Though it’s only been out for ten days, Sucker Punch Productions’ Ghost of Tushsima will receive a major update today. Update 1.05 introduces the new Lethal difficulty along with Lower Intensity Combat, the former intended to up the challenge while the latter is all about relaxing it. Bug fixes and text size options are also included.
What makes Lethal difficulty so, well, lethal? Enemies will be more aggressive in combat and have deadlier attacks (though Jin’s attacks will also deal more damage). Parry and dodge windows will also be tighter, forcing players to adapt. And stealth won’t be quite as forgiving since enemies will detect you faster.
By comparison, Lower Intensity Combat is meant to be more forgiving. Several unblockable attacks become blockable; enemies will back off more often (including not attacking while Jin is healing); and Heavy Attacks can now interrupt attacks from Brutes. They’ll even become aware of Jin at a slower rate, making stealth easier. Check out the update notes here for more details.
New difficulty level: Lethal
- Enemy weapons are more deadly, but Jin’s katana is also more deadly
- Enemies are more aggressive in combat
- Enemies detect you faster
- Tighter Parry and Dodge windows
Patch 1.05 will also include the following new options in the accessibility menu:
Lower Intensity Combat
Lower intensity mode is meant to maintain the heart and feel of Ghost of Tsushima combat while relaxing several timing-specific elements. Combat is less intense, giving you more time to react. Stealth settings are more forgiving, and enemies take longer to detect you.
- Most enemy attacks which are normally unblockable become blockable when Lower Intensity is enabled. Blocking with L1 will keep you safe from more attacks than standard combat, though some attacks must still be dodged.
- Enemies break off their attack combos after damaging you, giving you a chance to recover before the next wave of attacks. In addition, your heavy attacks will interrupt attacks from Brutes, giving you another way to stop their combos.
- Enemies will not attack you while you’re using Resolve to heal
- Enemy awareness builds more slowly, giving you more time to recover after being spotted
Text changes
- Large Text option: Increases text size of subtitles, mission objectives and interact prompts by 150% when enabled
- Added option to turn speaker name off when subtitles are enabled
- New subtitle text color options in addition to white: Yellow, Blue, Red, Green