Not only are they not to be hunted, but the foxes of Tsushima are guardian spirits who guide Jin towards upgrade shrines, sit patiently to be pet, and then bounce away in happiness.
It is so god damn cute.
So how is the game? I've seen so much crap from chuds using it as a shield against tlou2 (???) that actual commentary is kind of stifled. I'm not much of a console player but if I enjoy stuff like blood-borne and sekiro will I enjoy this?
Ugh, those people are pathetic. The Last of Us 2 was an excellent game, not only the best looking but one of the most narratively daring games I've ever played. I don't want to spoil anything, but the order in which you play as both characters is extremely effective at evoking powerful emotional responses as the arcs converge and their backgrounds are revealed. I loved it, but I'm also able to put my critic hat aside and enjoy a story for what it is.
Anyway, Tsushima feels like an Assassin's Creed game if it weren't overstuffed with meaningless trash and was more fun to control. The stealth is simple and easy, but it's satisfying. The combat isn't anywhere near as technical as Bloodborne (best game ever) or any of the Souls games, it's closer to Sekiro or Shadows of Mordor (more the former than the latter). Archery feels great, almost as good as Horizon Zero Dawn. The direction and shot framing looks like Kurosawa crossed with Sergio Leone, so much so that it's a little on the nose, though it's still really gorgeous. If you have a 4K HDR TV with a PS4 Pro, it's stunningly pretty.
I don't know if it "unfolds" in the way that Sekiro or Bloodborne do around the half way point, but I would guess not based on the 10 hours or so I've put into it. The plot and theming are classic Samurai film, and I will be surprised if it transcends that.
If you want Samurai Souls, Nioh/Nioh 2 really are the best options. This is much easier, less technical, and more fun to play if you're not willing to devote 100 hours to mastering a combat system. One thing I'm certain about is that it should be played on hard mode; this is nowhere near as challenging as any of the more technical action games. One major difference between this and Souls is there is no lock on mechanic, which feels really odd given how central that has become to the genre. At the same time, the parry system feels the most intuitive of any similar game, though that might be because it is a bit more forgiving.
The Japanese voice acting is excellent, and the English track isn't half bad either. My only complaint in this regard is there is no way to adjust the subtitle presentation. In engine cut scenes are shown in letterbox so it's not a problem, but it's impossible to read incidental dialogue while playing unless you're in a dark area. This will be fixed eventually, but it's kind of annoying.
I keep editing this post, but whatever, I always do that.
The game is closer to Uncharted than it is to Sekiro. The climbing mechanic is nearly identical (which isn't a bad thing; Uncharted 4 is a great game).
That's basically how I made Skyrim enjoyable; I'd mod the game to get ridiculously overpowered spells and wander around picking flowers until I saw someone attacking a fox. It was always really satisfying to see the hunter explode.
I have a few friends who have talked about how much they enjoy this game. I really wish I had a PS4 to play this. I have so many fond memories of Sly Cooper as a kid that I am really bummed I don't have a way to play this right now.
