POETRY
Haikus and katanas
About haiku composition in Ghost of Tsushima.
I bought this game a few weeks ago. It’s sprawling and poetic beauty, set during the Mongolian Invasions of Japan, compelled me to collect — and publish — some haikus I’ve written, using the constraints set by the Kurosawa-esque game. These poems are not created from scratch. When the hero finds a suitable spot for inspiration — usually a circular floor matt and some writing utensils — he sits. Hauntingly beautiful music is triggered*, a topic is given, and the game generates 9 verses. The player chooses 3 to compose the piece. Once the hero is done, he collects a haiku-themed headband —
OF DEFEAT
Stillness of one’s mind
A lone pebble alters fate
Rising from the depths
OF STRIFE
Brilliant it blossoms
Peer through the mist and we’ll be
Shattered, but alive
OF DEATH
Worries strangle growth
Unafraid, defenders stand
Flourishing and free
OF SERENITY
Feel the earth below
A cool bed beneath the stars
A sturdy…