win.
I have never subbed so fast. As a game dev/designer, a game FAN, a fellow Japanese historian, a fan of logical,fair, in-depth breakdowns that are also entertaining, but even more...as 30-something that got immediate nostalgia vibes when you mentioned “Bushido Blade.” Thanks for the video 🙂
I love souls but I agree. Souls was born from a developer who wanted to do his own thing. The vast majority of souls like games don't really emulate the games well (I think salt and sanctuary had a decent understanding of how to make it work though).
I feel like the period its "set in" at this point is just to have a different setting than is usual or expected in "Samurai" settings. Typically the other two you mention are referenced or subconsciously chosen it seems because of the amount of it in popular media. Perhaps this is a subtle yet not all encompassing way of letting the developer differentiate its game in a small yet large enough way to make it stand out from the others should any of its other details fail at that.
if you watch the game play trailer you will see a mongol in full armor that looks fairly accurate. just watch the ghost gameplay. he kills a mongol in full armor right before the one mongol falls down in fear.
You guys looking for historical authenticity needs to let go. No offense. This game is clearly going for the History Channel Vikings level of "historical authenticity." I am well versed in East Asia history. The Edo period Kendo and Ashikaga/Sengoku period armor design stuff here are very annoying, but I have endured History Channel Vikings, so this is nothing new and not nearly as bad as Vikings. Also. No body mentioned the elephant in the room. Kamakura period Samurai fought primarily as archers mounted or not. The fact that both Mongols and Samurais use very little ranged weaponry and had zero mounted combat according to trailer is the real immersion breaker for me...
@@pypy1986820 I mean to be fair much of the fighting in the Mongol invasion was indeed infantry to infantry. Cavalry action is difficult with a sea based invasion and fighting among forts, which is why many accounts describe close quarter sword and polearm fighting(though there were a few cavalry charges here and there, it seems). A lot of the fighting took place on the ships themselves too, where of course sword combat was most important. Archery was important too, but mostly in firing down from forts to pin down and harass, not as a decisive action which had to be achieved with sword and polearm.
@@klikssiikubra314 Nah. I think you are giving them too much credits. It's probably the typical Hollywood "creative freedom." Again. The History Channel Vikings kind. Let's say what you said is true that it's hard to make mounted warfare works because of engine or map. What stop them from make Mongols and samurais shooting bows then? That's what they were known for at this point. It's not like gritty bow shooting action games are not engaging. Remember the Tomb Raider reboot? Also. Did you take a look at how insultingly lack of care the design of Mongol cannon fodders in this game. Most of them are wearing rags like they were some kind of Oriental pirate goons or something. Mongols wore heavily padded clothing like Russians and other North East Asians because of the climate they are from. They should look like Medieval version of Soviet Soldiers if the devs decided to do the right kind of creative freedom or educated guesses. On the other hand, how about make them looking like Medieval Chinese soldiers. The Mongols who invaded Japan were Yuan China Kublai Mongols. They were heavily simulated at this point. But, again. Nah. let's do none of that and just make a game maximizing appeals for generic Weeaboos where 12th century Samurais fights like 19th century Shinsengumi ronins and Mongols look like some piraty thugs wielding Cutlass looking Chinese Daos because that must be trendy
@@pypy1986820 Shooting arrows like Tomb Raider isn't historically accurate either. It'd have been massed volleys from behind earthworks and walls, which while it has an audience(probably the same people who play civil war simulators) isn't exactly the most stimulating. Besides, the protagonist character has a bow, clearly they can use the Tomb Raider style if they feel like it. They're reserving the Mongol armor for boss characters, it would seem.
I usually like playing stealthy, but the open combat looks so good. I do hope that the open world activities aren’t like the typical Ubisoft game. I’m not a fan of mindless busywork.
These guys made the Infamous games, if you look carefully at the demo you can get a feel for what the open world activities are like. This is going to be a typical open world game like their previous ones.
I'm definitely buying this game! It's my most looked forward to game. Great insight and review of the footage. I'd love to see more videos like this once you get the game - so yes to that question! As for the other question, I think they chose the Mongul invasion period as it fits the idea of an isolated samurai developing into a shinobi well, but they chose to make it period inaccurate and cinematic so as to meet the general expectations of what most people think samurai are/were. It's really kind of too bad, as they missed a great opportunity to teach and make something even more different - something not done before - and they underestimated the sophistication of the average gamer, but at the same time, it doesn't hurt the game greatly for what it is - an Akira Kurosawa simulator set in the Kamakura. I personally would have went more period-accurate though.
We're at the beginning of the first mongol invasion
Jin Sakai: "Hol up what do you mean first?"
Hah! I think this whenever someone during WW1 refers to it as WW1.
I'm playing the game for the first time now and this thought always makes me giggle, jin and the others go through so much shit to kill khotun khan and expel the mongols, then I remember they'll be back in like, 6 years with an even bigger army
some people: Gunpowder is dishonorable and not allowed for Samurai!
Oda who was known as Master of Gunnery: *well yes but actually no*
Lol. Yeah, the average person knows basically nothing about real samurai. People still think ninja or shinobe were all secret assassins who were rivals to samurai. They are pretty surprised when I tell them ninja was a profession (while samurai was a social class) and there were samurai ninja.
@@fattiger6957 Mhm its weird cause the most famous ninja (Hattori Hanzo) is very clearly also a samurai. He is even depicted in the armour. I don't know of any peasants that became ninjas I think all of the ninjas we know of were samurai.
@@Subutai_Khan Maybe there were no assassins who weren't Samurai class, but I'm sure there were plenty of spies who were commoners. That is if you include spies as ninjas.
"VICTORY WIPES AWAY DISHONOR"
@@fattiger6957 I mean, Ninja were primarily spies. Assassination would have been something only a few elite would have been trusted with. They were also thieves and arsonists as well. Ninjutsu means Stealth Technique after all.
"It's more fun to kill people when they're clearly scared for their lives"
- Metatron
Sounds like a sarcastic remark my father would make too make me feel bad about my games
It's true and I honestly cannot understand why more games don't use it. Like the witcher 3 for example, I just killed 8 of your friends in front of you, chopped 2 in half,decapitated 4, and burned 2 alive and you still want to fight me?? It's really not hard to put in an algorithm that makes lower level or weaker enemies run away in panic if they realise you're more skilled than them.
Moritz Schönemann dude... I feel that 😂
It's no less funny than he is right lol
well it fun since you don't get crowed... it made more sense that ai taking turn to attack...
"gunpowder is dishonorable"
Those are bold words for someone out of sword range
this is going to be the best samurai game
"gunpowder is dishonorable", famous last words
Be some shit if you lost a kneecap
i may not be a huge fan of guns but even i say that at range they are far more effective, if in 1 meter of range between a gun and a sword or knife whichever is fastest would likely win
Isn’t this whole game about how he gives up his code
They probably chose the Mongol invasion because they wanted an environment of insurgency, an independent fighter against an occupying force, justifying the ninja strategies, but they clearly made this because they just love Kurosawa films.
I think they mentioned that (the movies you referred to) in the beginning of the game.
@@TruePT setting the game to black and white in the menu is called "kurosawa mode"
The Pt Host Akira Kurosawa is one of the most influential filmmakers ever. HBO Max has 6 of his classics: Seven Samurai, The Hidden Fortress, Yojimbo, Throne of Blood, Rashomon and Ikiru. Theres a 14 day free trial, enough to watch them all lol. They’re all timeless classics and shaped a lot of great western films that came after like Magnificent Seven and even Star Wars
I personally didn't like all the "Kurosawa reference" thing, it really doesn't have nearly anything to do close to his style beside a bunch of scenes that felt most like a copy paste than an actual reference, but for the rest of the game it's an ok I suppose
After playing the entire game, this is definitely the reason they chose this period
I did some digging, the reason they picked the time period was because the mongol invasion highly out numbered the Japanese and wanted to tell a story of hopelessness and a need to change everything he was tought to win against a enemy who will never stop coming
cool, so why did they have to get all the armour and weaponry wrong? Know its splitting hairs as far as video games go, but why not. Random people not into japanese history won't think it looks any less cinematic or cool to use correct weapons and armour, weld a naginata before the sword. But nope, game developers have to knock off all those overused samurai tropes.
@@anasevi9456 I don't know. I think the regular gamer who does not know alot about japanese history would say:" That is not how a samurai looks like! It is not at all like in that one movie I once watched. And why is he wearing the swords all wrong? I know that kind of stuff! When I was a kid I used to watch Naruto alot."
@@anasevi9456 Probably because they wanted the most options for customization.
@@anasevi9456 Because it is not historicaly accurate game. Never meant to be. This is not that type of game.
This is " Japanese Samurai Action movie" the game. Think Akira Kurosawa and all similar type of classic Japan action movies about Samurai.
I like the fact they aimed for authenticity but didn't stick 100% to historical accuracy. Reminds me of the series Vikings whereby a lot of the events & features are historically correct but the timeline has been compressed in such a way that several centuries happen over the course of what feels like a year. We get the best bits, what's not to like.
Honestly, I kinda like how it’s not necessarily “historically accurate.” They didn’t go for accuracy in the history, but accuracy in the mythos and feel of the samurai, as if you’re placed right within a samurai movie. Historical accuracy is fun and important, don’t get me wrong, but I feel the team deserves praise for setting a /feeling/ of the game and sticking with that feeling in almost every aspect
Right, the main objective of any action. Game is to be able to do COOL STUFF!
I feel exactly the same
Totally agree
@@bruceleeds7988 yup, and if you wanna know a way to feel really bad ass, use water stance's hold attack, then switch to wind and use the typhoon kick, and finally, run up to him and perform a jump attack (jump + square)
Sucker Punch actually wanted to make it more accurate and utilize real historical figures similar to Assassin's Creed. However they went and spoke with a few experts in Japan about doing that and were advised that it would be disrespectful to the memory of those figures who are no longer alive. So they opted to make it fictional while still set within the real life event.
Yo, a lot of Asian-american "journalist" are criticizing this game. But the actual japanese absolutely love this this game.
I mean, just because they are Japanese that doesn't mean they know more about Samurai than us.
@@fransthefox9682 right, I'm sure the entire planet thinks Ninjas wear black.
Dude not really no one cares
@@fransthefox9682 well, Japanese really do really care about their culture and history, sometimes obsessively. If it gets praise from them, then it must be really good.
@@darshaksanyal4755 Not everyone. At least not the small details.
This dude is like the anime protagonist that can tell if someone entered his house by the changing air molekules
Damn didn't think jim pickens was out here like that
Praise be
Caleb?
lmao I guess we watch some of the same shit XD small world.
Rdcworld
"The answer? Is a gun. And if that don't work? Use more gun"
- Oda Nobunaga, 1575 (probably)
I didn't know that Oda nobunaga and the engineer were the same person
if guns don't work, just send my imortal half human half yokai foot soldier who can't speak
@Thelondonbadger Snake eyes clan: *I'll take your entire stock!*
Shogun, not Shosword
@@yep1486 samanosuke akechi: heavy breathing intensifies.
About time you gave yourself the true tittle you studied and earned that bro.
I wouldn't go as far as to call him Japanese 😂. He's just good at it.
@@yani2499 nah he went to school really is a teacher and lived not visited lived in Japan and has proven it.
@@yani2499 I don't hike plp up I give credit where's it's do he knows what he is talking about.
@@yani2499 you're right, ethnically he's not Japanese, nor is his nationality but in terms of understanding Japanese culture, history and the language, you could use the term Japanese in that way for him
@@v.5442 Except in romance languages, such as Italian, where it generally just means "teacher".
How any real martial art worked when death was on the line at any time in history... "You stabbed him in the back!?" "Well, yeah, his back was to me." (credit to the 1980 comedy Western movie El Diablo)
In a real life or death scenarios, honour goes out the window pretty quickly.
@@fattiger6957 Pretty much just don't teabag the corpse and you meet the "honour" criteria.
There is no honour if your life is on the line. People do what ever is needed to survive.
@@NisseCrusader That's nothing to do with honor, wtf?
Might check that movie out it sounds like a fun time
"It's so typical of japan, look at the light rays, the God rays"
ah yes I remember those from when I went to Japan, nice rays. Totally recommend them
Everyone: Not like a samurai
Nobunaga: Parry this you casual
🤣🤣🤣hesitation is defeat
Nobunaga : Sike i use the gun !
Isshin the Glock Saint: OH HOW MY BLOOD BOILS!!!
Kenshin : shoot Lady Yae from across the river
Takeda : Great shot then leave the battle
Nobunaga: boom haha fucuker
Hey Metatron, regarding the whole "wiping/removing the blood from the blade": I have good news, as there was a scene where Jin actually puts the dull edge of the sword into the crease of his elbow and wipes it in his robes in a slow but firm motion. So in a sense, you DO see something else than just the "flicking the blood away"!
Haha I was thinking the same thing.
They didt do that unless they had nothing else
They used a cloth like he showed lol
@@jay_idk337 very true the game play so far explains and show in better detail whats going on. Would love to see a video about the new game play coming out
@@aaronhawk4200 I'm hoping we get a full breakdown, especially on the details in the world like buildings and clothing.
Finally got around to watching your review. I love how you aren’t ripping the game to pieces but instead bringing in your expertise and knowledge. Saying what’s right and wrong whilst maintaining a positive neutrality. This is why I love your videos you humble and honest. Keep it up man much love 👌🏻👌🏻
I appreciate your kind words
its also fascinating to hear someone talk about something they are really passionate about.
your content is as always superb keep up the great work!
Thanks ever so!
For what I´ve seen so far this game is the perfect union between the romanticization of the samurai and japan with a bit of history
I agree. Even critics in Japan have been positive about the game and it's representation of samurai and the Kamakura period. Specifically, I've seen that Japanese critics were relieved that this game didn't overly stereotype ancient Japanese culture, and didn't make the samurai feel like caricatures. They've stated that it feels like an appropriately respectful yet stylized representation.
@@apictureoffunction I feel like respecting the source material goes a long way for creating goodwill for any entertainment. If only hollywood and most western game developers would learn this and not continue to shit on the fandoms with established franchises.
@Benjamin Figgins Shimura and Yarikawa (both lord and land), and the tale of Misako covers that.
I think they chose tsushima and the mongol invasion because of the legend of the hurricane that defeated the invasion. I think they had a vague idea of a japanese open world they wanted to do with the wind guiding you mechanic and the hurricane legend was a perfect fit, so they went with it. Jin and the wind that guides him is essentially that hurricane embodied.
If i remember right they mention something like that in the game
@@Nai_101 You can get a random dialog from an NPC near shrine, where he says "Im praying for a big wind to come and destroy teh mongol fleet" or something along those lines.
This is my opinion but I feel the reason they went with a more Edo aesthetic style is because it's more recognizable to a mainstream audience. One who is not well versed in Feudal Japanese history and culture. I believe they wanted to make it more easily accessible to those who want a more realistic historical drama but also may not be looking for a game to "teach them history" . The Edo period has been used in multiple examples of Samurai cinema from Kurosaki to The Last Samurai and also 47 Ronin. So I think the reason they went for that aesthetic despite the game taking place generations before that is because of its recognizability.
So why not set it in the Edo period for maximum recognizability?
@@doryfishie2 Because nothing super special really happened during the Edo Period in terms of warfare. The Edo Period was a more peaceful. The Mongol invasion was a brutal and bloody campaign and the perfect setting for the game. All they did was change the look of the Samurai armor to make it recognizable to an audience not well versed in Feudal Japanese History. It's not really a MAJOR change.
@@doryfishie2 I don't know history that well, but I'm guessing there wasn't anything like the Mongol invasion during the Edo period, and the game needed that premise for the game play. They wanted an open world game with enemy encounters every three or four minutes. And they wanted the player mostly alone to face them. Plus, the overwhelming superiority of the Mongol forces enhanced the absolute necessity for Jin to abandon the "samurai code" in order to defeat them. So that particular historical event also lent to the story, and the main character's personal dilemma. And it had to be the first invasion, because that emphasized the fact that the samurai were wholly unprepared to deal with it, heightening the drama, stacking the odds against Jin.
This leaves us with the question why Suckerpunch didn't just abandon the Edo elements altogether. But the whole original intent of the game was to create a playable Kurosawa movie. They didn't want to abandon that idea, and why should they? As @Cursedfortune points out, that's the most recognizable period. It's a crowdpleaser. And it's what the developers wanted to do.
So instead of making up a fictional invasion during the Edo period, or abandoning the dream of making a Kurosawa game purely for the sake of historical accuracy, they chose instead to just simply mush history a bit. It's the compromise that makes the most sense.
I'm stunned by your culture Metatron. I respect that more than everything.
I'm glad to hear that
Japanese in Ghost of Tsushima:
*represents the japanese greatly with detail although there are some exaggerations but it's okay*
Mongols in Ghost of Tsushima:
*Ouka Clan Bandits but in higher resolution and covers more*
Sounds like how Valhalla represented both the Vikings and the Anglo Saxons (both being the bandits.)
@@7dayspking I love it when the "good guys" are all in higher resolution with appropriate wearings whilst the "bad guys" either have super awesome edgy outfit or a piece of clothing to cover the groin, a hat to cover the body, and a fundoshi to cover the face.
@@zurielschubert9410 Laughed at the bad guy wardrobe part of your comment, lol!
Well some mongols were wearing armor
@@Bruh-hq1hx that's not the point. The point is that the bad guy is being represented badly. Not that it matters much. It's just funny that it occurred a lot.
In the Souls game, the enemy you encounter always have silly, edgy or bad outfits. Like, the White Corona's, Black Knight's, and Heysel.
Got the collector's edition pre-ordered months ago. Super excited.
On a side note, I hope to one day be as good at Japanese as you are. You are truly an inspiration.
Thank you for your kind words
Keep learning, good luck 🤞 I tried Japanese but I gave up and know I'm learning korean for 4 years 🤞🍀 it's a little bit easier for me 😬😂
About "honorable combat", I remember it being said that in Tsushima they tended to favor a very ritualistic form of warfare where even fights between armies were done by 1-on-1 duels (horse archery duels that is, not sword duels) and that that was a distinct disadvantage when the Mongols landed on Tsushima.
Yeah I was reading a similar thing.
I remember reading about this too. That the brutality of the mongols was a massive advantage as they weren't prepared for the brutality of true war. But this was a good while back.
They do have Mongolian armor btw. It just wasn't showed in this trailer I think.
The grass physics are pretty clever. They're clearly a simplified particle system doing the physics but the animation is offset a couple frames and replicated between different blades of grass.
It's really got its own positive aesthetic qualities to it, more than just a resource saving technique. Nice.
I was actually thinking about how they pulled that off. I thought maybe random blades of grass/plants are duplicates of certain other ones and they all have the same animation, but since they're in a random pattern you don't see ones next to each other doing the exact same animation at the same time. Is that correct?
we get advance to the point we used wind to point the way...
I remember in early xbox 360 era wondering when wed get lush fields of beautifully rendered grass... and here we are. Horizon Zero dawn did it well, but this is even more lush than that.
Excellent comment.
From 1:54 I think that as you're not talking about the game itself you need to make your face full screen and then talk about the history of Japan and the Mongol invasion.
After that you should return to the small face screen once you start talking about the game itself again.
Thanks I think I Will
@@metatronyt That IS awesome how the enemies'll try to run from you if they've seen you kill so many of them, and it's AWESOME that you have the courage to say that some elements of realism can IMPROVE a fictional work; I've ALWAYS known that, but VERY FEW other people seem to.
PS: I couldn't help but notice that YOU didn't seem to notice that the Yumi's knock was in the wrong place; it was in the CENTER when it should've been on the LOWER LIMB.
@@ezrafaulk1799 FINISH him!💀Find something ELSE he didn't NOTICE!
@@dr.inkwell1070 Are you making fun of my typing some words in all caps? Because I only do that to communicate EMPHASIS.
But hey, I WILL try to find something else he didn't notice.
Edit: There's ONE more thing I may've noticed; correct me if I'm wrong, but I DON'T think Mongolian Halberds looked like that. Also, I highly DOUBT they would've put a WHOLE, UNSKINNED, UNGUTTED, UNBONED BOAR on a SPIT like that.
@@ezrafaulk1799 Try italics (on YT, you use _ before and _ after, but without the spaces and put closing punctuation inside too). Gets the same emphasis across, but much easier on the eyes. Then again, might try to emphasise fewer words, otherwise the whole idea of emphasis lose all meaning.
Weeb: "NOOOO samurai didn't use guns it's dishonorable"
Portuguese, 1600: boom powder make ball go fast
Nobunaga: Cool. I'm taking your entire stock
There is actually a second animation where Jin uses the sleeve of his robe to clean his sword. Its pretty cool because you only get that animation if you're wearing the right clothes.
There is one method where he wipes the blood off with his sleeve. He doesn't just do that slash you were talking about.
Did Samurai ever sandwich their blade on the inside of their elbow (edge outwards of course) then draw it to clean off blood? I've seen that in quite a few movies
For when your bloodstains are EXTRA CHUNKY
hah, I literally just commented the same thing too LOL. yeah I have been wondering about that if it's actually practiced historically.
It doesn't make sense to ask these questions really. The question should be 'does it work' and what are the benefits or issues. Then 'was it possible at the time' taking into account things like etiquette. Is there a reason to assume the Samurai just had to have this highly stylized way that all of them drew the blood off their swords with that people across the entire rest of the world facing the exact same issue didn't? For those that actually did fight and cut someone with a blade I'm sure they all handled it differently including the cleaning (or not cleaning.) of their blade.
@@7dayspking i'm just gonna guess it depends on the armour used.
@@iota-09 where would you use it? I think that in a battlefield firstly you wouldn't even use a katana , let alone worry about cleaning the blood out of your weapon, maybe in a more ritualistic way or in a duel? Well why would you want to be covered in someone else's blood?
I loved the Bushido blade reference, good fighting game
Legend says that game taught players how to say "it's just a flesh wound!" in Japanese :p
Such a gem
You mentioned "Way of The Samurai" games, but you kinda missed the gameplay also featured a stance system (from the looks of it). Now I wonder if the stance system also will be similar to WoTS games or NioH games with a variation of combo movesets & styles.
or the Sekiro game i have Way of the Samurai 2 on PS2 loved it getting the strong sword parry let the opponent lose balance and taking them out with one hit
Another look at that from 101 things about... mentioned that each stance icon seems to define a specific weapon. You see a spear in one, a sword in the other
A wild guess, but they may have gone like: "Hey, that mongol invasion of japan story is great, let's make a game based (loosely) on it, but let's just use slightly more modern design for samurai, so it would hit the right vibe with most potential gamers, even if it might upset a very small portion of dedicated historians."
..and probably NOT like: "Hey, I really like Edo samurai looks, lets make a game with Edo samurai, and let's just drop them in to some completely random time and place in history."
..or something along the lines, perhaps?
Edo period would be a blank slate for AssCreed franchise since there's nanbans n christians. Maybe they'll portray shinsengumi as templars or sum
it's more like, "Hey i like Kurosawa's movies, let's make a samurai game where you are a one man army like in the movies........ Oh! I got an idea! Let's set it in the Japan vs Mongol period of history! That'll fill in the whole one man army plot!"
@@RenShinomiya121 They could set it in literally any period and it would fit a one man army sort of plot just the same
I like the comments you made about the enemies’ realism in being terrified of your character, it’s a rare thing in video games. I remember in the SOCOM games for PS2 enemies used to actually surrender to you at random and you had to restrain them, it’s something you don’t see in games anymore unless it’s a specific enemy that’s scripted to surrender to you to advance the game
Cashing in on that sweet sweet '[Expert] reacts to X' algorithm kick. Well played. Also great video as always.
It is the game I never knew I always wanted, beautiful. That Akira Kurosawa setting-Mahnificent.
How many languages do you even speak again? You're an actual genius man
7 and thank you
@@metatronyt Which languages you speak? Just curious
@@metatronyt i am interested too
@@metatronyt mr. Worldwide
Not only he can speak 7 languages, he speaks them really well!
They chose the mongol invasions because they needed to capture the “fall from grace” with a historical event. Fall from grace meaning “honorable” samurai to “dishonorable” assassin. That’s my guess.
They can do that easily w any period
1 easy example is his clans killed
@@jay_idk337 that doesn't sound as interesting as a Mongol invasion of an entire island
You’re accent is very very good , I took 3 years of Japanese in college (2 semesters a year) and was always praised by my professor for my natural Japanese accent , you’re the first westerner I can say has a better one than me. Exceptional
Yesssss. I really want this dam game.
As for the fear mechanic. I hope they thought it through. Because as much as people will try to flee, if they know you will cut them down anyways, most will fight. The saying "always leave your enemy a way out", is sadly rarely used. It's usually just a simple "If fear > x, then flee".
It is based on a specific stat your character has, and the action you take. (They also implied your armor and set-up effects many things, so im willing to bet he was wearing 'scary' armor)
But as far as I know, enemy routes were very common.
As I know, Tsutsima was infamous for being a pirate haven. Wako pirates of Tsutsima used to raid and pillage Korean and Chinese shores very often.
And that was one of the resons why Korean and Chinese soldiers were so brutal against Tsutsimans, they wanted to retaliate the piracy they've done.
In this game's trailers I haven't seen any single aspects of Tsutsima being a pirate haven. It is just represented as a typical Feudal Japan.
Am I wrong? Tsutsima was not a pirate haven yet during Kamakura period?
Pirate in Tsushima only started around 14-16th century which way passed Kamakura period.
@@jackalshine1369 Ah i see. So i was wrong then
BloodMure relax mate, Tsushima was famous for the wrong reason. I dont doubt most will say Tsushima is famous for piracy.
Very excited for this. I've always loved Tenchu games or anything to do with Samurai. I agree with you that some realistic things have to be overlooked in order to make things fun. These are things we do in leisure, I don't want them to be a grind like some real life scenarios.
They did mention that they were going after how old samurai films were choreographed and the cinematic style they were done with, that's why it looks and feels like that. I can't really say much about why katana daisho as opposed to tachi but that might be just a design choice as a more relatable weapon set for modern players. It might also relate to the next subject..."That's not how samurai fight. No, that is EXACTLY how samurai fight."
As far as I can remember, Ghost of Tsushima is supposed to tell the tale of Jin (the main character) who experiences the horror of the Mongol Invasion of Tsushima, with his (and the local folks') beliefs about how noble warriors like samurai "honorably" fight put into the spotlight of the moral question...Do they fight the "honorable" way they are culturally used to believing? Or will they do everything they can, even becoming the "Ghost of Tsushima" who relies on devious tricks and backstabbing as an unseen enemy, just to survive the invasion?
That's the main focus of the whole theme from what I can remember, and I recall them mentioning very early on that Jin's story will lead to what will become the birth of the "true" samurai (a.k.a. the samurai of the more latter periods (which many of us now identify when we say "samurai") succeeding the Kamakura samurai). It might be possible that the choice of weapons Jin uses are more latter-period samurai based because of him adapting his way of thinking versus the Mongols.
As for the armors the Mongols use, I can't really say without playing the actual game. They did however mention that Jin's choice of armors or clothing will have "mechanical" advantages. This statement is somewhat different when you consider they specifically used that term as opposed to "different stats". Perhaps this means bulkier armor means less agility and acrobatic capability but more protection from arrows? I can't really say.
This seems like a good way to get new subscribers as well as entertain the noble ones
When you get the game, it would be cool if you did a sort of “Ghost of Tsushima VS Sekiro” from the perspective of historical accuracy. I know Sekiro is more of a fantasy game, but I find it really interesting how differently Sekiro portrays Samurai and Shinobi compared to Ghost of Tsushima.
I second that!
If he really wanted to he could throw nioh in there as well :)
i agree also
sekiro is a fantasy.. i still don't bother to finsih it...
I would be surprised if there is anything more realistic in sekiro, at least from the fighting perspective.
I didn't realize that you were a college professor?
Usually when you teach a language you are academically allowed to teach it at basically any level
CahaLLo wait that means I’m technically a professor too! 👨🏻🏫
@@cahallo5964 ehhhh i mean he isnt just qualified to teach he spent 10 years in Japan learning the language and history
@@mondaysinsanity8193 I know
The other thing to remember is that in a lot of Romance languages "professor" just means teacher, iirc. Using it exclusively for a University position is more of a Germanic language thing, I think.
Yeah, I am looking very much forward to this game.
This is by far one of the most accurate and heartfelt video game authenticity reviews I've ever seen. Thank you.
Yes, he should use Tachi. But it would be even more realistic for the time to ride there with a horse and shoot them from the horse's back, than chopping them up. Armor is very right maybe only the helmet should be different. Otherwise amazing graphics and story. I'm really looking forward to this game.
To be fair the protagonists in the game are constantly moving around and are involved in lots of foot combat, so a uchigatana-style koshirae may be more suitable for them. Katana style mounts were used as early as at least early Kamakura periods, just not that much among full-sized long swords and war swords until the 15th century or so
I would think that the use of a Tachi would be an important point - If I remember my history correctly, it was the Mongol invasions, and the weakness of the Japanese swords against the Mongol armour that forced swordsmiths to rethink how they forged their weapons, and eventually lead to the evolution of the Katana.
@Thelondonbadger Actually, no, samurai did not use one-handed shields (these were only used before the time of the samurai). Barricade shields were used only for infantry. Which were more like small sliding walls. And Yari was not popular at the time more used since Sengoku Jidai this is Kamakura Jidai, so he would use Naginata as a spear. But you are right that the sword is the last choice. Only if he fell off his horse or Naginata broke would he fight with the sword.
Theres a horse and bow
It seems to me that the reason they picked that particular period is so that they make the player face a situation where he's completely outnumbered to make him make a choice between the 2 types of combat approach. At the same time, mongols are an invading force, they do not share your language and seem to be portrayed as a force of evil, akin to some type of bandit or barbarian. They probably wanted to avoid the moral dilemmas of being a samurai or shinobi facing off against other Japanese factions with all the political and moral grayness that entrails.
Also they can have an entire island be a map idk how embroiled Tsushima was in other periods but that seems likely too that you don't have to cross into other territories other than the enemy's. Kinda makes it easier to discern who the bad guys were i guess
"Why Mongolians?"
Because the mainstream like to have clear and recognisable hero/villain division. Everyone has heard of Samurai and the "Mongol horde" and allows an alternate noticeable cultural appearance in the game.
Just my opinion
That and there's not alot of samurai game thats open world
@@lilquincy6292 theres 0 im pretty sure lol
I think they went with the Mongol Invasion setting because they wanted to to do guerilla warfare rather than a straight out battle, like Sekigahara or other famous samurai battles. Giving the player the choice to either face the enemies as an outnumbered samurai, or a ninja slowly picking off his enemies one by one.
Samurai are shinobi/ninja
Cant wait for his take and in depth analysis on this game. Im holding my breath. Cant wait!
My guess for why they picked the mongol invasion is for story reasons.
A samurai defending his homeland and adapting as needed to fight them off.
I’m definitely buying this game when it comes out unless there’s a serious issue I hear about in reviews
I think they probably wanted a fairly straight forward story the audience can easily latch onto. Fighting for your homeland against a horde of invaders is more relatable than fighting the neighbouring lord over some land dispute on behalf of your lord or some other plotline with a bunch of political intrigue.
@@fattiger6957 Yeah, the sengoku might be a good setting for a tv series, but for a game? I'm not sure
@@fattiger6957 Basically they just want to butcher the Japanese history just to fit with their own narrative. Good to know.
feyzal92 they wanted to make a fun game rather than be bogged down in historical accuracy
My take on your question at the end;
I think this event was chosen specifically to question the identity, or rather the principles of a samurai in the face of a situation where standard protocol and "honor" won't cut it anymore. As you explained, a samurai's primary role is to serve and accomplish his duty. The method is secondary as long as he meets odd's ends. That's where the shinobi aspect comes from.
From that clip of dialogue, I would guess that your conquest strayed too far from what is socially accepted, and your allies will begin to doubt you.
And also because the Island of Tsushima was the only part of Japan the Mongols truly "conquered" (albeit briefly) AND because Tsushima itself can actually be recreated 1:1 in a game, something game developers can't really do to any of Japan's major islands with current technology and drive space.
@@KnightofAges The island setting makes sense, but I also think the setting was chosed because Mongons provide an "other" that can play as an antagonist that is different from the Japanese. For most of the caste's history, samurai fought other samurai. The Mongols provide the developers with a unique villain that looks, acts, speaks and fight differently from the player.
@@KnightofAges Yet, if you look at the game world it is not a 1:1 recreation (unfortunately, because I think that would have been awesome!) The terrain has been highly stylized... which is probably necessary for most games to some degree... but I think they took it too far. The world looks cartoonish.
As someone who loves iaido, I really look forward to this game. I personally hope this becomes a series of standalone games set in different periods of Japan. Of course they would need to rename the game like Ghost of Meiji or Ghost of Edo since other games probably wouldn't be set in Tsushima, unless the sequel takes place during the second invasion.
Fun fact: The developers of this game did work alongside an iaido school called "Tenshinryu Hyoho" that was founded by Tokizawa Yahei during the Edo period.
Just wanted to give you a compliment on the awesome way you review the game.
Uncolored opinion with awesome facts.
We need more people who review games like this. Big big big compliment. Love this
Yeah the concept of honor really has changed. I imagine that when they said someone was honorable they meant it in a more " He said he was gonna go do something and then he did it" way
Are you a professor Metatron? I’m not sure how the academic titles work in Italy.
He is as far as I remember
Yes, I work through the European funds of university and research. The official title would be Expert, but my students use professor anyways. RAF is good though ;)
@@metatronyt I thought your title was Metatron!? ;)
Chaos Omega he’s a noble one isn’t he?
@@metatronyt probably not a good idea to use the title professor just because your students use it. In most of academia it's a very difficult position to attain and it only really counts if given officially by a university. Perhaps the Italian translation is different.
Being ethnically Japanese, I love being able to find content in English from somebody so knowledgable.
I think they wanted to make the Mongols look more savage/primitive to make them look more like "bad guys" which is why they went with that aesthetic for them unfortunately
he is not only a man of culture, but also true gamer as well
You're the only one who is using the correct version of the game for your review (i.e. japanese dub), finally.
Also it's so weird to see short hair beardless Metatron.
Now I imagine a Isekai anime of Metatron in feudal Japan with his equipment.
Sorry, the yellow leaves at the start are ginkgo trees.
I can smell them from here 🤢
@@borismuller86 Mmmmmm smells like cat vomit.
@@borismuller86 So smelly, yet so enduring.
Amazing review Metatron. I've always been irked by the romanticed version of samurai, they were, as you said, killing machines with only the orders of their lord in mind, nothing else mattered to them. If their lord demanded a village raided and burned to the ground there was no question of honor because the only honor to a samurai was obeying his lord. Peace changed them but not to the point that is most often represented in media.
The same thing has happened to knights. Knights would be brutal as hell back in the day. But sometime in the victorian period they changed the meaning of chivalry from how to treat noble hostages captured in battle for ransom to a code of honour for righteous knights on how to treat women.
@@fattiger6957 To be fair, courtly ideals and honor were part of chivalry...in some locations and time periods, according to some contemporary people. Shadiversity has explained this quite well, but chivalry was a highly variable set of ideals, with different lords, writers, and clergy all having their own ideas of what it was, all across different places and times.
Okay so things that were considered great and noble during their existence was later changed by generations after who had either more evolved, more sophisticated, or just more delicate sensibilities. Who cares? I dont think it's fair to argue they are somehow bad or illegitimate or even less noble simply based upon what a softer or, to be diplomatic, more advanced civilization finds acceptable. If it wasnt for them, the next generation wouldnt have been able to edit anything, only their enemies. I'll take the romanticized version over the overly harsh version any day. Of course the generations after would portray their ancestors in a positive light, something modern people have forgotten. Which makes us bigger pieces of shit then they were.
I think that point of view is equally ridiculous. True 'killing machines' seem to have been rare before the 20th century, I imagine they were like everyone else trying to build their reputation, some attain greater power and wealth and maintain their honour. People at the end of the day.
@@7dayspking There were Smaurai in the Snegoku Wars that had over 100 kills by themselves. And that was against other Samurai. Who knows how many poor malitiamen they mowed down like grass that wasnt documented.
Thank you very much, Great review! Looking forward for the game and your next video about it
i would say bringing in the Mongols offers the most straight-forward "bad guys" with no politics or anything necessary. Their attack on Tsushima also benefits the open-world aspect of the game, where you just take the island back outpost by outpost from the bad guys until all markers are gone from the world map.
13:35 In the shadow of mordor games, some of the orcs can try to flee in terror.
Yh
I guess the better question is this: When did the samurai become more war-centric?
Prior to the Kamakura period, the "samurai" that we know of simply didn't exist. That and the aristocracy have always had civil service and military service specialized families. Both groups served the emperor as "samurai" but not anywhere like the Sengoku or Edo periods.
I think earlier on they were more war focused but less aristocratic. They started out more as soldiers and became aristocratic families later on.
I have huge respect for you man, if you were some kind of leader, i would follow you anywhere you go.
I appreciate your words
Thanks for the insights. About the choice of period: I think it was more about a choice of place for an open world game. The island is very small (about 70km length) in comparison to Japan's main islands. So it's far easier to represent Tsushima "fully" in contrast to an open world game in Japan where you'd have to focus on a region (as Kingdom Come did). Hitting invisible or visible walls in an open world game feels bad and cuts off some of the immersion, while the sea surrounding Tshushima is a natural border. Maybe the edo period style was chosen for what we westerners without background in history perceive as typical Samurai from popular movies and Mangas/Animes, often playing in that time (e.g. several Kurosawa movies, Okami, Samurai Fiction, Shogun series etc.).
I didn't know about this game until this video. I'll definetely buy it. Thanks for your good deed, Metatron!
I really hope they have polearms.
There WERE spears so.... Probably will be polearms.
Yari and naginata polearms
They probably will.
Just to add weapon variety
believe at that period, Naginata were the polearm they used, yari also existed at the time, but between the 2 i believe the naginata was more common.
the type of fighting that occurred during that period was very different from Sengoku Jidai. accomplished samurai at that time typically had a few attendants with them who were typically armed with naginata, while the samurai rode on horseback and primarily used the bow. it was very common for the samurai to compete with each other to see who was the first to charge into the enemy, take a few heads, then called it a day. they would then take the heads back for rewards. a believe there was an account where a lower class "ashigaru" (dont remember if ashigaru existed as a term at the time) literally came across a dead enemy, cut off the guys head, and quickly just left the battlefield to turn it in for a reward. anyways, my point is, samurai had a lot more autonomy than they did in Sengoku Jidai, where basically the Daimyo wanted full control over all his men and punished any who disobeyed orders. there was a generalized "commander" and he gave pretty loose orders. samurai then had the freedom to attack the enemy at will, in an attempt to gain glory and obtain rewards.
as Metatron said in a video awhile back, if we looked at how samurai behaved between the Kamakura era, Muromachi era, and Edo era, the samurai themselves would not recognize the other as samurai at all.
anyways, i went on a tangent, but yes naginata would be the common polearm of the era, and i also hope they include it.
im also gonna look forward to if the game is going to mention how the Mongolians pretty much introduced the samurai to gunpowder weaponry, (namely primitive grenades, and those Chinese stick cannons) and also historically, how this meeting was a catalyst in making the Samurai change how they fought (stuff like volley arrow fire, instead of aimed direct fire was not utilized in scale at the time i believe).
That sucks..... I was hoping to use a musket, yari and naginata.
Could you please one day do a "Last Samurai" historical evaluation, it's one of my favorite movie of all time, but Im afraid to say that there might be alot of things that are pure western fantasy, and I think many other would be glad as well to hear the opinion of a Professor of Japanese history and culture like you Metatron ;)
You are correct my friend unfortunately.
As it's been my passion for life , and I sell samurai armour for a profession ...I can definitely tell you there are many ideas just for entertainment.
The Shinobi for example in that period , certain methods, facts etc but it was an entertainment semi history piece .
Very much Hollywood but based off actual events with name and fact changes .
Does not stop it being an awesome and enjoyable as hell movie though with some great period sets and overall feel being true .
Lookup Saigo Takamori for the real last samurai they based it upon ⛩️✌️😉
Samurai didn’t use guns!
The actual samurai who were shooting each other for centuries since the 16th century: *say sike right now*
USA is the worst country in the world. The people there are immature kids , who only knows guns , USA is like a Chinese copy of Great Britain
This was really enjoying and informative to watch. People who can talk about history in an entertaining way always fascinate me. Metatron did not disappoint. You, my friend, are one of the few youtubers who preserve the true spirit of the platform in my opinion. Please never change.
I'm glad to hear that and very much apprecaite your words
Very interesting comments ! I lived three years in Japan and i love this country and it's culture, so it's nice to get all these precise infos from you 😊 ✨👍
Will you ever review Nioh 2? i loved your review of the first one :)
I second this.
This guy: "correct me if I'm wrong"
Me, a fan of this game while struggling to pronounce the era, eating potato chips, and holding my phone with my feet: "you're wrong"
06:10 it cut my eye as i used to train with katana in Ninjutsu several years ago but couldn't recall the name, Thanks dude
07:35 actually correct me if I'm wrong but the groove far end back of the Katana is designed for Shibori.
14:15 The only catch as a former shinobi (lol I just practiced like a year broke my nose and I'm out) is that when you fall from a height you should do Ukemi or Hijutsu but this character doesn't seem to performed it at-least from my perspective of view and his landing seems like noisy which all Shinobies avoid at all cost.
16:00 the answer is that I think they wanted to create a enemy with different style of fighting maybe they didn't want to show typical Samurai Vs Shinobi or Samurai Vs. Samurai we already has those games and also wanted to include a feeling that you are alone, your country invaded and you are the last hope of your ppl.
I'll definitely buy this game although It's really expensive and hard to afford to buy games in My country but this game is what I was dreamed of as I was a child playing Ninja Gaiden on Nintendo NES and time passed GTA came I experienced open world and from that moment I wanted to Create a open world game full of Ninjas and Samurais, you get the idea. xD
He is a traditional samurai os wouldt have learnt shinobi techniques 100%
Also samurai are shinobis/ninjas
Happy birthday Metatron!
Definitely bring your sensei to analyse combat, awesome video - as a new enthusiast in Japanese history this was great to learn from.
The style, the combat, the atmosphere... all looks fantastic - a feeling I'm looking for a while now
What I don't like about this game play trailer and so the game itself:
As you mentioned if the devs put so much effort to depict the samurai armor - why are then the mongols look like armed peasants - while you would think when you set up a war camp while invading a foreign country you would have at least the patrols and guards wearing armor all the time. Also what is that piece of metal the mongols use? Those are NOT sabers any mounted warrior would use - and mongols were mainly horsemen - those are just far too short so they look more like early 18th century cutlasses for me. For comparison: the cavalry saber used by Hungarians in the 9th century had a blade lenght of 75 cm or even a bit longer - and that is exactly the blade lenght I would use in combat - rather than that scimitar like something with a blade lenght of seemingly 60 cm
The symbols in the mongol war camp - those are like a variant of a Triskelion - but the Triskelion is a European symbol. Did the mongols used a symbol like that?
Also the bow the protagonist is using... What kind of bow is that? Most certainly not a yumi, also not a recurve - did they even use in Japan bows like that?
All and all I think you are completely right about that the setup for this game should be about 160 years later - where a samurai loyal to the newly established bakufu would go after ronins who turned bandits after Sekigahara
So I wonder what the actual plot of the game will be...
I think the fight is TOO cinematic, a little bit more chaotic will be good.
yeah,the combat turn me off honestly,I might pick the game on sale or I will watch some playthrough first.
it is a pr demo, so it's being played in the most cinematic way possible.
@@DarkMandrill get a brain
@@tzukishiro You should keep your pathetic and ridiculous insults to yourself,attacking people personal tastes don't accomplish anything and definitely don't make you smarter or look smart at all,other people personal choice/tastes are none of yours or other people business,now move along.
@@DarkMandrill get a brain which also doseant get offened so easily
maybe they wanted to treat this historical event in the eye of samurai movie so with those element of honor ect.., aslo it seem to show that jin will go to the romantice figure of the samurai to the samurai as they fought in this period, since the game talk about the "loss of honor" as we know it today to be a shinobi warrior that use every trick and exploit his ennemies fear to win.
I have never subbed so fast. As a game dev/designer, a game FAN, a fellow Japanese historian, a fan of logical,fair, in-depth breakdowns that are also entertaining, but even more...as 30-something that got immediate nostalgia vibes when you mentioned “Bushido Blade.” Thanks for the video 🙂
Loved this. Really informative!
"I'm very happy it's not another souls game" D:
He’s right. Either do something new with the “really hard gameplay” formula like Sekiro did or don’t bother.
Realism is better imo he agress
I love souls but I agree. Souls was born from a developer who wanted to do his own thing. The vast majority of souls like games don't really emulate the games well (I think salt and sanctuary had a decent understanding of how to make it work though).
I'm guessing they wanted a villainous horde, so they chose the Mongols as the enemy
I feel like the period its "set in" at this point is just to have a different setting than is usual or expected in "Samurai" settings. Typically the other two you mention are referenced or subconsciously chosen it seems because of the amount of it in popular media. Perhaps this is a subtle yet not all encompassing way of letting the developer differentiate its game in a small yet large enough way to make it stand out from the others should any of its other details fail at that.
Excellent analysis. It went over my head and that of the game developers.
Very educating and interesting video. Thanks :) Keep up the good work.
I bet that they'll give full Mongol armor to boss characters to make them stand out more.
if you watch the game play trailer you will see a mongol in full armor that looks fairly accurate. just watch the ghost gameplay. he kills a mongol in full armor right before the one mongol falls down in fear.
You guys looking for historical authenticity needs to let go. No offense. This game is clearly going for the History Channel Vikings level of "historical authenticity." I am well versed in East Asia history. The Edo period Kendo and Ashikaga/Sengoku period armor design stuff here are very annoying, but I have endured History Channel Vikings, so this is nothing new and not nearly as bad as Vikings. Also. No body mentioned the elephant in the room. Kamakura period Samurai fought primarily as archers mounted or not. The fact that both Mongols and Samurais use very little ranged weaponry and had zero mounted combat according to trailer is the real immersion breaker for me...
@@pypy1986820 I mean to be fair much of the fighting in the Mongol invasion was indeed infantry to infantry. Cavalry action is difficult with a sea based invasion and fighting among forts, which is why many accounts describe close quarter sword and polearm fighting(though there were a few cavalry charges here and there, it seems). A lot of the fighting took place on the ships themselves too, where of course sword combat was most important. Archery was important too, but mostly in firing down from forts to pin down and harass, not as a decisive action which had to be achieved with sword and polearm.
@@klikssiikubra314 Nah. I think you are giving them too much credits. It's probably the typical Hollywood "creative freedom." Again. The History Channel Vikings kind. Let's say what you said is true that it's hard to make mounted warfare works because of engine or map. What stop them from make Mongols and samurais shooting bows then? That's what they were known for at this point. It's not like gritty bow shooting action games are not engaging. Remember the Tomb Raider reboot? Also. Did you take a look at how insultingly lack of care the design of Mongol cannon fodders in this game. Most of them are wearing rags like they were some kind of Oriental pirate goons or something. Mongols wore heavily padded clothing like Russians and other North East Asians because of the climate they are from. They should look like Medieval version of Soviet Soldiers if the devs decided to do the right kind of creative freedom or educated guesses. On the other hand, how about make them looking like Medieval Chinese soldiers. The Mongols who invaded Japan were Yuan China Kublai Mongols. They were heavily simulated at this point. But, again. Nah. let's do none of that and just make a game maximizing appeals for generic Weeaboos where 12th century Samurais fights like 19th century Shinsengumi ronins and Mongols look like some piraty thugs wielding Cutlass looking Chinese Daos because that must be trendy
@@pypy1986820 Shooting arrows like Tomb Raider isn't historically accurate either. It'd have been massed volleys from behind earthworks and walls, which while it has an audience(probably the same people who play civil war simulators) isn't exactly the most stimulating. Besides, the protagonist character has a bow, clearly they can use the Tomb Raider style if they feel like it.
They're reserving the Mongol armor for boss characters, it would seem.
I usually like playing stealthy, but the open combat looks so good. I do hope that the open world activities aren’t like the typical Ubisoft game. I’m not a fan of mindless busywork.
I hope the game doesn't make me commit to one combat style. I'd like to try both stealth and open combat.
These guys made the Infamous games, if you look carefully at the demo you can get a feel for what the open world activities are like. This is going to be a typical open world game like their previous ones.
7dayspking I hope so. I loved the first 2 inFAMOUS games.
@@TheSpongyMallard Fair and I hope it lives up- to expectations for you.
Pff... no way the HUD would look like that back then
I'm definitely buying this game! It's my most looked forward to game. Great insight and review of the footage. I'd love to see more videos like this once you get the game - so yes to that question!
As for the other question, I think they chose the Mongul invasion period as it fits the idea of an isolated samurai developing into a shinobi well, but they chose to make it period inaccurate and cinematic so as to meet the general expectations of what most people think samurai are/were. It's really kind of too bad, as they missed a great opportunity to teach and make something even more different - something not done before - and they underestimated the sophistication of the average gamer, but at the same time, it doesn't hurt the game greatly for what it is - an Akira Kurosawa simulator set in the Kamakura. I personally would have went more period-accurate though.
I already pre ordered the digital deluxe edition. great reaction sir!
Good for you and I'm glad you liked it