The 2020 samurai game, Ghost of Tsushima, has sold over 8 million copies. Fans of the game appreciate the cinematic quality of the fight scenes and costume design. Though many liberties are taken with the real-life history of Feudal Japan, it still aims for an authentic feel. Ghost of Tsuchima pits samurai Jin Sakai against Mongol invaders on Tsushima Island. The creators of the game wanted to add a special feature to honor one of their role models in the industry, and so Kurosawa Mode was born.
Named after award winning director, Akira Kurosawa, the mastermind behind Seven Samurai, Kurosawa Mode can be applied to the game at any point. When players select this mode, they are transported to a look reminiscent of Seven Samurai. All color is replaced with a slightly grainy black and white. The players are guided by the sound and visual effect of the wind rather than the typical arrow. When asked about his inspiration behind this gameplay mode, the creative director of the game, Jason Connell, said:
“We have this great game that transports people back to feudal Japan and Akira Kurosawa was one of our reference guides, especially early on, about how we wanted it to feel. As we got closer and closer to making that a reality, we were like, ‘What do we call this special mode that we created, this black-and-white throwback?’ We threw out a bunch of different words and we thought, ‘What would be awesome would be if we could call it Kurosawa Mode.’ In order to do that, we felt that we needed to reach out to the estate and see if that’s something they’d be interested in. We sent a short video showing what it generally looks like, and what it feels like.”
Creative Director Jason Connell
While the mode can be incorporated at any time, players may find themselves replaying the entire game in Kurosawa Mode.
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