The latest gameplay deep dive for Ghost of Yotei, which is now a little bit greater than two months away from its extremely anticipated launch, acquired us eager about how Sucker Punch has been intelligent to increase its sequel to Ghost of Tsushima in scope, however not dimension.
Stories in regards to the new sport’s map being roughly the identical dimension as the unique sport level to an method that many different PlayStation exclusives may have taken for his or her sequels, making them higher as an alternative of simply bigger. Sucker Punch’s choice to fill the lands of Ezu with extra to do in a restricted area may make Ghost of Yotei a sequel like no different.
However why is it a intelligent choice? That’s due to the studio’s method to creating the world it has constructed for us to discover as a lot of a predominant character within the new sport as its new protagonist. The gameplay deep dive from Sucker Punch introduced many attention-grabbing sides of its world constructing to the forefront of its examination of the way it constructed on its phenomenally profitable 2020 launch, and there’s quite a bit to justify its choice to maintain the scale of its new world roughly the identical.
The World Tells A Story
Ghost of Tsushima put the titular island within the highlight of its narrative, making Jin Sakai’s combat towards the Mongols a mirrored image of his love for the land that he known as house. It was a wise strategy to make his story deeply private with the added benefit of reflecting the internal battle between his upbringing and journey to turning into the Ghost.
Sucker Punch cleverly interspersed lovely meadows, fields, and villages with areas that had been ravaged by the conflict, portray the Mongols as an ever-present antagonist that showcased the overwhelming odds Jin would face off towards and the necessity for him to turn out to be one thing greater than only a samurai. The world it had created justified its narrative in some ways, and by retaining an analogous dimension for Ghost of Yotei, the studio can recreate the combination it so deftly dealt with the primary time round.
For example, permitting gamers to take a look at flashbacks of Atsu’s previous life with a easy button press truly addresses one of many few complaints we had with Jin’s story. His personal flashbacks usually got here up throughout essential moments within the current, suspending the stress for a trek by way of his recollections that was fairly jarring. By giving its gamers management over after they want to make a journey down reminiscence lane, Sucker Punch has ensured that its new map places its gamers within the driver’s seat.
It additionally makes narrative sense for the brand new sport to function a equally sized map, contemplating that Atsu doesn’t face an invading military in her story of revenge, though there are many enemies standing between her and the Yotei Six. So far as the story in its sequel goes, an even bigger map, was pointless and Sucker Punch has definitely made an excellent name to not increase on its dimension.
Sucker Punch retains Atsu’s toes firmly on the bottom even because it makes her much more of a lethal killing machine that Jin. And for the story it’s attempting to inform, that’s an excellent factor.
So A lot to Do, So A lot to See
So far as gameplay is anxious, a map that’s equally sized to Tsushima as soon as once more is sensible for Ghost of Yotei. Sucker Punch’s emphasis on natural discovery of all of the content material it has delivered to the desk. Regardless of its many strengths, Ghost of Tsushima’s facet content material was amongst its weak factors with repetitive actions of which just some supplied rewards that had been useful to its gameplay loop.
Its facet missions had been additionally a sore level, largely devolving into fetch and carry quests that noticed Jin go from level A to level B with a number of platoons of Mongols to take down. Whereas there have been notable exceptions just like the Mythic Tales, it was a design flaw that a number of open world titles on the time fell prey to. Nevertheless, with current-gen methods elevating the bar for the standard of video games on provide, it’s excessive time that modified.
Atsu’s journey doesn’t run the danger of such useless bloat. Ghost of Yotei’s gameplay loop is primed to be an argument in favor of a extra formidable method to its world, and having a map that’s full of considerable exercise is definitely higher than a bigger one with that content material merely unfold out to pad out an already important playtime.
Certainly, retaining the identical map dimension may enable Sucker Punch to current a world that appears bigger than it truly is contemplating how Atsu should painstakingly assemble clues in regards to the folks she hunts by actively participating with the world round her. It’s an method that may make her the final word predator in a world the place her prey is sort of good at remaining unseen.
A bigger map runs the danger of ruining the engagement that Sucker Punch’s new method to world constructing goals to determine. It wouldn’t make sense for Atsu to spend extra time in her saddle than she does searching her targets in a story that’s targeted on presenting a lone wolf searching what looks like the whole jungle.
It may additionally assist with the primary narrative’s pacing and clear up a obvious challenge that Ghost of Tsushima’s third act delivered to the fore. The northernmost a part of Tsushima felt empty and barren, with solely a handful of actions to mud off earlier than taking up Khotun Khan and the remnants of his dismantled military.
Though Tsushima was not at all small, it may have had a lot extra selection to its facet actions. Sucker Punch’s ambitions for its sequel are higher served with a map that doesn’t place dimension over scope on virtually all fronts, permitting for a extra targeted gameplay loop that sustains the liberty to discover that its gamers would count on from its open world.
The High quality of a Life
Another excuse in favor of Sucker Punch’s choice to not go for an even bigger map in Ghost of Yotei is the style during which it has carried out high quality of life adjustments that make sense for its gamers. For starters, the flexibility to make camp when you’re out on the planet means, with vital NPCs discovering you rather than having to hunt them down.
It’s an vital change that when once more justifies the choice to keep away from a bigger map in Ghost of Yotei because it merely removes the need for it. That’s exacerbated by a extra streamlined method to quests involving NPCs as the brand new menu that Sucker Punch offered makes managing their totally different aims fairly straightforward and is certain to work nicely with the quick journey system from Ghost of Tsushima that we imagine is certain to make a return within the new sport.
Furthermore, the addition of flower streams that add a lift to your pace when you journey by way of them is one other significant tweak that may work in Sucker Punch’s favor. The added pace would have meant nothing if the gap Atsu needed to cowl was additionally fairly massive. Nevertheless, foregoing the added dimension ensures that the brand new addition is sensible from a traversal standpoint, emphasising Sucker Punch’s willpower to convey high quality over amount to its new title.
Retaining the identical map dimension can be a chance for the studio to combine extra verticality into its world and probably enhance on the climbing mechanics it established within the first sport. Whereas they definitely acquired the job performed, it’s unlikely that gamers would have something unfavourable to say about extra climbing factors as they attempt to seek out new skills, or notably elusive targets who might imagine that the excessive floor makes them secure from Atsu’s metal.
Larger Does Not Translate to Higher
All issues thought of, we imagine that Sucker Punch has deftly set itself up for fulfillment by going with a map that’s as massive because the one it first established for its wildly profitable franchise. Doing so ensures that the open world it brings to its gamers by no means outstays its inevitable welcome, permitting the studio to craft an expertise that places its gamers first.
A much bigger map would do nothing to raise the formidable adjustments that the studio is bringing to its narrative, gameplay, and exploration mechanics. It could solely serve to restrict all significant issues to do when you’re out exploring the area in Ghost of Yotei, taking away from the expertise by making gamers traverse bigger distances for a similar reward.
Briefly, a map related in dimension to Tsushima isn’t an obstacle. It’s a chance for Ghost of Yotei to outshine its predecessor on virtually each entrance. And we imagine that Sucker Punch noticed that proper off the bat when it sat down at its drafting board for its upcoming title.
Observe: The views expressed on this article are these of the writer and don’t essentially symbolize the views of, and shouldn’t be attributed to, GamingBolt as a corporation.
