Ghost of Tsushima PS4 PlayStation 4

Ghost of Tsushima is Sucker Punch's triple-A love letter to Japanese samurai movies. Set during the Mongol invasion of the titular island, the studio has made it well known that the game is heavily inspired by classic samurai films, particularly those directed by Akira Kurosawa. In fact, the team loves these old flicks so much that it's built in a mode that turns the game black and white, adds film grain, and other effects.

Literally named Kurosawa Mode, the idea is that you can play the entire adventure as though it's an interactive movie from the famed director. In order to secure this name, though, Sucker Punch needed to secure permission from the filmmaker's estate -- and it did.

"We have this great game that transports people back to feudal Japan and Akira Kurosawa was one of our reference guides, especially early on about how we wanted it to feel," art director Jason Connell told Entertainment Weekly. "As we got closer and closer to making that a reality, we were like, 'What do we call this special mode that we created, this black-and-white throwback?' We threw out a bunch of different words and we thought, 'What would be awesome would be if we could call it Kurosawa Mode.'" The team sent off a video showcasing the mode to the estate, and received its blessing.

It's pretty impressive Sucker Punch has been able to recreate the director's style so well that it's able to put his name right in the game. In addition to the black and white filter and film grain, Kurosawa Mode also increases the wind effects and adjusts the sound quality.

Ghost of Tsushima is just over a week away from release on 17th July. Will you be playing with Kurosawa Mode enabled? Let us know in the comments section below.

[source ew.com]