Everyone should play this gorgeous open-world free game on PlayStation Plus

If anyone ever asks me for a game recommendation from PlayStation Plus I pretty much always give the same answer. Ghost of Tsushima.

You can play the director’s cut of the game right now and if you subscribe to PlayStation Plus, it’ll cost you nothing. No money at all for one of the finest open-world games to ever appear on the PlayStation consoles. There are so many reasons to play it and I could write for hours explaining them all, but I’ll simply give you one reason. The open-world of Japan.

Ghost of Tsushima is available to play on PlayStation Plus

As with any other open-world, the map is separated into regions, with each feeling pretty distinct. There are the war-torn battlefields, vast sweeping grasslands, bamboo forests, trickling streams, and water-logged rice fields. Spread out within these areas are pockets of beauty such as the hot springs which act as a healing method, or places to sit and contemplate beauty while writing a haiku. Then there are the traditional temples in out-of-the-way places requiring some nifty parkour to reach them.

Though many parts of the map will see you having to fight off bandits or warlord mini-bosses, there are surprisingly many moments of peace to be found. The long stretches of coastline are, once the battles have died down, serene and the graphical powerhouse of Sony’s consoles show off the subtlety in light or textures in the sands and grasses. Even in the more densely populated areas, or the hub zones of temples, the beauty continues in the traditional architecture of Japan. The multi-floored temples are intricately detailed, and the people mill about among the objects littered throughout the areas. The villages range from wartorn to flourishing and the visual design always leads through the smallest details.

From a gameplay perspective, there’s always something to see or do. Be it, following a fox to discover a small shrine or riding out to the far reaches of the map in the hopes of snagging a collectible. Open-world games give players the freedom to either play points of the game out of the decided order, or take their time by being distracted at every opportunity, and Ghost of Tsushima does a brilliant job of dangling possibilities in front of you. Will you push on into a village and tackle a stealth section? Or will you get lost out in the wilds? However you play the game, just make sure you play it.