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Ghost of Tsushima’s ‘samurai cinema’ mode plays like a black-and-white movie

Grainy vintage look will replicate classic samurai films

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A black and white screenshot of Ghost of Tsushima Image: Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment
Michael McWhertor is a journalist with more than 17 years of experience covering video games, technology, movies, TV, and entertainment.

Sucker Punch Productions’ open-world samurai action game, Ghost of Tsushima, will pay homage to the classic Japanese films it’s clearly drawing inspiration from with a “Samurai Cinema” mode. The developer revealed the new mode, which gives the game a grainy, black-and-white film visual style, during an episode of State of Play dedicated to revealing new details about Ghost of Tsushima.

Samurai Cinema mode can be turned on right from the start of the PlayStation 4 game. The black-and-white mode will overlay the game with dust, scratches, fibers, and other imperfections that give the presentation a filmic quality, à la Samurai Assassin, Harakiri, or early Kurosawa films. (Sucker Punch also described the filter as “windy” during State of Play, apparently hinting that the mode will introduce constant gusts of wind.)

With what appears to be minimal HUD options, fans looking for a classic cinematic experience will want to turn on Samurai Cinema mode right away.

Ghost of Tsushima will be released for PlayStation 4 on July 17. You can watch the 18-minute State of Play presentation in 4K for an in-depth look at the game. Here are a couple more 4K screens for a sharper look at Samurai Cinema mode.

Image: Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment
A black and white shot of two samurai squaring off from Ghost of Tsushima.
A black and white screenshot of a samurai about to unsheathe his sword from Ghost of Tsushima. Image: Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment

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