Why is Ghost of Tsushima so brutally difficult? A hardcore gamer‘s perspective

As an experienced gamer who has sunk over 100 hours into Ghost of Tsushima and finished its lethal "Lethal" new game plus mode, I am intimately familiar with why this epic open-world action game is considered so intensely demanding. Jin‘s quest to liberate Tsushima from the Mongol invasion forces you to hone your skills, reflexes and combat tactics to a razor sharp edge just to survive.

From the very start, Ghost of Tsushima throws you into an unrelenting onslaught of aggressive enemies with punishing damage. Even basic attackers can wipe out 3/4 of Jin‘s health bar with a single combo on default "Hard" difficulty. As you explore Tsushima‘s beautiful yet dangerous landscape, you need near flawless reactions and combat management just to topple commonplace Mongol patrols or bandit camps.

Peril Around Every Corner: By The Numbers

• On "Hard" mode, common melee enemies deal 200% increased damage compared to medium difficulty
• Ranged attackers can kill Jin in 3-4 hits from full health
• The hardcore "Lethal" mode doubles all enemy damage from Hard
• The average player death count to beat the game ranges from 400-600 deaths
• Completing all side quests and exploration content on top of the 25 hour main story will take over 60 hours for most

Simply staying alive for more than 30 seconds against groups of enemies demands near perfect play. Ghost of Tsushima requires such tight combat execution that single mistakes often lead to immediate death.

Relentless Enemies Give You No Quarter

The enemies of Tsushima are utterly relentless in their aggression. Patrols are constantly on the prowl for any sight of you, immediately rushing to investigate any unusual sounds. Once engaged in combat, they attack with coordinated strikes, constricting your movement while archers relentlessly barrage you with arrows.

Against multiple foes, you can only withstand 4-5 hits before perishing. Even basic sword wielding troops can quickly overwhelm your defenses through weight of numbers. Survival depends upon systematically thinning enemy ranks while narrowly avoiding fatal blows.

But the combat pacing never lets up pressure. Foes swiftly rush you down if you retreat even briefly. Facing off against just two spear warriors or shield bearers at once becomes lethal as both aggressively hack at your defenses. Falter ever so slightly against their coordinated offense, and death swiftly follows.

Demands Mastery Of Every Combat System & Technique

While offering satisfying depth, Ghost of Tsushima‘s combat complexity directly feeds its difficulty. To overcome challenging encounters on higher difficulties demands intricately understanding multiple finely tuned combat systems.

Fluid Stance Swapping Is Obligatory

Enemies dynamically attack high, mid or low during combat. Switching between Jin‘s four combat stances (Stone, Water, Wind and Moon) to counter specific threat types becomes essential. If you use the wrong stance against an enemy, your parries and dodges will fail – often lethally so.

Maximizing Gear & Ability Synergies

You need to strategically tailor every piece of equipment, armor upgrade and special ability to amplify Jin‘s combat potency. For instance, Chain Assassinations pairs perfectly with the Stealth Charm to efficiently clear camps unseen. Finding ideal synergies isn‘t obvious without studying abilities extensively.

Meticulous Precision Required

While combat looks cinematic, surviving demands extreme precision. Deflecting heavier attacks requires exact timing – miss the parry by just a split second and you‘ll take substantial damage. Dodging then instantly attacking rivals in the back requires perfect rhythm and positioning. Maintaining this razor sharp execution against constant waves of enemies is extremely strenuous over a whole playthrough.

Treacherous Enough To Rival Notorious "Souls-like" Games

While not as outright unforgiving as the famously hardcore Demon‘s Souls or Sekiro franchises, Ghost of Tsushima‘s intense combat ultimately pushes players to similar limits. The precision, instant lethality and unrelenting pressure during complex fights reaches comparable levels. Players intimately familiar with overcoming FromSoftware‘s demanding titles will feel right at home with the auditory, visual and controller feedback cues needed to master Tsushima‘s combat.

Surviving long nights clearing Mongol territory demands patience, composure and intense focus where any lapse in judgement or reflex can instantly kill Jin. You rapidly gain a healthy caution venturing across the island‘s regions, carefully noting patrol routes, hiding spots and potential ambush chokepoints.

Expect To Die…A Lot

With such tight margins for error on Hard and Lethal, most players die hundreds of times throughout a complete playthrough of Ghost of Tsushima. I perished over 600 times through finishing the game 100% on Lethal, despite experience defeating Sekiro and Nioh 2‘s hardest post-game challenges . Even seasoned action gamers should expect a similarly gargantuan death count.

This staggering lethality inspires lively debate on whether Ghost of Tsushima qualifies as one of the most challenging combat systems ever. But that brutality also makes every victory intensely gratifying. There are few gaming accomplishments as rewarding as defeating a Mongol war camp or invading fortress on higher difficulties through pure skill. It offers a profound sense that Jin has become an unstoppable warrior.

Mastering The Mechanics Takes Dozens Of Hours

While simple to grasp early on, Ghost of Tsushima‘s layered combat systems take potentially over 50 hours of gameplay to fully realize on lethal difficulties. Only through extensive practice against perilous enemies does operating Jin‘s stances, parrying, dodging and combos become semi-instinctive. With each and every main story mission, you are forced to tighten movements, attack timing and tactical positioning further just to survive.

Ghost of Tsushima demands near total combat mastery in stark contrast to most open world action RPGs. Where titles like Assassin‘s Creed Odyssey or Horizon Zero Dawn allow players to dominate through character levels, equipment alone is rarely sufficient here . Instead, Jin‘s power stems from your underlying reflexes, reactions and strategic command of various gameplay systems accrued over dozens of hours. In this sense, Ghost of Tsushima emulates a strict fighting game structure masked within sweeping open world trappings – grinding the movelist and matchups is mandatory.

An Endgame Crucible That Pushes Players To Their Limits

Upon beating the 25 hour main campaign, an even more brutal challenge awaits in New Game+ mode. Here, enemies hit drastically harder on what was already the maximum "Lethal" difficulty…now amplified even further beyond. Terrifying new ‘cursed enemies‘ also emerge with deadly buffed abilities, like blinking behind you if blocked or regenerating health unless continuously attacked.

This amplified post-game crucible demands absolute mastery of Jin‘s entire combat moveset and razor sharp intuition during hectic battles. Anything less means almost certain demise. While entirely optional, this supreme test stands as a final badge of honor for those seeking to demonstrate complete and utter dominance of Ghost of Tsushima‘s many combat facets.

Through examining all these interconnected reasons, we gain strong understanding of how Ghost of Tsushima earned such notoriety as a demanding combat gauntlet compared to its open world peers. Clearing bases forces players to string together multiple complex combat variables under constant peril, requiring peak performance maintained over 30+ hours.

Yet crucially, this dramatic challenge escalation makes rising to the task and ultimately dominating lethal enemies so profoundly satisfying too. Walking away from an incredibly hard won victory against a hated rival such as Kojiro feels like genuinely becoming Tsushima‘s vengeful protector.

So while brutally demanding at points, Ghost of Tsushima finds a brilliant risk-reward balance. Play attentively, learn its nuances, and the adversity faced makes conquering this lush island an extremely rewarding journey.