Ghost of Tsushima's Iki Island DLC expansion has just recently released alongside the Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut, making this month's end an exciting time for fans of the game. Sucker Punch Productions' original Ghost of Tsushima celebrates several of Sony's first-party successes in endgame easter egg references and a multiplayer mode dubbed Ghost of Tsushima: Legends.
Ghost of Tsushima's island of Iki presents players with new mechanics and features, such as being able to tame and pet a variety of different animals found in animal sanctuaries. But with a number of price point hikes that this release of Ghost of Tsushima is taking on, it will be up to fans' discretion whether they believe the new content in Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut is worth upgrading to. Either way, fans have begun to find more references and easter eggs to similar first-party titles in Ghost of Tsushima's newest DLC expansion.
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Ghost of Tsushima fans have quickly ascertained that Iki Island's Shrine of Ash includes an explicit nod to God of War, along with a reward for intrepid players. At this shrine, players are able to find a tree with an unassuming axe embedded into it next to a golden handprint. Of course, God of War fans may instantly acknowledge this easter egg from the first moments of Kratos' latest installment, where players' first button inputs result in a tree with a golden handprint being chopped down. Sucker Punch and Santa Monica Studio have since cheekily responded to people's discoveries of this shrine and other hidden easter eggs throughout the DLC.
Iki Island's Shrine of Ash includes other nods to God of War also, such as a length of chains and a scroll that cryptically retells the story of Kratos and his son, Atreus. However, fans have deciphered this shrine's puzzle and concluded the gesture-based solution to it. Once players have equipped the Sakai Clan armor and swipe right on the controller's touchpad to unsheath their katana, a cutscene should instantly trigger. The following cutscene simply shows a swirl of particle effects envelop Jin before he emerges in a gear set homaging Kratos in God of War.
This armor set includes the Helm of War headpiece, the Spartan facemask, and the Ghost of Sparta color palette. This set is not altogether new to Ghost of Tsushima, though it was only previously available as an outfit selection for the Samurai class in Ghost of Tsushima: Legends' multiplayer mode.
Further, it appears as though other Sony-inspired Ghost of Tsushima: Legends skins are being introduced into the game's single-player content with the Iki Island DLC. Other shrines found throughout the DLC, such as the Blood-Stained Shrine and The Shrine in Shadow, reprise the multiplayer modes' skins that homage Bloodborne and Shadow of the Colossus. With Ghost of Tsushima's extended cut having only released today, it will be interesting to see what players find next.
Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut is available now on PS4 and PS5.
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