‘Ghost of Tsushima’ actor thankful for fan response

When “Ghost of Tsushima” released in July, actor Daisuke Tsuji waited with baited breath to see how the game was going to be received.

Tsuji, who voices Jin Sakai in the game, hoped that the years of work would pay off with fans and that the unique experience would pay dividends.

“I thought it was special because of the Asian American aspect,” Tsuji said. “They hired all Asian Americans for this game and we haven’t gotten many of that made by a AAA American studio. That was exciting.”

The game certainly has seen its share of success. “Ghost of Tsushima” received seven nominations at the Game Awards, including Best Performance for Tsuji and Best Game.

“I wasn’t expecting it, but it’s very exciting,” Tsuji said. “I never took the possibility seriously, but now that it’s starting to happen, it’s humbling. I hope we win something.”

But initially upon release, Tsuji felt worried. The game received an 83 (out of 100) on Metacritic. A solid score, but not quite the rave reviews Tsuji hoped to see.

“I’ll be honest, reviews come first. That didn’t help me,” Tsuji said. “There was a bit of difference between the critics and players. The reviews weren’t bad, but we wanted it to be better.”

The reviews were hard on Tsuji, who had been working on the game since late 2016.

“It was really emotional,” Tsuji said. “I had to get out of the house. I went shopping. I almost cried because you work so hard on it for three years and when the critics aren’t giving you a 90 on Metacritic, it’s like, ‘Oh, what could we have done better?’

“All this stuff went through my head,” Tsuji said. “Like, oh, I’m, done. No one is going to like me and I’m never going to get hired again. Then, the game came out and the fans let us know what they thought about the game. It felt great and it still feels great.”

Video games have been a relatively recent direction for Tsuji, who has a theater and TV background. But he is excited to continue working in the medium.

“I look at people like Troy Baker and Laura Bailey and how much they work and the level of work they do,” Tsuji said. “That’s something to look up and work towards.”

While the future of “Ghost of Tsushima” remains to be seen, Tsuji said he hopes to continue playing the role and continue to explore Jin Sakai.

“The first game is an origin story of the ghost,” Tsuji said. “I’d like to see how bad he can get and see if he stays the hero or if he becomes an uncontrollable killing beast.”

Contact Lukas Eggen at leggen@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0279. Follow @lukaseggen on Twitter.