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[email protected] www.fantastikajournal.com Fantastika Journal • Volume 5 • Issue 1 • May 2021 “POLITICS CAN WAIT UNTIL THE KHAN IS DEAD” Review by Charlotte Gislam Ghost of Tsushima. Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment, 2020. Video Game The Mongols have invaded. Most of the samurai are dead. Jin Sakai is the last hope for the people of Tsushima, but not if he keeps to the traditional samurai ethical code. That is the situation which players of Sucker Punch Productions’ action-adventure game Ghost of Tsushima (2020) find themselves in within the first hour of play. A situation which the developers use to frame a member of the most privileged class of Japanese society as an underdog and hero of the people. On completion players will have experienced a narrative which, although enjoyable, twists constantly to maintain that framing. This process discourages players from reflecting on their avatar’s body count and powerful role within the political structure of Tsushima; those who do will discover that at every stage the narrative finds ways to condone and encourage the violence, both physical and structural, as violence is the main tool Sakai has for interacting with the world.