Hokkaido's perfect blend of beauty and danger led Sucker Punch to place Ghost of Yōtei in the region
Fans of Ghost of Tsushima have been eagerly awaiting the sequel, and now Sucker Punch is finally revealing more details about Ghost of Yōtei! The game will take place 300 years after the events of the original, this time on the picturesque island of Ezo (modern Hokkaido). The main character will be Atsu, who wants to take revenge on the Yōtei Six clan for the brutal murder of her family.
Here's What We Know
As with Ghost of Tsushima, Sucker Punch aims to "convey a sense of authenticity and believability in our fictional story". In the PlayStation blog, game director Nate Fox said that the team chose Hokkaido because of its "incredible beauty".
"In 1603, it was the outskirts of the Japanese Empire. Back then it was called Ezo, a mysterious island in the north, sparsely populated by wajin (Japanese) brave enough to make a life for themselves in the cold desert. "It's that combination of beauty and danger that hooked us," Fox explained. "I thought it was the perfect place to tell the story of Atsu, a warrior so obsessed with revenge that the locals begin to believe she is an onryo roaming the land. If you're going to tell a ghost story, do it in a dramatic place."
The development team went on two expeditions to collect materials. The first one was to the Shiretoko National Park, where the "natural beauty" of the ocean and rocks coexists with predators such as bears.
"Suddenly, we had to divide our attention between contemplating the beautiful snow-capped mountains and looking at the nearest bushes in case a predator appeared. This experience was magical! The perfect combination of beauty and danger was exactly the feeling we wanted to achieve in our game," said Fox.
The second trip took the team to the eponymous Mount Yotei, which the Ainu called "Woman's Mountain". Fox felt that it was "a symbol of Hokkaido," and for Atsu, "a symbol of home and the family she lost." The developers talked to many local culture experts and visited important cultural sites to gain a deeper understanding of Japanese traditions, but more details are promised to be revealed later.
Ghost of Yōtei is scheduled for release on 2 October exclusively for PlayStation 5.
Source: PlayStation
