Ghost of Tsushima follow-up will have a less repetitive open world

Ghost of Yōtei, the newly revealed follow-up to Ghost of Tsushima, will have a less repetitive open world.

Sucker Punch's Nate Fox and Jason Connell, creative directors on Ghost of Tsushima, were interviewed by The NY Times to discuss the sequel, due out next year on PS5.

"One challenge that comes with making an open-world game is the repetitive nature of doing the same thing over again," said Connell. "We wanted to balance against that and find unique experiences."

Ghost of Yōtei - Announce Trailer | PS5 Games

Indeed, the first game was criticised for its repetitive activities used to fill out its open world. With Yotei, new protagonist Atsu will be able to master firearms in addition to melee weapons, and players will have greater control over her story.

Ghost of Yōtei will be a story of "underdog vengeance", as Atsu travels across grasslands and tundras.

That setting was inspired by two research trips by Sucker Punch to northern Japan, with the view of Mount Yōtei across Lake Toya inspiring awe. "I sat there for two hours just staring at the mountain," said Connell. "It was stunning."

The Shiretoko National Park, in the northeast of Hokkaido, also proved inspirational. "Inside the park, you have to watch a video telling you about the dangers of bears," said Fox. "Being in this incredibly beautiful park with jagged cliffs and water, yet all the time being aware there were dangerous bears, was electrifying.

"We strive to bring that into the video game - that feeling of danger."

Ghost of Yōtei was unveiled at Sony's recent PlayStation State of Play. The trailer introduced Atsu and has something of a Western vibe to it, set a few hundred years after Ghost of Tsushima.

"To create something fresh but familiar, we looked beyond Jin Sakai’s story and the island of Tsushima, and shifted our focus to the idea of the Ghost instead," wrote Sucker Punch communications manager Andrew Goldfarb on the PlayStation Blog.

"At Sucker Punch we love origin stories, and we wanted to explore what it could mean to have a new hero wearing a Ghost mask, and uncovering a new legend. This led us to Ghost of Yōtei: a new protagonist, a new story to unfold, and a new region of Japan to explore."