As a seasoned gamer who has traversed countless open-world landscapes, I found Ghost of Tsushima to be a delightful yet familiar journey. While the game was visually stunning and immersive, it didn’t quite break the mold for me in terms of its gameplay mechanics and side activities.
In contrast to many other players, I found Ghost of Tsushima to be rather ordinary. Let me clarify: the game’s visuals were stunning, and the presentation was top-notch, with a captivating world that drew me in. However, for the most part, it felt like a typical open-world game, offering nothing particularly unique compared to games such as Red Dead Redemption 2 and Elden Ring. With Ghost of Yotei‘s sequel now announced, I’m optimistic that Sucker Punch will push boundaries this time around and create something distinctive that sets Ghost of Yotei apart from its peers.
Beyond the unveiling trailer, a substantial amount of information regarding the game “Ghost of Yotei” remains scarce in the public domain. What we do know is that the sequel is set 300 years following “Ghost of Tsushima“, it’s situated around Mount Yotei, and revolves around a new protagonist named Astu. Aside from this, Sucker Punch has been tight-lipped about its storyline and has shared minimal insights into the gameplay differences compared to “Tsushima“. However, they have hinted at incorporating “novel mechanics, enhancements in gameplay, and even new weapons.
In my opinion, what sets Ghost of Yotei apart from Ghost of Tsushima should lie in the variety of tasks scattered throughout its world. At first, interacting with foxes and composing haikus in Ghost of Tsushima was delightful, but after repeating each activity more than a dozen times, it became repetitive and tedious. My irritation might be fueled by my tendency to complete every task in an open-world game, seeking the gratification that comes with achieving 100% completion.
For me, what kept Ghost of Tsushima from reaching its full potential was the inconsistency between the main story progression and the side activities scattered throughout the world. Many open-world games grapple with this challenge because it’s tough to reconcile the compelling drive of a linear narrative with the freedom to explore and engage in seemingly unimportant tasks. As a fan, I found myself often torn between delving deeper into the captivating story and exploring the beautiful yet sometimes distracting side activities.
One way that I think Ghost of Yotei could look to resolve this is to make its story more open-ended. The game’s debut trailer suggests that its main character, Astu, will be hunting down other ronin that are spread across Mount Yotei. Rather than taking down each of these adversaries in a specific order and making its storyline linear, Sucker Punch should just dump players into its world and give them a broad task that they have to complete however they choose. This is something that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild did particularly well, as Nintendo’s foray into open-world design tried to funnel players down a certain route while still giving them the freedom to go anywhere at any time.
In 2024, I believe that open-world games have outgrown their roots as expansive spaces primarily filled with key areas of interest for players to engage with. This concept was widely adopted by Ubisoft over a decade ago in its own games, but it’s time for something fresh. If the open-world design of Ghost of Yotei were merely an enhancement of what we saw in Tsushima, it would risk feeling remarkably outdated, even if the game is visually stunning.
In addition to its expansive open-world setting, I believe that Ghost of Yotei could benefit from enhancing the flexibility in its combat mechanics. While Ghost of Tsushima provided various stances for players, each stance was primarily used to defeat specific types of enemies. This led to a game mechanic resembling rock-paper-scissors, where you were essentially compelled to employ certain sword styles to vanquish foes that were vulnerable to those styles. If you chose not to adhere to these guidelines, the game would halt and notify you with a message instructing you to switch your stance. Instead, it might be more engaging if the combat system allowed for a greater degree of player choice and less rigid adherence to strict rules.
In the world of Ghost of Yotei, I don’t advocate for completely eliminating sword styles, but rather finding a more subtle way to include them. The second katana Atsu brandishes in the Ghost of Yotei trailer suggests a blend of combat styles that could be one of the key innovative features Sucker Punch plans to introduce. Personally, I’d prefer to see a reduction or even removal of the overly dominant mechanics seen in Tsushima, making the gameplay more balanced and enjoyable.
Although I wasn’t entirely captivated by “Ghost of Tsushima” as I had anticipated, I’m eagerly looking forward to “Ghost of Yotei”. Sucker Punch has always been one of my favorite studios since my childhood, and they are undeniably among the most skilled companies in PlayStation’s first-party lineup. With a year of 2025 already brimming with highly anticipated releases, “Ghost of Yotei” is already making a mark and is a game I plan to play as soon as it’s launched. Here’s hoping Sucker Punch will explore new grounds with this sequel and advance the open-world genre further in the process.
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2024-09-26 00:40