The Art of Ghost of Tsushima

by Sucker Punch Productions

A beautifully realized tome inspired by traditional Japanese aesthetics and featuring art from the delicately crafted video game from Sucker Punch Productions. Dark Horse Books and Sucker Punch Productions are honored to present The Art of Ghost of Tsushima. Explore a unique and intimate look at the Tsushima Islands--all collected into a gorgeous, ornately designed art book.

Step into the role of Tsushima Island's last samurai, instilling fear and fighting back against the Mongolian invasion of Japan in the open-world adventure, Ghost of Tsushima. This volume vividly showcases every detail of the vast and exotic locale, featuring elegant illustrations of dynamic characters, spirited landscapes, and diagrams of Samurai sword-fighting techniques, along with a look at storyboards and renders from the most intense, eloquent, and expressive cinematic moments of the game.

Genres: Art, Video Games, Nonfiction, Gaming

208 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2020

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

در کنار جذابیت طراحی بازی، این کتاب هم در از اثر هنری بود و قطعا داشتن چاپی چنین کتابی خیلی لذت بخشه.
دیدن لایه لایه طراحی کاراکتر ها، طراحی موقعیت ها و اینترفیس بازی عالی بود.
یه قسمتی از کتاب استوری‌بوردهای بازی رو داشت.
آهان یه چیز جذاب دیگه تو اون صفحه آخر که همه امضا کرده بودند، امضای یکی شبیه لبخند بود.

[Murtaza · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Artbook is so beautiful, I have no words...

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

There are art books - and then there is something that transcends the genre. With the Art of Ghost of Tsushima, a beautiful game is elevated through all kinds of visuals: storyboards, world building, character designs, and the user interface. Those interested in game development will find a lot here but others who enjoyed the game will marvel at the jaw dropping paintings and art. Quite a few were so good I wish I could have used them as art on my walls. It may be an idealized Japan and Island of Tsushima but it is a glorious one.

The book breaks down as follows: Characters, World, Legends DLC, Storyboards, User Interface, Visual Development.

The characters section will give you concept art, background info on the characters, their various cosmetics (mask, outfit, sword) and how the artists approached character aesthetics. I appreciated that all the main characters had concept art that was just stunning to behold. But we're also given all the Mongol outfits as well as monks, companions, guardians, vendors. etc.

The World section focuses on what the Mongols were doing to Tsushima. There is concept art from many mediums and discussions/info about important areas on the map such as the Ariake Golden Temple and Castle Kaneda. Everything from home types to camps are given lush graphics to explore. The game comes with several biomes - swampy to snowy, forest to coastline.

The Legends DLC combines world and characters, providing an intriguing preview to the download.

The storyboards show how the animators created their storytelling. The illustration work is clean and detailed - and each provide an interesting perspective on the littlest things - such as looking up from under a straw hat to wrangling the Ghost's horse.

The user interface shows all the details that make the game usable - from Japanese Mon symbols for the families to how the team approached levelling up.

Finally, the visuals section explores how objects like trees or landscapes were created: with an eye toward realistic but very much focused on expression. The colors a bit brighter, the trees more colorful, and changing time of day views such as sunset. It's here that you find the absolute best images.

The book is 90% images, many full page but smaller ones as well. There is so much to explore and enjoy, especially after you have finished the game. Because this is so gorgeous, I highly recommend it. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the way this edition of the book is presented. It's in a nice slipcase, but the book itself has a very interesting spine that seems to be inspired by Japanese book binding.

One of the best aspects of "Ghost of Tsushima" is just how beautiful the world is, in its overall design, the use of colour, the architecture of the world is really perfect at immersing the player in the world.

This book gives you a glimpse into the art behind the game, the amazing designs of the characters, the island, the homes and of course weapons. It's nice being able to sit back and look at it all at a slower place, much like every other "Art of..." book I've read.

Like the other "Art of..." game books, there's not a lot in the way of descriptions, in fact less than any other. It's not necessarily a detriment to the book, it's wise to let the art speak for itself, but I always hope for more of a behind the scenes look at the creation of the game.

As always I recommend it to anyone who has played the game, or in this case anyone who has an interest in samurai and Japanese history. The creators visited the island of Tsushima for inspiration but they do make it clear that the game is a fictional account, therefore they've taken appropriate liberties with the design while doing their best to stay true to the spirit of Japanese culture at the time.

[Thom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really a gorgeous art book with lots of context for how things were meant to be in motion. I liked the details on framing, the storyboards, and the thematic use of color in the various locations throughout the game.

[Han · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could stare at this for days

[Kimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would have liked if some of the pictures were brighter and there were multiple typos in the few bits if text. But otherwise, gorgeous book with a cool binding!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful art! My good friend Sarah was a character rigger for this game and it's so fun to have a whole book just filled with the character art and sets.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This book was very impressive! The creators from Sucker Punch studios did an amazing job! By their works, one can tell that they definitely did their research very well and carefully thought out their craft. I watched a walkthrough video of the game (did not play it because I do not own a gaming system), and I will tell you that it was amazing! The plot, the scenery, the characters, everything! Sucker Punch definitely put its whole effort into that game. Also, the scenery is breathtaking and almost gave me a sense of tranquility(most of it).
I only wish the book would include its downloadable content: Iki Island. I would like to see the artwork of some of its new characters like The Eagle and if they visited Iki Island to create the scenery there.
Otherwise, this book is well done and explains very well their motives and thought process very well. And their selection of artwork is beautiful. I highly recommend it if you want to learn more about the game.

[Searching for a name · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really full of pleasant anticipation for this art book.
The game and the art in this game were incredible and I am a huge art book lover, so I was excited for this one to arrived.

First: The Design of the Cover is pretty nice! It is an interssting format.
But inside, well.
The art ist really pretty - can´t denied.
But the print is really dark. Sometimes it is hard to even see what ´s in the dark picture. It feels like the print turns out way darker than intended.
The print quality looks kinda "grainy", not really smooth, which is really sad.

They choose a good among of pictures, even if I missed more natural scenery (especially from the spider lily field (Lycoris radiata). I got over 5 GB Screenshots form the game, only of the beautifull scenery.

All in all it is a nice artbook, even if I was a little bit disappointed about the quality of the pictures.

[Dan Brigman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a gift, and I was pleased to receive it considering how much I enjoyed the source material. Japanese culture and history have always been fascinating to me. While I have not yet been able to travel there in person, I’ve used many sources to “travel” there through books, film, and art. While this book is art of a fictional version of Japanese culture, it does offer the viewer some insight into the beauty of Japan.

The source material is a fantastic escape into the world of samurai intrigue many centuries ago on the island of Tsushima – even if you never play the game, I encourage you to check out this book of the game’s art.

[Ani Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

From characters, world-building, weaponry, and clothing concepts - all are such beautiful works 🤩 Although, I might be biased since I've really gotten into GoT recently.

I absolutely loveddd seeing the storyboard process [and if you like storyboards I highly suggest Bing Joon Ho's "Parasite" graphic novel in storyboards book.]

Overall: it's a super amazing game + a gorgeous art book. Unlike other game art books, the most unique thing about GoT's art book is that they included the bts of their legends dlc + the user interface, so I think that's pretty interesting to see ngl. 10/10.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of beautiful concept art for the game.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The artwork is just as breathtaking as the game itself.

[Zach Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great game!
One of the best things about any incredible game is when you’re able to look at the art or behind the scenes of a story.

Great concert art!
Great everything!

[McKenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely stunning artwork. The love these developers had for their game is palpable. I am inspired to find some reading material on the history of Japan during this tumultuous period.

[E. G.]

Introduction, by James Connell, Art Director

--The Art of Ghost of Tsushima