Set on Tsushima Island in the year 1274,
the game revolves around one of the island's last samurai, Jin Sakai,
during the first Mongol invasion of Japan. The armies of the Mongol
Empire, utilizing weapons and military tactics unknown to the Japanese,
have conquered and devastated many countries and Tsushima is all that
stands between them and the mainland of Japan. The island was devastated
by the first wave of the Mongol invasion; its samurai forces were
easily defeated, allowing the invaders to conquer large swaths of
territory where they terrorize the local inhabitants and gather
resources to build up their strength. Jin is one of the few survivors of
his clan, wiped out while trying to defend the island. With his world
shattered, Jin realizes that the way he was trained to fight is useless
against such a powerful enemy. Ultimately, he must learn the way of the
Ghost, an unconventional fighting style that emphasizes small-scale
attacks, creating fear in the minds of the enemy, and using their own
weapons against them, to defeat the Mongols and prevent them from
launching a full invasion of the mainland.