Ghost of Tsushima: Legends is the co-op DLC you didn't know you wanted

While many PlayStation 4 owners may have been holding their breath for a The Last of Us Part II multiplayer expansion for, it looks like Ghost of Tsushima have it beat with a genuinely surprising multiplayer game mode announced Monday. Developer Sucker Punch Productions had announced that a free update for the samurai epic will be made available later this year that'll add Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, a game mode that might redefine what we come to expect from DLC from narrative single-player games.

On Monday, Sucker Punch Productions dropped a trailer and PlayStation Blog post detailing Ghost of Tsushima: Legends. Due out for PS4 in fall 2020, this is a cooperative multiplayer version of Sony's latest exclusive that features new story missions, a horde mode, a four-player raid, and a more fantastical setting than the realistic single-player story. It's even free for anyone that owns Ghost of Tsushima.

What is Ghost of Tsushima: Legends about? The PlayStation Blog post revealing the game confirms that Legends "doesn’t follow Jin or the companions from his journey, but instead focuses on four warriors who have been built up as legends in stories told by the people of Tsushima."

This means that this multiplayer mode can delve into a lot more of the high-fantasy Japanese concepts that Ghost of Tsushima's single-player showed restraint in portraying. That could possibly include concepts like the Imperial Regalia and Jiraiya that the base game could only hint at as folklore. It's equally as possible that characters like Gosaku from the Mythic Tales from the base game could come into focus for these stories.

How will Ghost of Tsushima: Legends play? The snippets of gameplay that we see in the gameplay trailer do confirm that Legends will play similarly to the single-player game, though PlayStation Blog details how it will stand out with four unique character classes: Ronin, Samurai, Hunter, and Assassin. Overall, Sucker Punch says Legends' gameplay will build "on the foundation of combat from the single-player campaign but with new magical twists that often require careful synchronization with your partners."

The reveal does tease that "each class has unique advantages and abilities, but the developers aren't ready to reveal what these are just yet. That said, it wouldn't be surprising to see classes like the Samurai be more focused on sword combat while the Hunter depends on archery or other ranged skills. It will certainly be a change of pace from Jin, who is a well-rounded character with a variety of skills in the single-player mode.

What modes will Ghost of Tsushima: Legends include? So far, three modes were confirmed for this multiplayer expansion. To start, there will be several co-op story missions. Not much about the story was shared, but the more fantastical setting opens up a lot of cool opportunities, as we mentioned earlier. Outside of that, players can also work together in "Survival Missions," which is essentially a wave-based horde mode where players encounter new and tough supernatural Ghost of Tsushima enemies.

A "four-player Raid" was also teased to come to Ghost of Tsushima: Legends "shortly after launch" and will only be available to those that have beaten all of the other content. It remains to be seen how exactly a raid will work in a third-person action game like Ghost of Tsushima, though the PlayStation Blog post teases that it is about "sending you and your partners to an entirely new realm to challenge a brutal, terrifying enemy."

The Inverse Analysis — While it's a bit disappointing that this game is not going to be a PlayStation 5 launch title, it's still an awesome bonus for those who have beaten the base game. Even for those who weren't as enthralled by Sucker Punch's latest title, this multiplayer mode provides a more supernatural and fantastical change of pace that might be more appealing.

This is a multiplayer mode that no one was expecting, but that doesn't mean it's unwelcome; In fact, it's now one of the most exciting multiplayer games of the year and a surprising swan song for the PS4.

Ghost of Tsushima: Legends will be released for PS4 in fall 2020.