So for those who are playing this and finished Tsushima, is the gameplay so much improved from Tsushima that I can't go back to it?
Tsushima is on my backlog, but the shots and videos I'm seeing make me hyped to go for this while the watercooler discussion is going.
It's much improved, but not mechanically. You are more or less playing with very similar mechanics
But the gameplay
scenarios are much more varied and as a result, memorable. Boss fights rarely feel same-y. The moves they have are quite varied too. Most "checklist" missions, like camps/hideouts, come with little twists. Even had a completely unexpected and delightful boss fight in one of them. All other open world activities are interesting and varied as well. Especially if you don't have GoT as a frame of reference to compare, you would enjoy it even more. The open world in general is wayyy more organic, letting you explore in your own style and pace. NPC interactions (animations notwithstanding) rival some of the best open worlds out there. Still quite a step behind in terms of systems, complexity and consequences, but you just keep discovering new things and side stories that still somehow connect to the main arc. So over time you really get a sense of a living world. I'm at 16% story completion after 33 hours. That would literally be the time it takes to 100% GoT and have nothing new to see or do.
But if you start breaking down camera angles, how every duel begins, and raw mechanics, they aren't that different.
If you play Yotei first, Tsushima would feel a step backwards. No doubt about that. You would definitely find stances more restrictive than weapons and every boss and location would feel very repetitious. Side missions would be unbearable in comparison (from a gameplay perspective). It will still be fun if you like this style of combat. And the story is entirely different. Much more "Epic" versus "low-key and personal". But there is nothing in GoY in terms of gameplay that GoT does better.
So after GoY, if you want to play GoT, your incentive should be something else, like for science, enjoying the beauty of Tsushima or experiencing the story. It's a far simpler game on all aspects. And for those reasons, some may even prefer that. Not me, for sure.
