How To Get A Good Ending In Ghost Of Tsushima

Ghost of Tsushima is the PlayStation 4's last hurrah, and more importantly, a love letter to Akira Kurosawa films. The game is a samurai epic that lets players explore the island of Tsushima, fend off invading Mongols, and soak in the scenery. And, like any Sucker Punch game, Ghost of Tsushima lets you approach missions in different ways, which extends the game's length significantly, especially if you want to discover all of its endings.

Ghost of Tsushima only has only two endings, which is still double the number in many open world video games. However, this knowledge might make you rethink your in-game actions if you want a specific outcome. Are you afraid that relying on dishonorable ghost equipment like poison darts will net you a bad conclusion? Well, don't worry — here's what you need to know to get a good Ghost of Tsushima ending that would make Kurosawa proud. Beware, spoilers are ahead.

Ghost of Tsushima's endings aren't actually as simple as "good" or "bad." It's far more accurate to label them different flavors of Kurosawa storytelling.

Near the end of the game, Jin is reunited with his uncle, Lord Shimura. Unfortunately, this reunion is far from pleasant as Lord Shimura explains that the local shogun declared Jin an outlaw and is demanding his head. Being an honor-bound warrior, the duty of killing Jin falls to Lord Shimura. However, Jin isn't going to die without a fight, and if he wins, he will be presented with two options.

After his defeat, Lord Shimura requests a warrior's death, and this is where the "good" and "bad" endings come into play. You can either kill Lord Shimura, honoring him at the cost of his life, or spare him and walk away, relinquishing the last of Jin's honor. Either way, each man loses something precious, so it's difficult to call either ending "good." 

If you had to call one of Ghost of Tsushima's endings "good," it would be the "spare him" option since Jin's character arc centered on abandoning honor for the sake of doing what's right. Plus, killing your father figure is messed up, regardless of honor.