I feel it’s been the right amount of time between games, with the passionate fans of Ghost of Tsushima more than ready to dive back into this immersive world.
But how do you carry it forward? How do you create something new? Ghost of Tsushima was such an epic stand-alone title. So Ghost of Yotei has a big task ahead.
As I sat down with Sucker Punch Productions Jason Connell and Nate Fox, it was the first question I asked.
How do we carry this game forward for a true, epic sequel?
“We asked almost the exact same questions of ourselves,” Connell told QD.
“That’s the magic judo of making video games. And, for us, it was making sure we carry forward that like lethal precision in the combat, that samurai cinema film inspired sort of vibe, you know.
“Respecting the quiet moments, but making sure there’s sort of a visceral feeling to all with an awesome story pulling it together,” he said.
Ghost of Yotei follows the journey of Atsu, a wandering samurai hellbent on vengeance.
Set 329 years after the first game, the team at Sucker Punch is pushing open-world exploration to the next level, granting players “unparalleled freedom to discover Ezo”.
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The game heavily leans into its cinematic inspirations, introducing new “director modes” for players.
Beyond the returning Akira Kurosawa mode, which celebrates earlier samurai films, two new modes expand the experience, including one that gets players up close and personal with enemies.
More Ways To Attack And Kill
Combat itself has seen significant evolution.
Despite the recent PlayStation State of Play event highlighting an arsenal of weapons at the player’s disposal, Nate Fox was happy to confirm there’s more to come.
“There are more ways that you can attack and kill people,” he laughed.
“I’m happy to report to you. We have not shown you them all, but the weapons are definitely the heart of it. We took the stances from Ghost of Tsushima, which we loved, and we said, okay, let’s go farther. Instead of four, let’s put in five,” he said.
As also revealed in the State of Play, Photo Mode is returning. I felt guilt having spent what I feel was too many hours taking screenshots in the previous game… But was assured by Nate and Jason that it was totally fine and the mode is there for players to do exactly that (thanks, guys).
The setting incorporates “Wild West film tropes” with classic samurai movie influences, creating a unique blend that evokes a sense of being on the “edge of, the sort of the civilised world where anything could happen”, Connell said.
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Sucker Punch emphasised their collaborative approach with advisors, building upon the “epic training wheels called Tsushima”.
These advisors help ensure authenticity and accuracy.
“Advisors really help us understand everything from our writing style to our historical, and like, geographical locations that we want to depict… Each of them understand we’re making a piece of entertainment,” Connell said.
Connell and Fox stressed that their goal is not a “stone for stone sort of recreation”, but rather to “capture the feeling of a place with enough authenticity and accuracy that really transports people”.
Ghost of Yotei is coming to PlayStation 5 on October 2nd.
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