Sucker Punch held its big Ghost of Yotei deep dive presentation today, giving us our closest look at the sequel’s stunning open world, combat, story, and systems.
At one point, we see a shot of protagonist Atsu riding on horseback through a glittering field with an imposingly pretty mountain range in the distance. Tucked away in the misty mountains I can just make out a temple of some kind, and I think, that looks cool. I’d like to go there.
“Ghost of Yotei isn’t going to rush you through anything,” says the narrator (queued up below). “You can choose what motivates you most, but we think the best way to play is simply to pull out your spyglass, find something interesting on the horizon, and enjoy the ride.”
Sucker Punch, you read my mind.
Ever since The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild set a new precedent for emergent gameplay in open-world games, and thus nurtured my ADHD-addled mind by allowing me to do whatever and go wherever I want and reward me for it every time, that’s the only way I’ve been able to enjoy open world games.
Oh, and did you peep the new spyglass feature? That’ll make it even easier to spot interesting landmarks far off in the distance to distract you from the main quest in hopefully satisfying and meaningful ways.
Ghost of Tsushima’s open world is obviously a visual feast, but I’ve always felt it could’ve utilized the space in more creative, inviting ways, like, say, Breath of the Wild. What’s really encouraging to me is Sucker Punch’s stronger emphasis on exactly that in Yotei, hopefully elevating a beautiful open world into one that feels consistently rewarding to explore.
