However, no title in recent memory has arguably made better use of this than Sucker Punch’s samurai adventure Ghost of Tsushima. Going well above and beyond the usual expectations for this in-game tool, Sucker Punch has set a new standard for interactive filters, camera positioning and overall visual flair. While other developers seems to toss in a photo mode for the pure fun of it, Sucker Punch practically created its own digital editing workshop for Ghost of Tsushima’s many beautiful landscapes.
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Expected features from a photo mode include being able to add a filter over the image, tilt/crop the angle and being able to add an overlay logo for added personality. These tools have become the basic template for how this feature works and more often than not, is what most big games opt to include, as it works well enough. In Sucker Punch’s eyes however, “well enough” just wasn’t going to cut it for its ambitious vision of Ghost of Tsushima’s photo mode.
Nearly every conceivable photo editing or manipulation technique is present in Ghost of Tsushima, providing players the means to bring practically any creative ideas to life in a matter of moments. Depth of field, focal length, exposure bias and color grading are all present within the many possible tweaks that can be made to a snapshot. The meticulous attention to detail continues with even allowed gamers to alter the weather and particle effects within any particular edit, right down to the speed of the wind and number of fireflies dancing around the screen.
For added measure, Ghost of Tsushima even includes the option to create a “moving picture”, with the saved photograph demonstrating what appears to be life standing still, all while the wind blows through grass and leaves in the trees.
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
After being in development for over six years, Sucker Punch was undoubtedly proud of the stunning visual quality it had achieved with Ghost of Tsushima. It currently sits as one of the most gorgeous video games ever made, a benchmark that the studio naturally wanted to show off to everyone who plays it. It is immediately evident just how impressive the graphics are after just a few moments of playing the actual game, but Sucker Punch possibly wanted players to never forget the minute to minute wonders experience in its vivid digital recreation of Tsushima.
Considering the wealth of main missions and side quests in Ghost of Tsushima, there is no shortage of sights to see and wonders to behold. Nearly every waking moment can tell a story, from casual exploration on horseback to intense sword duels against other combatants. The photo mode is sprawling yet seamless to navigate, practically becoming second nature the more time the player invests into the experience.
If the very point of a photo mode is to allow gamers to capture a split second interaction to preserve forever and share with friends, then Ghost of Tsushima went above and beyond in doing so. Photo mode is increasingly popular and not going away anytime soon, but going forward, other developers will seriously need to step it up to compete with what Sucker Punch accomplished here.
Ghost of Tsushima is available for PS4.
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