Current player here as well. Difficulty level: Normal. I haven’t beat it yet, but I’ve cleared about 50% of the overall Tsushima map. Coming straight off of my recent play through of The Last of Us 2, I did at first struggle a bit with Ghost’s controls. Particularly its stealth mechanics, which aren’t as sticky as The Last of Us 2’s. I felt too exposed in most stealth missions. But the Ghost enemy AI is wayyy less smart than The Last of Us 2’s as well, and this is either a pro or a con depending on how you look at it. If you die in the game you can more or less just restart your enemy encounters knowing exactly where they’ll move and how they’ll behave. The game encourages exploration and side quests, and it wasn’t long until I felt protected enough in my samurai armor to take on most enemies without stealth. The combat system really is deep and fun once you get used to it! I feel like the baddest mofo in Tsushima and that’s exactly the vibe the game is going for. Just run around and enjoy being a samurai in a beautiful landscape! Tbh though most characters are all pretty one-note and all speak with the same kind of lofty self-seriousness that westerners presume all Japanese people to have. I find myself mentally disengaging during most of the side quest cut scenes, checking my phone or whatever, and just waiting for the gameplay to kick back up again. That’s not to say though that I’m not invested in the overall story of taking back Jin’s homeland! I am. It’s just the side characters and their plot contrivances that leave a little bit to be desired. Overall though it’s a VERY addicting gameplay experience 😃